Olde Towne in Portsmouth, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients

By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 11, 2025

1. Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients Marker

Inscription.
In memory of the brave citizens of Portsmouth whose heroic action, above and beyond the call of duty, earned for them the nation's highest honor—the Congressional Medal of Honor

Army-Air Force Shea, Richard T. Jr, 1st Lieutenant, 7th Infantry Division, 6 to 8 July 1953, Sokkogae, Korea • Veal, Charles, Private, 4th U.S. Colored Troops, 29 September 1864, Chapins Farm, Virginia • Wilkins, Raymond H., Major, 5th Air Force, 2 November 1943, Rabaul, New Britain

Navy-Marine Corps Barrow, David D., Seaman, U.S.S. Nashville, 11 May 1898, Cientuegos, Cuba • Jordan, Thomas, Quartermaster, U.S.S. Galena, 5 August 1864, Mobile May, Alabama • Neville, Wendell C., Lieutenant Colonel, 2nd Regiment Marines, 21-22 April 1914, Vera Cruz, Mexico • O'Conner, James F., Landsman, U.S.S. Jean Sands, 15 June 1880, Portsmouth, Virginia

Erected 1989 by the Portsmouth Flag Associates.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in this topic list: Military. In addition, it is included in the Medal of Honor Recipients series list.

Location. 36° 50.253′ N, 76° 17.842′ W. Memorial is in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is in Olde Towne. It is on

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Glasgow Street east of Crawford Street, on the right when traveling east. The memorial stands on the grounds of Marquis de Lafayette Park. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 407 New Ml St, Portsmouth VA 23704, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lafayette's Tour (here, next to this marker); Shopmates Memorial (here, next to this marker); The Coast Guard (within shouting distance of this marker); U.S. Lightship No. 101 Portsmouth (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Virginia Ship Repair Association (about 300 feet away); The Pass House & Gardens (about 400 feet away); Spanish-American War 1898-1902 (about 400 feet away); Francis Grice 1789 - 1865 (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Portsmouth.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. The linked marker is two years newer and includes the five recipients left off of the 1989 marker.

Additional commentary.
1. Omissions
There are five additional Medal of Honor recipients from Portsmouth that are not listed on this marker, but are included on a similar memorial tablet erected two years later two blocks south at Admiral's Landing. The men excluded from the marker shown are William M. Carr, Jessie W. Covington, Joseph Mitchell, August Ohmsen, and Samuel

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 11, 2025

2. Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients Marker

Woods.

— Submitted February 10, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.

Monuments & Markers in Lafayette Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, October 18, 2025

3. Monuments & Markers in Lafayette Park

Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 168 times since then and 44 times this year. Last updated on February 10, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 20, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on February 10, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.