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

Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones

(1869-1933)

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 30, 2015

1. Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones (1869-1933) Marker

Inscription. Born Matilda S. Joyner in Portsmouth 1869, Sissieretta Jones was a trailblazing African American pioneer of the concert and theatrical stages during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She studied music at the Providence School of Music and the New England Conservatory in Boston. Jones sang for several U.S. presidents and at the Chicago world’s fair in 1893. While performing with the “Black Patti Troubadours” she always closed each show with brilliant renditions of opera and gospel music. Her popularity spanned the globe, and she received medals and lavish gifts from many foreign heads of state.

Erected 2006 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number Q 8-w.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment • Women. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.

Location. 36° 50.288′ N, 76° 18.32′ W. Marker is in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is in Olde Towne. It is at the intersection of North Street

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and Green Street, on the right when traveling east on North Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Portsmouth VA 23704, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker 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,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: Emanuel A.M.E. Church (here, next to this marker); Ruth Brown (here, next to this marker); Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Lincolnsville (within shouting distance of this marker); Birthplace of Dr. James W. Holley III (within

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 30, 2015

2. Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones (1869-1933) Marker

shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Emanuel A.M.E. Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Richard Dale, U.S.N. (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); St. John's Church (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Portsmouth.

Also see . . . Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones. Wikipedia (Submitted on June 1, 2015.)

The Black Patti, Mme. M. Sissieretta Jones: The Greatest Singer of Her Race. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Metropolitan Printing Company, 1899

3. The Black Patti, Mme. M. Sissieretta Jones: The Greatest Singer of Her Race.

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2015, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,088 times since then and 78 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 31, 2015, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 3. submitted on June 1, 2015.