Aviation pioneer Glenn H. Curtiss sponsored the Atlantic Coast Aeronautical Station on a 20-acre tract east of Newport News Boat Harbor in the fall of 1915 with Capt. Thomas Scott Baldwin as head. Many civilian students, including Canadians, later . . . — — Map (db m33952) HM
Launched in 1890, the tugboat Dorothy was the first ship built by Newport News Shipbuilding. After a long career, Dorothy was brought home and refurbished in 1976 to stand on the Shipyard grounds as a tribute to the company’s . . . — — Map (db m34024) HM
The first vessel constructed by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company was delivered in April, 1891. The 90-foot iron tugboat was designed by Horace See and built near present-day Dry Dock 2.
Named for the daughter of former Secretary . . . — — Map (db m34028) HM
The 90-foot tugboat Dorothy, Hull Number One, was delivered by Newport News Shipbuilding in 1891. As Dorothy plied her trade over the next 73 years, her reputation for dependability became a maritime legend. The little tugboat was recognized . . . — — Map (db m34029) HM
Born here in Newport News 25 Apr. 1917, Ella Fitzgerald, known as Lady Ella or the First Lady of Song, was considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century. Her three-octave vocal range and improvisational ability in scat . . . — — Map (db m98280) HM
Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News on April 25, 1917. She later moved to New York where her singing talent was discovered at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. Ella was the most popular singer in the world for more than half a century, . . . — — Map (db m167538) HM
To provide emergency accommodation for shipbuilders on the eve of World War II, the U. S. Navy set up a 5,000 person housing development in 1940 on 68 acres between Warwick Road and James River. The first tenants moved into 100 prefab buildings in . . . — — Map (db m33968) HM
To provide emergency accommodation for shipbuilders on the eve of World War II, the U. S. Navy set up a 5,000 person housing development in 1940 on 68 acres between Warwick Road and James River. The first tenants moved into 100 prefab buildings in . . . — — Map (db m33969) HM
Honoring the
Four Heroic Chaplains
of World War II who gave their
lives so that others could live
when the S.S. Dorchester
sank off Greenland February 3, 1943
Lt. G.L. Fox
Protestant
Lt. J.D. Washington
Catholic . . . — — Map (db m34043) HM
African American residents of Warwick County campaigned for new public schools to replace inadequate, overcrowded facilities in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1949 the county opened Carver High School, constructed here at a cost of more than $500,000. The . . . — — Map (db m129922) HM
Gregory Cherry was a man whose love for Newport News and the Southeast Community expressed itself in many ways. He served in the United States Army as an NCO Congressional Escort and in the prestigious Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. He returned to . . . — — Map (db m98281) HM
Preface: Newport News was a small community located in Warwick County until late in the 19th century. Established as a town in 1880, it was incorporated as a city in 1896. Warwick County, one of the eight original Virginia shires formed by . . . — — Map (db m13945) HM
(panel 1)
Looking across the James here on June 2, 1608, you might have seen a strange sight. A large vessel sailed past with a smaller vessel in tow—neither resembling the canoes used by native people on this river.
The . . . — — Map (db m98385) HM
The splendid natural harbor of Hampton Roads served the nation as a military port of embarkation in the Spanish American War and two World Wars. In World War 1, headquarters were set up at Newport News on July 11, 1917, and vast shipments of troops . . . — — Map (db m33953) HM
James Apostles Fields was born into slavery in Hanover County, Virginia, in 1844. During the Civil War, Fields and his brother George escaped to Hampton, where in 1862 they found refuge as "contrabands of war" at Fort Monroe. James Fields served . . . — — Map (db m10611) HM
James A. Fields acquired this late-Victorian Italianate-style brick house in 1893. Fields, born into slavery in Hanover County, escaped in 1862 and became a contraband of war. He graduated in 1871 from what is now Hampton University and taught . . . — — Map (db m10607) HM
Educator, politician, and Civil Rights pioneer, Jessie Menifield Rattley (1929–2001) was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She graduated from Hampton University in 1951. Rattley founded the Peninsula Business College here in 1952. She was the first black . . . — — Map (db m73957) HM
Jessie Menifield Rattley (1929-2001) was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She moved to the Virginia Peninsula to attend Hampton Institute. After graduating with honors in 1951, Mrs. Rattley established the first business department at Huntington High . . . — — Map (db m33964) HM
As part of Dr. King’s crusading efforts, he made appearances at historically black colleges throughout the country, including Hampton Institute, to spread his message. As a man of the cloth, his most frequent venue for reaching African Americans . . . — — Map (db m98321) HM
Formed in 1924 when Huntington Park was established. This lake was popularly known as Lake Biggins by action of the Newport News City Council May 14, 1979. The lake became officially named to honor this dedicated public servant.
Joseph Charles . . . — — Map (db m98382) HM
Developed in the early 1950's by the Pacific Car & Foundry Company to meet the military's request for a mechanized long-range fire support vehicle, the M53 was accepted for service near the end of the Korean War. Armed with a 155mm M46 gun the six . . . — — Map (db m199916) HM
Groundbreaking for this memorial devoted to Dr. King took place September 10, 2010, as part of Southeast Community Day. The keynote speaker was his daughter and national president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. Bernice A. King. . . . — — Map (db m98324) HM
Lincoln viewed the March 8, 1862, sinking of the USS Congress and USS Cumberland as the greatest Union calamity since Bull Run. Union Secretary of War Edwin W. Stanton feared that “the CSS Virginia (Merrimack) would soon come up . . . — — Map (db m180513) HM
From this spot March 9, 1862, observers anxiously awaited the outcome of one of the most famous naval battles of all time – between the Confederate ironclad Virginia (formerly USS Merrimack) and the Union ironclad Monitor. After four hours . . . — — Map (db m180514) HM
This area was blessed with abundant springs famous to mariners for centuries after the great sea captain Christopher Newport visited here enroute to Jamestown in May 1607 in command of the first permanent English settlers of the New World. Thus . . . — — Map (db m16568) HM
This area was first referred to as "Newportes Newes" as early as 1619, and the first known English settler lived here in 1621. Several Civil War engagements took place here including the Battle of the Ironclads and the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. . . . — — Map (db m33962) HM
The report of Dr. King’s death by an assassin’s bullet on April 4, 1968, left the nation and the world stunned. The shock was especially pronounced because the minister had advocated nonviolence throughout his civil rights career. A victim of the . . . — — Map (db m98326) HM
Newport News was a small community located in Warwick County until late in the 19th century. Established as a town in 1880, it was incorporated as a city in 1896. Warwick County, one of the eight original Virginia shires formed by 1634, . . . — — Map (db m13948) HM
In 1906 this house became the home of J. Thomas Newsome (1872-1942) and his wife Mary. A lawyer, churchman and newspaper editor, Newsome was an early advocate for Huntington High School and also formed the Colored Voters League of Warwick County. He . . . — — Map (db m98334) HM
I walked into empty rooms, no chairs, no desks…in fact, nothing; but I was inspired by the faith of a few that I could do a job for my community and for those who were less fortunate than ourselves.
Pearl Bailey, singer, author, and humanitarian, was born in Newport News. Her family, including brother Willie "Bill" Bailey, a famous tap dancer, lived at 1204 and later at 1202 29th St. For fie decades, beginning in the 1930s, she performed in . . . — — Map (db m166444) HM
In memory of those heroes
who made the supreme sacrifice
and to the survivors of
Pearl Harbor
Oahu, Hawaii
December 7, 1941
A day that will live in infamy
Dedicated
December 7, 2002
By
Penninsula Chapter Three
Pearl . . . — — Map (db m34034) HM
A Native of Newport News - born March 29, 1918. Served as United States Delegate to the United Nations. Awarded First Order of Arts by President of Egypt. Appointed Ambassador of Love by President Nixon. Received the highest civilian . . . — — Map (db m94334) HM
Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753-1784) was America’s first black published poet. Born in Africa, she was brought to Boston in 1861 and sold to merchant John Wheatley as a servant for his wife. Phillis was tutored by her progressive owners and received . . . — — Map (db m98329) HM
In November of 1944, the U.S. Army requested a 240mm cannon be designed for the purpose of long range fortification and communication center destruction. Because of delays by strikes, lack of materials and testing, the two prototypes, Gun No. 1 and . . . — — Map (db m199953) HM
Activity at Newport News during World War I was incomparable in scope to anything that had happened in the city's history. C&O Railway facilities were leased by the U.S. Army and served as the backbone of operations for the Hampton . . . — — Map (db m166440) HM
The most famous of all Newport News-built ships, the passenger liner SS United States still holds the world’s speed record for transatlantic crossings. The liner was launched in 1951 and delivered to the United States Line Company the . . . — — Map (db m34025) HM
The Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, founded in 1886, quickly became one of the nation's foremost builders of military and commercial ships. An informal apprenticeship program for the training of employees was in place by the 1890s. . . . — — Map (db m166442) HM
The Browns
In the 1940s, newlyweds Cornelius and Carrie Riggins Brown were graciously welcomed to East End by the Newsomes who lived two doors away. Mr. Brown was a well-known local postman. Mrs. brown, a Georgia native who had . . . — — Map (db m166452) HM
In 1935 a seedling from the Emancipation Oak was planted at Booker T. Washington Elementary School.
The Emancipation Oak, also known as the Butler Oak, is located on the campus of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Hampton, Virginia. . . . — — Map (db m94350) HM
Built c. 1900, the Harwood House prominently occupies a half block on Huntington Avenue at the corner of 54th Street. It is a Colonial Revival/Queen Anne brick residence consisting of three floors and a full English basement.
Most of the grand . . . — — Map (db m112029) HM
The Owners
This house has served two families. It was built in 1899 by Dr. William R. Granger as a residence for his large family. In 1906, Granger sold it to Joseph Thomas Newsome and his wife Mary.
Mr. Newsome was a newly arrived . . . — — Map (db m98335) HM
"Greetings with love to those who return
A triumph with tears to those who sleep"
Newport News' Victory Arch provides a continuing memorial to American servicemen and women. Grateful Peninsula citizens built a temporary Arch, . . . — — Map (db m33954) HM
Victory arches have a way of outliving many other works of man. Just as it would be difficult to imagine Paris without the Arc de Triomphe, it would also be hard to imagine Newport News without its Victory Arch.
Rep. Lewis . . . — — Map (db m166429) HM
The Owners
This structure, typical of East End streetscapes was originally the home of Richard Winfield, the brother of Mary Winfield Newsome. It was constructed c. 1919.
At the turn of the 20th century, Winfield moved from . . . — — Map (db m166447) HM
Dedicated to the men
of the
U.S.S. Scorpion SSN 589
This monument is dedicated to the 99 gallant men who went
down with their ship 400 miles southwest of the Azores
declared lost June 5, 1968 — — Map (db m34035) HM
With a length of 1,187 feet and a width of 228 feet, U.S.T. Atlantic and its sister ship, U.S.T. Pacific, are the largest ships ever built in the western hemisphere. An ultra large oil carrier, the vessel was delivered to Interstate . . . — — Map (db m34023) HM
Launched by Newport News Shipbuilding during its centennial year – 1986 - as attribute to the company and city in which it stands, USS Newport News is the 17th Los Angeles-class submarine built by the Shipyard, the lead yard for the . . . — — Map (db m34021) HM
When Newport News Shipbuilding launched USS Nimitz in 1972, it was the world’s largest fighting vessel. In 1995 the Shipyard delivered USS John C. Stennis, the seventh in the class and Newport News Shipbuilder’s 27th aircraft carrier. — — Map (db m34026) HM
A state holiday was declared on the day the 15,000-ton battleship USS Virginia was launched in 1904. USS Virginia was one of the seven battleships built by Newport News to sail in President Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet on its world . . . — — Map (db m34022) HM
On September 28, 1919, two ceremonies were held by the Welcome Home Committee at the Victory Arch to honor local veterans. The first overflowed onto the adjacent Casino Park grounds as thousands packed every available foot of space around the . . . — — Map (db m166426) HM
Ground breaking 8/4/90
Dedication 8/3/91
Plaza dedication 8/1/92
The Vietnam War Monument
was created to honor the
"living, missing and dead"
from the Vietnam War.
1959-1975.
The monument itself is to help
heal America's . . . — — Map (db m34030) HM
The main gallery of the War Memorial Museum was erected in 1953-54 under an appropriation of the 1952 General Assembly of Virginia
The rear gallery was erected in 1941 under the Joint Appropriations of the 1940 General Assembly and the Council . . . — — Map (db m98387) WM
Erected by the Old Dominion Land Co. as the city’s largest residential structure and opened April 11, 1883, the Hotel Warwick fronting on West Ave. and 24th St. long served as the ‘Hub’ of city activities. It housed the county seat of government, . . . — — Map (db m33958) HM
The first transports of returning World War I servicemen arriving at the port in mid-February 1919. Under the sponsorship of the Welcome Home Committee, celebrations were organized whenever ships landed. The fire bells of the city were set to . . . — — Map (db m166434) HM
Established in 1891 as a private library for Newport News, its books were housed at various sites until a permanenet public facility opened on Oct. 14, 1929, on West Avenue. The library was built with funds from the city and library board on . . . — — Map (db m94349) HM
"We shall never forget that it was our submarines that held the lines against the enemy while our fleets replaced losses and repaired wounds."
Fleet Admiral C.W. Nimitz, USN
In memory of the crews of the 52 United States submarines lost in . . . — — Map (db m34044) WM
York County. Area 186 square miles. One of the eight original shires formed in 1634. First called Charles River, which was named for King Charles I. The name was changed in 1643 to York for Yorkshire, England. Cornwallis’s . . . — — Map (db m2960) HM
The basic design of the Admiralty Pattern anchor has remained relatively unchanged for centuries. It consists of a central shank with a ring or shackle for attaching a chain or rope, and two arms with large flat blades or flukes. A wooden or metal . . . — — Map (db m167516) HM
The 'Patriot', 60-ton Virginia Navy armed schooner commanded by Lieut. James Watkins, was charged with the defense of Warwick Co. inhabitants then harassed by British plundering expeditions. In April 1781, in the James River offshore, the 'Patriot" . . . — — Map (db m33989) HM
For 53 years they defined the meaning of community involvement in the City of Newport News. Both George and Estell were pivotal in the growth and development of the community.
George was Chairman of Riverside Hospital Board of Trustees, chairman . . . — — Map (db m77587) HM
Close by, on July 5, 1861, 29-year-old Lt. Col. Charles D. Dreux became the first field grade (major or above) Confederate officer killed in action. A New Orleans aristocrat, Dreux organized a company that included the city's most eligible . . . — — Map (db m203537) HM
A station named for Col. J. S. Morrison, Construction Engineer of the Peninsula Division, Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, was built in the Warwick County Hamlet of Gum Grove on completion of the line between Richmond and Newport News on Oct. 16, 1881. . . . — — Map (db m77586) HM
Near here, two ambush attempts failed within a week of each other. The first, on July 5, 1861 resulted in the death of Confederate Lt. Col. Charles D. Dreux, 1st Louisiana Battalion, who had set an ill-considered ambush without orders. The second . . . — — Map (db m203558) WM
Capt. Edward Waters gave his name to Waters Creek when patented land here in 1624. In the spring of 1781 a force of 30 mounted militia led by Capt. Edward Mallory repulsed a British foraging party loaded with plunder near the mouth of the creek. In . . . — — Map (db m33987) HM
This 24-pounder gun once guarded Fortress Cabana in Havana, Cuba, the biggest 18th century fortress complex in the Americas. Dated 1746, it bears the Spanish crown and coat of arms of Ferdinand VI, King of Spain. — — Map (db m167509) HM
This 24-pounder gun once guarded Fortress Cabana in Havana, Cuba, the biggest 18th century fortress complex in the Americas. Dates 1721, it bears the Spanish crown and coat of arms of Philip V, King of Spain. — — Map (db m167512) HM
Launched on Jan. 30, 1862, at the Continental Iron Works in Greenpoint, N.Y., the USS Monitor made history as the Union Navy's first ironclad warship. It fought the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia in the first-ever clash between . . . — — Map (db m178668) HM
Preface: Newport News was a small community located in Warwick County until late in the 19th century. Established as a town in 1880, it was incorporated as a city in 1896. Warwick County, one of the eight original Virginia shires formed by . . . — — Map (db m13952) HM
Forward Monument:
Confederate Prisoners of War who died in Federal Prison in Newport News Va between April and July 1865 are interred here. This memorial was donated by Mildred Rhodes Duncan Thomas Purnell Duncan, Jr.
Front of . . . — — Map (db m10451) HM
Developed by the Newport News Cemetery Corporation in 1888. 50 acres were laid out at the convergence of Mill Dam Creek and Salters Creek to serve as the new town's first public cemetery. Its landscape with five miles of serpentine roads reflects . . . — — Map (db m166455) HM
The monument that stands before you was erected in June 1900 by the members of the Magruder Camp No. 36, United Confederate Veterans, to honor the 163 Confederate soldiers reinterred at this site who had died in the POW Camp next to Camp Butler on . . . — — Map (db m10446) HM
