On Court Street south of London Street, on the right when traveling north.
Established in 1789, the Portsmouth and Norfolk Baptist Church served as the first Baptist congregation in South Hampton Roads. The name was changed in 1791 to Portsmouth Baptist Church and again in 1855 to its current name, Court Street Baptist . . . — — Map (db m20467) HM
On High Street east of Court Street, on the right when traveling west.
The intersection of High and Court Street was known as Towne Square, the cornerstone of the community. The square that you are standing on was known as Courthouse Square, the site of the original courthouse from 1803-1846. In 1855 the Ocean Hotel . . . — — Map (db m20463) HM
On Elm Avennue (Virginia Route 337) at Rutter Street, on the right when traveling south on Elm Avennue.
The Portsmouth Colored Community Library was the library for Portsmouth’s Black citizens from 1945 to 1962. The building serves as a reminder of the segregation when African-Americans could not use the “white’s only” public library. Thomas C. . . . — — Map (db m191677) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
Founded November 1767 under the British flag by Andrew Sprowle, a Scottish-born merchant, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard is the U.S. Navy's oldest, continuously operating shipyard and actually predates the United States Navy Department by nearly 30 . . . — — Map (db m76823) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
Leased in 1794 by the federal government, as part of its response to acts of piracy by the Barbary States, the shipyard produced in 1798-99 the 36-gun frigate Chesapeake, a sister ship of the USS Constitution known as "Old Ironsides." . . . — — Map (db m76825) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
Built between December 1939 and June 1940, this 20-story crane can lift 350 tons. The Hammerhead is the largest crane of its type in the world. Its uses have included lifting a tugboat from the water, hoisting 16-inch gun turrets onto battleships . . . — — Map (db m76826) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
Dry Dock 2, first built of wood, was completed in November 1887, but rebuilt with concrete in 1933. Dry Dock 3 was completed in November 1903. Dry Dock 4 was opened on April 1, 1919, with the King and Queen of Belgium in attendance. Dry Dock 5 . . . — — Map (db m76827) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
With the advent of the Spanish-American War, an era of wood and canvas gave way to steel and steam in naval shipbuilding. The first U.S. Navy battleship to be commissioned, the USS Texas, and the first modern cruiser, the USS . . . — — Map (db m76828) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
World War I ushered in a new period of growth for the shipyard. Three new dry docks and a major ship building way were added, in addition to new shop facilities. With the focus on ship repairs, along with construction of destroyers and 110-foot . . . — — Map (db m76829) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
The yard’s employment peak of 43,000 workers was reached during World War II when the yard bustled with activity, building nearly 30 major vessels and repairing 6,850 U.S. and Allied ships. The shipyard also built 20 tank-landing ships and 50 . . . — — Map (db m76830) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
The outbreak of hostilities in Korea in 1950 increased the workload once again. The shipyard completed work on more than 1,250 naval vessels and also built its last two warships, the wooden-hulled minesweepers Bold and Bulwark. . . . — — Map (db m76835) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
In 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt launched the "Great White Fleet" from the shipyard as it began its journey around the world.
Norfolk Naval Shipyard built the first flight deck on a ship, the USS Birmingham (CS-2). . . . — — Map (db m76836) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
Convinced of the need to more quickly and efficiently repair the nation's Navy ships, President John Quincy Adams and Congress agreed in 1827 to follow engineers' recommendations to build two dry docks, one here and one in Boston.
The . . . — — Map (db m76838) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
Following the evacuation and burning of the yard by Federal forces, Dry Dock 1 was used by the Confederate States Navy to convert the partly burned steam frigate Merrimack into an ironclad, renamed CSS Virginia.
In March 1862, the . . . — — Map (db m76839) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
After the War of 1812, the shipyard helped repel an invasion of Craney Island and the USS Chesapeake was captured off Nova Scotia. Gosport continued to expand and improve. The keel of the USS Delaware was laid in the summer of 1817. . . . — — Map (db m76840) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
Three prominent structures stand out along a one-block stretch of Portsmouth's Lincoln Street – Quarters A, B and C. On an 1827 map of the shipyard they are designated as the “Proposed Commandant's House,” the “Proposed Master Commandant’s House" . . . — — Map (db m76841) HM
Near Lincoln Street east of 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east.
During USS Thomas Jefferson's 22 years of service, it was both a ballistic missile submarine and an attack vessel. Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company built USS Thomas Jefferson, which was commissioned on January 4th, 1963. The . . . — — Map (db m76837) HM
On Effingham Street (Virginia Route 141), on the right when traveling north.
Chevra T'helim, (translation: House of Psalms), housed an Orthodox Jewish Congregation, established in 1917. It served the religious needs of a congregation largely composed of merchants who emigrated from Eastern Europe th the port city of . . . — — Map (db m36890) HM
On North Street, on the right when traveling east.
The four houses directly across the street are the last remaining original houses of Lincolnsville, Portsmouth's first middle-class African American community, established in 1890. It was an area of about 34 acres and operated as a city within a . . . — — Map (db m36911) HM
On Court Street north of High Street, on the right when traveling south.
The 1846 Courthouse building at the corner of Court & High Street in Olde Towne Portsmouth was designed in the classic Greek Revival style by architect, William R. Singleton and built by Willoughby G. Butler. It housed the Norfolk County Court until . . . — — Map (db m76790) HM
On North Street at Dinwiddie Street, on the right when traveling east on North Street.
On June 19th, 1855, following a twelve day quarantine, the merchant ship Benjamin Franklin arrived from the West Indies and docked at Gosport Shipyard for repairs. While emptying its bilge, mosquitoes carrying yellow fever were released. After . . . — — Map (db m36892) HM
On Fort Lane at Blair Street, on the right when traveling north on Fort Lane.
Cedar Grove Cemetery was established in 1831 as the first secular cemetery by the Town of Portsmouth. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The four-acre parcel cost $400.00 and was sectioned into 167 lots which sold for . . . — — Map (db m119425) WM
Near Effingham Street at Williamson Drive, on the right when traveling north.
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is known as the “First and Finest.” It was the nation’s first Naval Hospital and has served the military since 1830. The hospital complex is 112 acres and serves approximately 430,000 active duty service . . . — — Map (db m62263) HM
Near Effingham Street at Williamson Drive, on the right when traveling north.
The Charette Health Care Center was dedicated in April 1999 and it is the third naval hospital built in Portsmouth. The 1 million square foot, five story, state-of-the-art hospital contains 17 operating rooms, 300 exam rooms, 120 beds, 140 special . . . — — Map (db m62279) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
Virginia seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861. On April 2, the Governor ordered the 3rd Virginia Regiment to occupy and fortify the Navy Hospital grounds. A battery of earthen works was hastily erected on the point and renamed Fort Nelson, after . . . — — Map (db m83920) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
After the Spanish defeat at the battle of Santiago, Cuba, in July 1898, the sick and injured needed treatment. The newly converted hospital ship USS Solace transported 55 sick U.S. Navy and 48 wounded Spanish sailors to the hospital. The . . . — — Map (db m83924) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
World War II created the need to rapidly expand the hospital in 1941. The $1.5 million program increased the number of hospital beds to 3,441. A dental clinic, ships service, library and a bank were added. The staff -- medical officers, nurses, . . . — — Map (db m83925) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
By 1900, time and use had taken its toll on the hospital building. In October 1907, the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery ordered hospital personnel to remove patients to tent-covered wooden platforms constructed several hundred yards away from . . . — — Map (db m83926) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
Building 215 was constructed to provide a much needed modern hospital and to centralize the medical departments scattered around the base. The 500-bed hospital became the command’s second primary hospital facility when commissioned in April 1960. . . . — — Map (db m83930) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
On June 17, 1898, President William McKinley signed a bill establishing the Navy Hospital Corps. Navy Corpsmen are trained in the science of health and nursing skills necessary to provide proper patient care at hospitals, ships at sea and to the . . . — — Map (db m83932) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
In June 1855, the steamer Franklin put into Norfolk for repairs while sailing from the West Indies to New York. Mosquitoes carrying yellow fever escaped when the vessel docked. The Naval Hospital’s first yellow fever patients came from . . . — — Map (db m83935) HM
There are 840 graves of seamen and soldiers in the naval cemetery on the hospital grounds. They include the remains of seamen from the U.S., Great Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Russia, Brazil, Denmark and Japan. The oldest known burial was a . . . — — Map (db m83936) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
In 1826, Philadelphia architect John Haviland submitted construction plans for this hospital. This building, which houses offices is now known as Building 1, was made of granite and freestone. Its style is classical Greek Revival architecture, which . . . — — Map (db m83939) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
The Naval Hospital faces a peninsula surrounded by the Elizabeth River. In 1636, Captain Thomas Willoughby received a land grant from the King of England that included this peninsula. The land was used as a plantation and changed owners several . . . — — Map (db m83941) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
The British had a custom of taxing its sailors for their health care. In 1798 Congress established the “Hospital Fund" based on the British system. 20 cents per month was deducted from the pay of each officer, sailor and marine to provide for . . . — — Map (db m83944) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
Naval regulations of 1798 state: ”A convenient place be set apart for sick or hurt men, to which they are to be removed with their hammocks and bedding when the surgeon shall advise the same, and some of the crew appointed to attend . . . — — Map (db m83945) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
The Navy Nurse Corps was created by Congress in 1908, allowing women to perform duties that previously had been done by men. They held no rank and were titled “Nurse.” The first 20 to graduate were known as the “Sacred . . . — — Map (db m83946) HM
Near Effingham Street at Crawford Parkway, on the right when traveling north.
When the United States entered World War I, immediate steps were taken to expand the hospital. Several temporary wood-framed buildings were constructed to accommodate the ever-growing number of patients. These buildings included 34 patient pavilions . . . — — Map (db m83947) HM
On Water Street at London Street, on the right when traveling north on Water Street.
Lightships were “floating lighthouses.” They were anchored at the entrances to ports, bays and outer limits to off-lying danger areas such as shoals and reefs. These vessels served as aids to navigation. Lightships were originally . . . — — Map (db m20407) HM
On Water Street at London Street, on the right when traveling north on Water Street.
Lightships and the City of Portsmouth go back to the beginning of lightship duty in this country in 1820. The first lightship was established off Craney Island at the mouth of the Elizabeth River. Working lightships were constant visitors on the . . . — — Map (db m20408) HM
Near Water Street at High Street, on the right when traveling north.
The Portsmouth & Roanoke Railroad was incorporated in March 1832 and began operations in July 1834 when the first train, pulled by horses, ran a full circuit from Portsmouth to Suffolk. A locomotive replaced the horses later that year. By late 1836, . . . — — Map (db m20387) HM
On Water Street at London Street, on the left when traveling south on Water Street.
The City of Portsmouth has had a long history of supporting U.S. Coast Guard operations. Today it serves as a center for Coast Guard regional administration and operational oversight through the Atlantic Area Command headquarters, Fifth District . . . — — Map (db m20431) HM
On River Street at New York State Route 8, on the left when traveling east on River Street.
Lieutenant Commander, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy Vietnam Era
An EPI graduate, Sheldon was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant upon his later graduation from the School of Medicine, Syracuse University and entered active duty in 1956. Completing an . . . — — Map (db m239467) WM
On East Main Street at Catlin Street, on the right when traveling west on East Main Street.
To The Memory Of
Our Fellow Citizens
Who Died
In Defense of the Government. 1861 – 65
Erected 1873
[ battle names on the column ]
Antietam • Gettysburg • Vicksburg • Fort Fisher • Appomattox • Atlanta • New Berne • . . . — — Map (db m27336) HM
On River Street at New York State Route 8, on the left when traveling east on River Street.
Petty Officer Third Class, U. S. Coast Guard World War II - USS Lowe (DE-325) Following an initial assignment aboard the battleship USS New York, Ralph, a Gunner's Mate 3rd Class, was reassigned to the destroyer escort. USS Lowe (DE-325), where . . . — — Map (db m239300) WM
On South 4th Street at Dock Street, on the right when traveling south on South 4th Street.
Henry Bonitz, Architect Louis Henry Vollers, Contractor Queen Anne style house built by and for Louis Henry Vollers (1862-1943), native of Point Caswell, building contractor; and wife, Susan A. Barnhill (1862-1942). Purchased in 1900 by John Haywood . . . — — Map (db m226998) HM
On Gapland Road, on the right when traveling south.
Captain R. Preston Chew organized Chew’s Ashby Artillery, the first “horse artillery” in the Confederate army, in November 1861. He named it for Colonel Turner Ashby. Chew’s battery boasted a 3 in ordinance rifle, a 12-pounder smoothbore . . . — — Map (db m168571) HM
On Gapland Raod near Arnoldstown Road, on the left when traveling west.
On the evening of September 13, 1862, Confederate cavalry under Brigadier General Wade Hampton and Colonel Thomas Munford occupied the Crampton’s Gap/Burkittsville vicinity. Early on the 14th, Major General J.E.B. Stuart, en route to Harpers Ferry, . . . — — Map (db m2150) HM
On Princess Anne Road (Virginia Route 165) west of North Landing Road, on the right when traveling east.
Miles James, born into slavery in Princess Anne County, made his way to Portsmouth and enlisted in the U.S. Army in Nov. 1863. He was mustered into service at Fort Monroe and soon became a corporal in the 36th U.S. Colored Infantry. James was . . . — — Map (db m204138) HM
On Gapland Road at Arnoldstown Road, on the right when traveling west on Gapland Road.
(September 14, 1862) Upon the approach of the Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac, from Jefferson, Col. T. T. Munford, Commanding Cavalry Brigade, prepared to dispute its advance through this Pass. Mahone’s Brigade, Lt. Col. Parham, Commanding, was . . . — — Map (db m2023) HM
On Gapland Road, on the right when traveling south.
Just before the Confederate line along Mountain Church Road gave way, Brigadier General Howell Cobb arrived in Crampton’s Gap with his Georgia and North Carolina troops. After meeting with Colonel Thomas Munford, who had been directing the battle, . . . — — Map (db m2060) HM
On Gapland Road at Arnoldstown Road, on the left when traveling west on Gapland Road.
General Robert E. Lee directed Major General Lafayette McLaws to close in on the Federal garrison at Harper’s Ferry via Elk Ridge, west of South Mountain. McLaws’ route from Frederick took him through Middletown, where he turned southwest on the . . . — — Map (db m153126) HM
Near Pridesville Road (Virginia Route 681) 1.1 miles north of Amelia Avenue (Virginia Route 656), on the left when traveling north.
Pvt James Milton Parrish Feb 4 1926 - Feb 19 1945
94th Inf Div 302nd Inf Reg
MIA at Tettingten Germany during the Saar
Basin Battle buried May 12 1949 Portsmouth VA
— — Map (db m180253) WM
On Gapland Raod at Arnoldstown Road, on the left when traveling west on Gapland Raod.
Colonel Joseph J. Bartlett, the Commander of the Second Brigade of Franklin’s First Division, found himself in a curious position. As a brigade commander, Bartlett chose both the field across which Franklin’s Corps would attack and the formation . . . — — Map (db m2151) HM
Near Colonial Parkway, 1.2 miles east of Jamestown Road (Virginia Route 31), on the right when traveling west.
The Middle Passage
For more than 350 years, approximately 12 million Africans were transported across the Atlantic Ocean in the largest forced migration in history. Two million, unknown and forgotten, died during the voyage. Of the ten . . . — — Map (db m147817) HM
Near Mahan Street east of North Main Street (Virginia Route 32).
1861 ~ 1865
More than 1,500 men and boys from Suffolk and Nansemond County left their homes and families in defense of constitutional liberty and states rights to face overwhelming odds. Many paid the ultimate price; all endured hardships and . . . — — Map (db m104106) HM WM
On South Avenue at State Street (New York State Route 5), on the right when traveling south on South Avenue.
East Bloomfield To the memory of her sons who died in defence of the Union 1861-5 Peninsula Richmond 85. Regt. N.Y. Vols. Co. B. Lieut. Amos Brunson Died. Bottoms Bridge, Va. May 24, 1862 Serg. John Buell Died. Andersonville, Ga. Sept. . . . — — Map (db m125793) WM
Near Riverview Avenue at Southampton Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
The Hampton Roads area has seen its share of history - much of it played out in the waters before you. In 1775, Lord Dunmore, Virginia's last Royal Governor, was driven from Williamsburg by American colonists and established a temporary base across . . . — — Map (db m199895) HM
Near Water Street, 0.1 miles east of Bill Deal Street.
In 1981 the Tidewater Maritime Training Institute (TMTI) was officially established in Portsmouth, VA to support the training of commercial ship repairers to perform maintenance and modernization of the naval fleet in Hampton Roads. In 1984 the . . . — — Map (db m163610) HM
On Paint Creek Road (Local Route 83) at Exit 74 (Interstate 77) on Paint Creek Road.
The War for Empire during the 1750s (often called the French & Indian War) was a contest between France, England, and several American Indian Nations to control much of eastern North America, especially the Ohio River Watershed. This rich region . . . — — Map (db m137756) HM
Known as the "War Road", the "Hunter's Road", or simply the "Indian Path" by the time European explorers arrived in the 18th century, Paint Creek had long been a route of travel for Native Americans. Delawares, Mingoes, Ottawas, Senecas, . . . — — Map (db m75165) HM
Near 18th Avenue at 8th Street, on the left when traveling south.
Died For Their Country
(South face)
(Top Center Column) Capt. Henry Wayne • Capt. T. L. McGlathery • Capt. P. T. Keys
(Left Column) Lieut. Geo. W. Burley • Lieut. P. Morris • J. Kelly • G. R. Everson • Jr. • G. M. Loudon • J. . . . — — Map (db m95886) WM
The S.S. Black Point was built in 1918 at Camden, New Jersey as a coal collier. She was owned by Sprague Steamship Co. of Boston, Mass. And was 369’ long 55’ at the beam and was carrying 7500 tons of coal. Captain Charles Prior was master with a . . . — — Map (db m76004) HM WM
On West 18th Street at Baynard Boulevard on West 18th Street.
[Panel 1:]African American Medal of Honor Recipients Memorial The Medal of Honor takes its place in our country as the highest award for military valor. The honor, awarded by the President in the name of Congress, may only be accorded an . . . — — Map (db m173924) HM
* Inflectional forms of words are their plurals, singulars, and possessives as well as gramatical tenses and similar variations.
