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Norfolk, Virginia: the story on HearLore | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Colonial Foundations And Early Growth —
Norfolk, Virginia.
~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
Adam Thoroughgood arrived in Virginia from King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, in 1622. He persuaded 105 people to settle the colony and received a large land holding along the Lynnhaven River in 1636 through the head rights system. The House of Burgesses established the Towne of Lower Norfolk County in 1680. This area became known as the place of entrepreneurs including men of the Virginia Company of London. A Half Moone fort was constructed and acquired from local natives of the Powhatan Confederacy in exchange for 10,000 pounds of tobacco. In 1705, Norfolk was incorporated as a town. By 1730, a tobacco inspection site was located here at Norfolk Town upon the fort land. George II granted it a royal charter as a borough in 1736. It served as an important port for exporting goods to the British Isles and beyond.
Military Significance And Naval Dominance
During the American Revolution, Lord Dunmore made Norfolk the new capital of Virginia in 1775 after fleeing Williamsburg. On the 16th of January 1776, the Patriots' Fourth Virginia Convention agreed to destroy most remaining homes to prevent Dunmore from using the city to amass British troops and runaway slaves. Colonel Woodford drove Dunmore into exile ending more than 168 years of British rule in Virginia. Only the walls of Saint Paul's Episcopal Church survived the bombardment and subsequent fires. A cannonball from the bombardment fired by the Liverpool remains within the wall of Saint Paul's. In May 1862, Norfolk Mayor William Lamb surrendered the city to Union General John E. Wool and his forces. They held the city under martial law for the duration of the Civil War. Thousands of slaves from the region escaped to Union lines to gain freedom. The Battle of Hampton Roads took place off the northwest shore of the city's Sewell's Point Peninsula on the 4th of April 1861. This marked the first fight between two ironclads, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. By 1917, as the US prepared to enter World War I, the Naval Air Station Hampton Roads had been constructed on the former exposition grounds.
Architectural Evolution And Urban Development
When Norfolk was first settled, homes were made of wood and frame construction similar to most medieval English-style homes. These homes had wide chimneys and thatch roofs. Some decades after the town was first laid out in 1682, the Georgian architectural style which was popular in the South at the time was used. Brick was considered more substantial construction with patterns made by brick laid and Flemish bond. By 1740, homes, warehouses, stores, workshops, and taverns began to dot Norfolk's streets. After the Revolution, Norfolk was rebuilt in the Federal style based on Roman ideals. Federal-style homes kept Georgian symmetry though they had more refined decorations to look like New World homes. In the early nineteenth century, Neoclassical architectural elements began to appear in the federal style row homes such as ionic columns in the porticoes. Greek and Roman elements were integrated into public buildings such as the old City Hall, the old Norfolk Academy, and the Customs House. High-rise buildings were first built in the late nineteenth century when structures such as the current Commodore Maury Hotel and the Royster Building were constructed to form the initial Norfolk skyline.
Demographic Shifts And Social History
As of the 2020 census, there were 238,005 people living in Norfolk making it the third-most populous city in Virginia. The racial makeup of the city was 47.1% White, 43.1% African American, 0.5% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.2% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Non-Hispanic Whites were 44.3% of the population in 2010 down from 68.5% in 1970. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 104.8 males due to the military presence in the city most notably Naval Station Norfolk. In 1958, United States district courts in Virginia ordered schools to open for the first time on a racially integrated basis. Governor J. Lindsay Almond ordered the schools closed in response. About ten days later, Almond capitulated and asked the General Assembly to rescind several massive resistance laws. In February 1959, seventeen black children entered six previously segregated Norfolk public schools. Virginian-Pilot editor Lenoir Chambers editorialized against massive resistance and earned the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing.
Economic Engines And Maritime Trade
Located on Sewell's Point Peninsula in the northwest corner of the city, Naval Station Norfolk is the headquarters of the United States Fleet Forces Command which compromises over 62,000 active-duty personnel, 75 ships, and 132 aircraft. Over 35% of Gross Regional Product is attributable to defense spending and that 75% of all regional growth since 2001 is attributable to increases in defense spending. The region also plays an important role in defense contracting with particular emphasis in the shipbuilding and ship repair businesses for the city of Norfolk. Major private shipyards located in Norfolk or the Hampton Roads area include Huntington Ingalls Industries formerly Northrop Grumman Newport News, BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, General Dynamics NASSCO Norfolk, and Colonna's Shipyard Inc. Between 1925 and 2007, Ford Motor Company operated Norfolk Assembly a manufacturing plant located on the Elizabeth River that had produced the Model-T sedans and station wagons before building F-150 pick-up trucks. Before it closed, the plant employed more than 2,600 people at the facility.
Cultural Institutions And Arts Scene
The nationally acclaimed Chrysler Museum of Art has its campus at the intersection of the Ghent district the Freemason neighborhood and the NEON district. Since opening in 1933, the museum's main building has been expanded six times to allow for larger glass galleries generous space for Impressionist and Baroque works, and more. Major improvements were completed in 2014 and today the museum features more than 50 galleries a restaurant and catering facilities as well as galleries for traveling exhibits. Of particular note are the American neoclassical marble sculptures the extensive glass collection and the Glass Studio which has live demonstrations daily. Nauticus the National Maritime Center opened on the downtown waterfront in 1994. It features hands-on exhibits interactive theaters aquaria digital high-definition films and an extensive variety of educational programs. Since 2000, Nauticus has been home to the battleship USS Wisconsin the last battleship to be built in the United States. The Virginia Symphony Orchestra founded in 1920 has been leader in the regional arts scene directed by JoAnn Falletta from 1991 until 2020.
When did Adam Thoroughgood arrive in Virginia from King's Lynn, Norfolk, England?
Adam Thoroughgood arrived in Virginia from King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, in 1622. He persuaded 105 people to settle the colony and received a large land holding along the Lynnhaven River in 1636 through the head rights system.
What happened to Norfolk during the American Revolution on the 16th of January 1776?
On the 16th of January 1776, the Patriots' Fourth Virginia Convention agreed to destroy most remaining homes to prevent Dunmore from using the city to amass British troops and runaway slaves. Only the walls of Saint Paul's Episcopal Church survived the bombardment and subsequent fires.
How many people lived in Norfolk according to the 2020 census?
As of the 2020 census, there were 238,005 people living in Norfolk making it the third-most populous city in Virginia. The racial makeup of the city was 47.1% White, 43.1% African American, 0.5% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.2% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races.
When did the Battle of Hampton Roads take place off Sewell's Point Peninsula?
The Battle of Hampton Roads took place off the northwest shore of the city's Sewell's Point Peninsula on the 4th of April 1861. This marked the first fight between two ironclads, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia.
What is Naval Station Norfolk headquarters for and how many personnel does it employ?
Naval Station Norfolk is the headquarters of the United States Fleet Forces Command which compromises over 62,000 active-duty personnel, 75 ships, and 132 aircraft. Over 35% of Gross Regional Product is attributable to defense spending and that 75% of all regional growth since 2001 is attributable to increases in defense spending.