HamptonHistoryMuseum

Dedicated to seeking out, recording, preserving, and presenting the history of Hampton, Virginia. Our museum traces back to 1607 and Kecoughtan culture.

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Today in Hampton History
1956 - Paul and Ethel Smith open Smitty’s Better Burger on North King Street in Hampton. The popular drive-in joint is still owned and operated by the Smith family.

Smitty’s Better Burger, taken when it opened in 1956.

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Today in 1632-Virginia’s House of Burgesses informs the Privy Council in England that “the fort at Point Comfort” is completed, but will be an “unsupportable burden” to maintain, arm, and garrison. In September, the Burgesses require ships to pay “fort duties” to support it.

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The Witching of the Virginia Midwife-Join historian D'Anne Graham to explore the changing status of the midwife. Was she a witch? Pillar of the community? Agent of the state? Wise woman or uneducated killer of mothers and babies? Monday, March 6, 7-8 pm https://t.co/I4sQsCz5Lf

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March Events-The changing role of the Virginia Midwife is the subject of a talk by historian and women’s advocate D’Anne Graham on March 6 and Celtic band Poisoned Dwarf returns an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration on March 15. https://t.co/sXpZyXKYqw

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Today in 1920- US War Dept. establishes the Air Service Field Officers School, at Langley Field to train officers in air combat. It officially opened on Nov 1 1920. By 1926, it was known as Air Corps Tactical School, later moved to Maxwell Field AL, evolved into US Air University

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Today in1994 - Hampton Police officer Kenneth Wallace dies four days after being shot in his patrol car near Wythe Shopping Center. In 2021, a memorial gazebo was dedicated in Robinson Park in his honor, and he is the namesake of the Kenneth Wallace Neighborhood Resource Center.

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Today in 1947-Sale of the Chamberlin Hotel to Lloyd Noland announced. During WWII, the Navy used it to house officers but intended to sell it after the war. Noland’s purchase was finalized on July 1, and in December he sold it to Richmond Hotels, Inc., of which he was chair.

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Today in 1886-Entrepreneur Harrison Phoebus dies suddenly of heart disease. Phoebus was proprietor of the famous Hygeia Hotel at Old Point Comfort and was instrumental in extending the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad tracks to Chesapeake City and eventually to Old Point Comfort.

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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day early with a lively concert of Celtic music with Poisoned Dwarf! This rollicking quintet plays innovative and passionate renditions of traditional Irish and Scottish tunes on acoustic instruments. Wednesday, March 15, 6-8 pm. https://t.co/AKMEA1u5G6

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Today in 1905 - The “Frogs” social club celebrates its first anniversary with a dance at the Pythian Castle, at 25 W. Queen Street

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Today in 1888-J.S. Darling organizes the Hampton and Old Point Railway Company. The trolley line began service in 1889, and by 1890 it was extended to the shipyard at Newport News.

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Today in 1634-Leonard Calvert, 1st governor of the new English colony of Maryland arrives at Point Comfort from England with 300 colonizers to obtain supplies, then sailed up the Chesapeake Bay. On March 27 they began establishing what is now St Mary’s City, north of the Potomac.

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Coming April 22-The “Hampton Mosaic Festival: A Celebration of Culture, History and the Arts” includes dance, music, visual art, storytelling and demonstrations. We seek food, art, craft and other unique vendors in a world market. Info and applications: https://t.co/cjPBO7ukuJ

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Today in 1973 - Hampton City Schools are confirmed to be in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, one of the first school systems in Virginia to meet federal standards for desegregating public schools.

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Today in 1728 - The Virginia House of Burgesses recommends improving fortifications at Point Comfort. A report commissioned by the legislature found the battery there in poor condition, with deteriorated cannon and the location too sandy to support it.

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Today in 1960-3 Black Hampton Institute students stage Virginia's first civil rights sit-in, protesting racial segregation by sitting at Woolworth's lunch counter for 1 hour. The next day, 39 Black students filled the counter’s seats over several hours but were denied service.

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Today in 1918-Submarine Chaser number 218, built at the Newcomb Lifeboat Company on Sunset Creek, is commissioned by the U.S. Navy.

The shipyard sprang up during World War I as part of the U.S. Government’s efforts to build submarine chasers and merchant vessels.

220 & 221

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Today in 1921-Eight men from Langley Field sail for Italy aboard the USS Somme to inspect, test-fly and disassemble the Italian airship Roma, recently purchased by the U.S. Army. It was the first large lighter-than-air ship to be flown by any members of the U.S. armed forces.

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Today in 1949 - The Old Bay Line takes over the Norfolk & Washington Steamboat Co., becoming the only operator docking at Point Comfort. Begun in 1840 as the Baltimore Steam Packet Co., the Old Bay Line serviced Point Comfort until 1959.

Old Point Comfort dock, c.1940.

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Today in 1891-Horse-drawn steamer fire engine is shipped to Hampton by the LaFrance Engine Co. Name “Volunteer,” it was the pride of Hampton’s fire department for years.

HFD LaFrance steam engine (left), at the old Fire Department headquarters behind the courthouse, 1892.