Say It Loud

The 1810 Courthouse, located at 14423 Old Courthouse Way, is 215 years old this month. Completed in November of 1810, it is the oldest municipal building in Newport News. During the years, the building has also been used as a clerk's office and a library.

On November 14, 1943, the new Whittaker Memorial Hospital, on 28th St., was dedicated. The original Whittaker Memorial Hospital was built in 1915 and was located on 29th Street, between Orcutt & Roanoke Avenues.

On November 8, 1934, before 5:00 p.m., an explosion from the C&O Grain Elevator B rocked downtown Newport News and fire was seen coming from the building. The elevator was located on the James River, next to where the coal terminal is now. It was the second fire of a grain elevator in Newport News; the first occurred in 1915. Grain Elevator B was destroyed and four men died in the fire. The photo of the elevator was taken in 1918.

Born November 5, 1921, George Austin was the first African American Police Chief for Newport News. In 1947, he joined the Newport News Police Department and become Chief in 1975. He retired from the department in 1982 and died Jan. 9, 2008.

October is Archives Month! We would like to encourage you to take care of your personal archives. If you have family videos or photos think about converting them to a digital format. The Grissom Branch of NNPL has a Memory Lab in which you can digitally preserve photos, slides, negatives and VHS tapes. Call 757-369-3190 for more information or to make a reservation.

On October 19, 1984, the Pearl Bailey Library opened! Below is a photo of Inettie Edwards and Mayor Joseph Ritchie cutting the ribbon. Happy 40th anniversary Pearl Bailey Branch!

Born October 13, 1931, Effie Ashe was the first African American woman to serve as chairperson of the Newport News School board. Elected in 1994, she would go on to serve for 12 years and retired in 2006. Ashe Manor, located at Wickham Ave. and 36th Street, is named after her and her husband, Wilbert. Effie Ashe passed on July 7, 2014.

Born September 25, 1888, in Alabama, Lutrelle Palmer came to Newport News in 1920, to become the principal for Huntington High School. As principal, Palmer oversaw the expansion and modernization of the school, protested the overcrowding of local African American schools, and fought for the equality of African American teachers' pay in the early 1940's. While the case for the teachers' pay was successful, the Newport News School Board didn't renew his teaching contract, effectively firing him.

Born September 21, 1935, Charles Allen grew up near 35th St. & Orcutt Avenue. In 1992, he was elected to the Newport News City Council and was voted Vice Mayor in 1996. He was an advocate for Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, Heritage High School, Ferguson Center for the Arts & the Achievable Dream Academy. Allen retired from the Newport News City Council in 2008 and passed away in 2017.

Born September 7, 1880, Dr. Norman Lassiter started his dental practice in Newport News in 1909 and was the first African American dentist to practice in the city. He helped lift a ban forbidding African Americans from owning property east of Madison Avenue. Lassiter Courts, a World War II housing development in Newport News was named for him.

August 30th is National Beach Day and two well-known beaches for African Americans on the Peninsula were Bay Shore and Pinkett's Beach. Bay Shore, in Hampton would become the first beach resort for African Americans on the East Coast, in 1898. Pinkett's Beach, which is now part of the King-Lincoln Park in Newport News, was named after William W. Pinkett, Sr., that owned the land and allowed the community to gather there for recreation and church functions. Below is a photo of Pinkett's beach and an ad for Bay Shore Resort.

Born August 19, 1858, in Savannah, Georgia, Matthew Lewis moved to Newport News around 1900 and founded the Newport News Star newspaper, an African American newspaper in 1901. He and his wife, Lillian, also established the We-Us Hotel around 1910, which was located at 25th Street and what is now Terminal Avenue. Lewis died on Dec. 5, 1926.