Remembering “America’s First Region” In the past, the Hampton Roads Partnership supplied colorful posters to area schools describing historical events that occurred in “Hampton Roads, America’s First Region” over the past 400 years. If you have not received the posters or need new ones for your 4th grade classrooms, please let us know. By participating with all other school districts in the area in this educational initiative, you are providing your students with important information about where they live and the contributions our region has made to the history of our nation. From April 26 to May 14, 1607, three English ships sailed and explored Hampton Roads from Cape Henry (today's Virginia Beach) to Jamestown, our nation's first permanent English settlement.

1. 1607
After landing at Cape Henry on Virginia’s Atlantic Coast,
104 explorers establish the first English speaking settlement
in the New World at Jamestown.
1632
St. Luke’s Church in Isle of Wight County opens. It remains
to this day the oldest existing church of English foundation
in America.
We Live in
1775
The Battle of Great Bridge in today’s Chesapeake results in
the capture of Norfolk by the Patriots and the effective end
Hampton Roads,
of British rule in Virginia.
1781
Yorktown in York County is the site of the surrender of
General Cornwallis to General George Washington in 1781,
ending the American Revolutionary War.
America’s First Region
1831
The most serious slave rebellion in U.S. history, led by
preacher Nat Turner, occurs in Southampton County. It
results in the deaths of 58 whites and an unknown number
of blacks. Turner and his followers were captured, tried
and 20 were hanged.
A REGION IS A COLLECTION OF CITIES, COUNTIES AND TOWNS THAT
1851
Walter Reed is born in Gloucester County. As a U.S. Army
SHARE A COMMON HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, CULTURE OR INTEREST
physician, his theory confirms that yellow fever was
transmitted by mosquitoes, rather than by direct contact,
allowing the completion of work on the Panama Canal.
AND STRIVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE
1862 LIFE BETTER FOR ALL OF THEIR CITIZENS.
The Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia is rebuilt in
HAMPTON ROADS BECAME
Portsmouth, using the burned-out hull of USS Merrimack.
Virginia subsequently engages the Union ironclad USS
Monitor in the famous Battle of Hampton Roads, ushering
AMERICA’S FIRST REGION AS
in a new era of naval warfare.
A RESULT OF A MOMENTOUS
1868
Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute opens with a
EVENT IN 1607.
mission to prepare promising young African-American men
and women to lead and teach their newly-freed people.
ON APRIL 26 OF THAT
Today Hampton University is one of the nation’s most
prominent historically black colleges and universities.
YEAR, THREE SHIPS,
1886
THE SUSAN CONSTANT,
Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company is
chartered by Collis P. Huntington. It would become the
GODSPEED AND
world’s largest shipyard and the Navy’s sole contractor for
aircraft carriers.
DISCOVERY, LANDED
1891
Hotel guests in Virginia Beach watch the wreck and rescue AT WHAT IS TODAY
efforts of the Norwegian barque Dictator. The ship's figure-
head becomes the inspiration for the current Norwegian
VIRGINIA BEACH. EIGHTEEN DAYS LATER, AFTER EXPLORING
Lady monuments which were dedicated in 1962 in Virginia
Beach and Moss, Norway.
LOCAL RIVERS AND BAYS, THEY ARRIVED AT JAMESTOWN
1907
WHERE THEY ESTABLISHED THE FIRST PERMANENT ENGLISH-
The Jamestown Exposition, held at Sewell's Point in
Norfolk, commemorates the 300th anniversary of the
SPEAKING SETTLEMENT IN THE NEW
founding of Jamestown. It attracts millions of visitors
including President Theodore Roosevelt. A decade later, the
WORLD. TODAY, VIRGINIA BEACH
Norfolk Naval Base is built on the site.
1912 AND JAMESTOWN REMAIN THE
Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici moves from Pennsylvania
to Suffolk and opens Planters Nut and Chocolate Company.
BOUNDARIES OF HAMPTON ROADS,
Today Suffolk continues to be a major peanut processing
center.
AMERICA’S FIRST REGION.
1927
The recreation of Colonial Williamsburg, one of the largest
OUR REGION INCLUDES 19 SEPARATE LOCALITIES. MANY
historic restorations ever undertaken, is well underway. It is
championed by the Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin and
PEOPLE TRAVEL FROM ONE TO ANOTHER FOR WORK,
philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who wanted to cele-
brate the patriots and the early history of the United States.
SCHOOL, WORSHIP, RECREATION OR TO VISIT RELATIVES AND FRIENDS.
1961
EACH CITY, COUNTY OR TOWN HAS A UNIQUE HISTORY, DIFFERENT ELECTED
The town of Franklin, established in 1876, becomes a city
and grows over the next 35 years to its current size of 8.75
square miles.
LEADERS AND OTHER DISTINCT FEATURES, BUT THEY ARE CONNECTED BY THEIR
1964 PROXIMITY AND INTERDEPENDENCE.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a 23-mile long facility
that connects the Eastern Shore with Virginia Beach, opens
for traffic. It is named quot;One of the Seven Engineering
Wonders of the Modern Worldquot; in a worldwide competition.
1972
Virginia’s first nuclear power plant opens on Hog Island
in Surry County. Today it generates 1,625 megawatts of
electricity, enough to power 400,000 homes in Hampton
Roads.
1975
Poquoson officially becomes a city. An Indian word,
“poquoson” describes a boundary, typically a stream, river
or creek and its adjoining marsh, that lies between two
tracts of higher growth.
2002
Smithfield celebrates its 250th anniversary by creating the
world’s largest ham buscuit. It is eight feet wide, 14 inches
www.americasfirstregion.com
tall and contains 500 pounds of famous Smithfield Ham.