Old Soldiers, Saloons, and Community: The Unique History of Phoebus, Virginia - Paperback

by Tim Receveur (Author)

Phoebus is a neighborhood in Hampton, Virginia with an oversized share of history. It was home to the Kecoughtan Indians when the first English explorers landed on its shores on the way to Jamestown in 1607 and Phoebus would serve as the first Union Army camp in Virginia in the early days of the Civil War. Through the years, the town would host railroads, streetcars, U.S. Presidents, and saloons "on every street corner and two in between."This book chronicles the unique story of Phoebus including its legendary drinking, fighting, and rioting at the end of the 19th century, its home to the first community for freed slaves in the South, the election of two of the earliest African-American officials in the state of Virginia in 1901, and the establishment of much of the community as a historic district by the National Park Service in 2006. Old Soldiers, Saloons, and Community Spirit also highlights the neighborhood's special 125-year relationship with its fire department and the economic revitalization currently underway, as a new wave of local businesses usher in the first great era of Phoebus in the 21st century.