Greenwich Park, Corner of North and Dinwiddie Streets In a nod to our current “situation†(COVID-19 pandemic), this park highlights the Yellow Fever of 1855 which killed 10% of Portsmouth’s population (about 3,000 in Hampton Roads). The house behind this park was used as an orphanage for the many children left behind as it quickly took … Read more
Seawall at Crawford’s Bay No walk through Olde Towne is complete without a stroll down the seawall at Crawford’s Bay, a calm corner of the Elizabeth River! Col. Crawford was granted 890 acres of land in 1716 and in 1752 he set aside 65 acres of it to create a town called “Portsmouth†– this original … Read more
Macon House Oh, if walls could talk! The Macon House was built in 1851 as a grand hotel (pictured is the proprietor’s house on the side). The other side of North Street had not been built and the view from the hotel looked clear out to the river. At the beginning of the Civil War, the … Read more
Armistead House, aka First U.S. Navy Nursing School for Portsmouth Naval Hospital, aka Elks Lodge, aka Doctor Madblood’s Castle An impressive example of Romanesque Revival architecture is this home built in 1898 for Mrs. Laura Armistead. This home has gone through many iterations in its 122 year existence: After being home to the Armistead family for … Read more
Watts House One of the first things you notice about the Watts House is the sheer size of it – which makes it all the more interesting that this was not where it was built! The original home was built for Col. Dempsey Watts in 1799 across from 525 North Street. This proved not to … Read more