Hampton History Museum

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Hampton History Museum Explore over 400 years of the past, from the days of the Kecoughtan to the Space Age. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
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The Hampton History Museum is dedicated to seeking out, recording, preserving and presenting the city’s rich history and its influence and impact on the shaping of America through ongoing exhibitions, temporary displays, educational initiatives, family activities, public programs, festivals, tours and events. (Closes at 1 pm on New Year's Eve)

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Jae Sinnett - "Standup and Stories" also featuring Brenae Williams & Tom Holaday Saturday, November 7, 7-9 pm, FREE "Jae...
11/04/2026

Jae Sinnett - "Standup and Stories" also featuring Brenae Williams & Tom Holaday
Saturday, November 7, 7-9 pm, FREE
"Jae Sinnett is well known to Hampton Roads arts lovers as a "jazz icon." He is a musician with over 40 years stage experience and a veteran 36-year successful NPR affiliate radio broadcaster.

Jae has now ventured into standup comedy and hilarious storytelling... and what stories they are to tell! He's currently writing a book of essays - reflecting on an incredibly vast collection of strange, funny, absurd and enlightening encounters accumulated over a 40-plus year career.

His intimate “Standup and Stories” comedy show is a unique twist on comedic presentations. Jae's special guests are comedians Brenae Williams and the legendary Coach Tom Holaday. Come out and delve into the fun with us and laugh hard!"

Today in Hampton History1963 - Francis Asbury Elementary School is severely damaged by fire. The school was originally b...
11/04/2026

Today in Hampton History
1963 - Francis Asbury Elementary School is severely damaged by fire. The school was originally built in 1916 on a lot adjacent to the Fox Hill Graded School building then in use. Additions were built in 1937 and 1954, and it was the original 1916 school destroyed by the 1963 fire. Plans began immediately for rebuilding and expanding the damaged parts of the school.

Investigators determined the fire was probably caused by an electrical fault with a refrigerator near the school’s cafeteria. A fire wall built between additions saved the newer sections of the building from being destroyed in the blaze. At the beginning of the 1964 school year, School Board officials requested over $100,000 from the Hampton City Council to install sprinkler and fire detection systems in several other school buildings.

For the rest of the 1963-64 school year, most of the school was temporarily rehoused at Kecoughtan High School, with three classes meeting at Phoebus Elementary. By September, enough of the school had been rebuilt to house grades 1-3. Fourth and fifth graders were housed at Langley View Elementary and sixth graders at Eaton Junior High until finally returning to Asbury in January 1965.

Image: Francis Asbury School, c.1955. HHM Collections.

Find more Asbury school history in our collections online: https://hampton.catalogaccess.com/advanced-search?includedFields=Objects%2CPhotos%2CArchives%2CLibrary%2CPeople%2CContainers&Geography+and+Place=%22Structure--Francis+Asbury+School%22&page=1&size=10&withImages=false

Hampton's Streetcar 390 Project Open HouseSaturday, November 14, 11 am-3 pm57 Patch Rd, Fort MonroeFree and open to the ...
11/03/2026

Hampton's Streetcar 390 Project Open House
Saturday, November 14, 11 am-3 pm
57 Patch Rd, Fort Monroe
Free and open to the public
Celebrate the end of the Streetcar 390 restoration!

At 11:30 am, join mayor Jimmy Gray along with others honoring the many volunteers who helped in the restoration. At the event, the Streetcar 390 project will be raffling off Amazon gift cards and have for sale 390 merchandise.

11/03/2026

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, discover how rivers have shaped Cherokee communities, culture, and history with historian and author Gregory D. Smithers as he presents his latest book "The Water Carriers: A Journey Through Cherokee History and the Secret Life of Rivers."

Smithers will share the research and writing process behind the book while exploring the Cherokee's history, environmental knowledge, and the everlasting relationship between their culture and the rivers of Southern Appalachia.

Presented in partnership with the Unity Commission.

Smithers will have his book available for purchase and signing.

TONIGHT! The Water Carriers: A Journey Through Cherokee History and the Secret Life of Rivers
11/02/2026

TONIGHT! The Water Carriers: A Journey Through Cherokee History and the Secret Life of Rivers

Today in Hampton History1937 - Charles and Maggie Jones become the first residents of Aberdeen Gardens, a New Deal housi...
11/02/2026

Today in Hampton History
1937 - Charles and Maggie Jones become the first residents of Aberdeen Gardens, a New Deal housing development designed and built “By Blacks - For Blacks.”

The historic Black neighborhood was initiated and planned by Hampton Institute and built from 1934 to 1937. It was the first homestead community built for Black residents under the New Deal.

The neighborhood’s street names honored Black pioneers and community leaders:
Matt N. Lewis, Black journalist and publisher of the Newport News Star.
W. B. and Anna Weaver, founders of the Weaver Orphan Home.
Maggie L. Walker, social worker, activist, and founder of the St. Luke’s Bank in Richmond.
Mary Peake, educator whose work before and during the Civil War helped lead to the founding of Hampton University.
Daniel Webster Davis, teacher, poet, orator, and pastor in Richmond.
James S. Russell, founder and president of St. Paul’s Normal and Industrial School in Lawrenceville, Va.
John Mercer Langston, Virginia’s first Black member of Congress, Dean of Howard University Law School, and president of Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute (now Virginia State University).

Image: An unidentified young couple moving into a new home in Aberdeen Gardens. Arthur Rothenstein, Nov. 1937. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Find more Aberdeen Gardens history in our collections online: https://hampton.catalogaccess.com/advanced-search?includedFields=Objects%2CPhotos%2CArchives%2CLibrary%2CPeople%2CContainers&Geography+and+Place=%22Site--Aberdeen+Gardens%22&page=1&size=10&withImages=false

Explore more:
https://aberdeengardensfoundation.org/

https://aberdeengardenshca.org/

https://aberdeengardenshca.org/historic-museum

https://www.aahpfdn.org/Historic-Aberdeen-Gardens--Virginia

Address

120 Old Hampton Lane
Hampton, VA
23669

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

+17577271102

Website

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