Interesting Facts

Wondering how this bustling maritime city got its unusual name? The first mention of "Newportes Newes" is in the records of the Virginia Company from 1619, but it's believed that the name originated even earlier. In 1610, Captain Christopher Newport returned from England accompanied by three ships filled with provisions, welcome news to the starving citizens of the Jamestown colony. The thankful residents subsequently named the ships' landing spot after the captain they so revered.
That's a lot of waterfront... Settled in the early 1600s, Newport News today encompasses 62 square miles and has about 22 miles of coastline, mostly along the James and Warwick rivers.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la! The first Christmas on what would become US soil was celebrated in Hampton. Colonists from nearby Jamestown met with the Kecoughtan Indians to share oysters and other goodies, along with good cheer, in December 1608
Land ho! True to its maritime history, Newport News continues to welcome ships of all shapes and sizes. You can view the comings and goings at Victory Landing Park.
Ten-hut! Since the 1700s, the Peninsula area has had a strong military presence, and was strategically important as an alternate route to Richmond during the Civil War. In 1819, Fort Monroe was founded and is now the headquarters for the US Army Training and Doctrine Command. Langley Air Force Base is well known as the site of the initial incarnation of NASA, where the very first astronauts were trained in 1958.
Built in the 1820s, the strategically located Fort Monroe had a key role in Union General George McClellan's Peninsula Campaign in 1862. In fact, despite the campaign's overall failure, Monroe was the only fort in the Upper South not to fall into Confederate hands.
Also in 1862, the "Battle of the Ironclads" (between the USS Monitor and the USS Virginia) raged off the coast here, an amazing fight that revolutionized naval warfare.
When the US entered WWI, Newport News became a point of embarkation for the US Army, and as soldiers began to return in 1919, the city honored them by constructing the Victory Arch. Some 441,000 service men and women walked through the arch after World War I, and more than 487,000 at the end of World War II.
Jump on the Lead Horse and go for a spin! The Hampton Carousel, a beautifully restored 1920's amusement ride, is one of only about 170 authentic wooden merry-go-rounds still operating in the US.
Shiver me timbers, ye scurvy dogs! In the 17th and 18th centuries, pirates were a common threat along the coast, and regularly navigated inland from the ocean into the rivers. Legend has it that, as a warning to other pirates, Blackbeard's severed head was displayed on a spike at a certain spot alongside the Hampton River, a place henceforth known as Blackbeard's Point.