“Civil War Sites in Norfolk”

Norfolk, Virginia, has a rich history rooted in the Civil War and Reconstruction periods. This comprehensive summary covers the military, educational, and cultural sites significant to the city’s Civil War legacy. These sites not only reflect Norfolk’s military engagements but also its role in fostering education and civil rights for African Americans during and after the war.
The map is in a brochure called “Civil War Sites in Norfolk.” Click here or on the image above to view the map in greater detail.

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African Americans in Petersburg, Virginia

African Americans in Petersburg: Historic Contexts and Resources for Preservation, Planning, Research and Interpretation (1994) is a 135-page report — and you can download it for free! If you want to get directly to the map, click on the title (or the map) and look at image 61 of 135.

Do not be put off by the publication date. The report includes highly detailed information about the
city’s population from 1790-1960; a detailed timeline; a list of historic places (neighborhoods, areas, and districts); descriptions of buildings and sites outside predominately African American neighborhoods; notable African Americans from Petersburg; and maps of Petersburg showing predominantly or wholly Black settlements in 1877, 1915, 1930, 1944, 1950,

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Map of the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal: connecting Chesapeake Bay with Currituck, Albemarle and Pamplico sounds and their tributary streams

This 1855 map shows “railroad stations, life saving stations, lighthouses, landings along rivers, names of shoals, and inset table with soundings for canals and locks. Proposed canals in Carteret County, N.C. and near Virginia Beach, and “Proposed Extension of Inland Navigation” along coast north of Wilmington.”

Click here or on the image to view the catalog record at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in its North Carolina Collection.

The following excerpt is from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Agricultural Resources (NCDNAR):
“The Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal was proposed initially by William Byrd II in 1728. Surveys were made but engineering complications held up the project until the 1850s. Upon opening on January 9, 1859, the waterway provided an economic link between North Carolina and Virginia, connecting Albemarle Sound and Chesapeake Bay. The full canal was seventy-five miles long, but only fourteen of those cut through land. Of those miles five are in North Carolina, essentially bisecting Currituck County at Coinjock. The rest of the canal followed natural channels and dredged rivers.”

The complete article on the NCDNAR blog summarizes the project’s construction and financing, its role during the Civil War, and its commercial use afterwards. It’s still in use by pleasure craft.

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“Map of the city of Norfolk and the town of Portsmouth”

Very important note!
This map is oriented with north toward the left.

This map is at the Library of Congress. It shows geographic features and property ownership.
Click here or on the image above for details and alternate sizes.

Click on the links below to view maps of Norfolk and Portsmouth previously posted on this blog:

• “Waterways to Freedom, Norfolk, Virginia’s Underground Railroad” (November 13, 2013)
• “Illustrated Map of Historic Norfolk, Virginia” (July 31, 2023)
• “Reader’s Guide to the Borough and Cty of Norfolk, Virginia Before December 31, 1899” (July 24, 2023)
• 1907 Jamestown Exposition (April 24, 2023)
• “Plan of the harbor of Norfolk and Portsmouth, March 1st, 1861” (March 15, 2021)
• “Map of Norfolk County, Va.: made for and published by authority of the Board of Supervisors” (August 16, 2021)
• Lincolnsville, Portsmouth, Virginia [B&W] (November 25, 2019)
• Lincolnsville, Portsmouth, Virginia [color] (November 18, 2019)
• 1891 Map of Norfolk [and beyond the pension application] (July 1, 2019)
• Norfolk’s Growth (December 10, 2018)

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Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries “presents in maps and text complete data about the creation and all subsequent changes (dated to the day) in the size, shape, and location of every county in the fifty United States and the District of Columbia. It also includes non-county areas, unsuccessful authorizations for new counties, changes in county names and organization, and the temporary attachments of non-county areas and unorganized counties to fully functioning counties. The principal sources for these data are the most authoritative available: the session laws of the colonies, territories, and states that created and changed the counties.” Click here to read the full description of the project.

Click on the image above or here for instructions on using the interactive map.

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