Class P '^ - Book_JVl>LZ i J NORFOLK VIRGINIA "THE GOLDEN GATE OF THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD" "THE SUN-RISE CITY BY THE SEA" COMMERCIAL :: INDUSTRIAL 3 3. HISTORICAL ^5^^5^ GEOGRAPHICAL ' SOCIAL ^ ISSUED BY, AND PRESENTED WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION (OFFICIAL) OF THE CIT^■ OF NORFOLK, VA. THE INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION OF 1910 HARVEY M. DICKSON, Presideni . . . President Dickson Lumber Company R. L. FORREST, Vice-President R. L.Forrest &. Co., Real Estate \V. P. DODSON. Treas., District Manager Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company uADDv- u XDir-c c . I Vicc-President of W . H . H. T R ICE &, CO., Real Estate HARR\ H. TRICE, Secretary ] President Atlantic Trust and Deposit Company PHILIP E. YEATMAN, Assistant Secretary J. S. BARRON Attorney-at-Law E. F. JAKEMAN Jeweler L. FEUERSTEIN . . . . . Feuerstein Ice Co. and Fish Packers D * DAMi'c .' Editor and Publisher Galaxy Magazine B.A.BANKS . . . . , Attorney-at-Law PUBLISHED August, mcmx COMPILED BY B. A. BANKS < El) H o Q Z < a. 'A z z •A o o 2; zA Word Prefatory O HANDLE a great subject in a small way and yet do it justic* is not an effort of facility. The Xorfolk of 1910 is a great sub- ject and the Greater Xorfolk of the early future is still greater. In the pages which follow both subjects are treated by para- graph and picture with such adequacy as the limitations allow. A comprehensive review of any single item in the sum of Nor- folk's credit, natural, industrial, or commercial, might easily fill a book the size of this, so that a general survey is the most to be expected from the few pages or paragraphs herein accorded it. The object has been to throw upon the canvas a series of massed pictures, a moving panorama, as it were, in which the details are brought out and emphasized with the distinctness permissible in so extensive a field. In this form it is believed the work will be more acceptable to the average busy American reader. It has been prepared with the intention of making it readable, and with the expectation that every pei-son it reaches will read it through. For this reason there have been omitted forbidding columns of details, trivial facts, and masses of statistical reports, in which none but those directly concerned are interested, thereby dealing with matters of veritable importance excluding tiresome trivialities. While due regard and space has been gi\en to the salient facts, figures and statistics of the city, full consideration has been accorded matters of equal importance, and for this reason the work is lifted above the average quality of such advertising to the higher planes of instruction and literature. Social, historical, geographical Norfolk is equally as im- portant and interesting as statistical Norfolk, and the attention given to both alike, together with the copious photographic reproductions, renders the work one of enduring character, a modest monument of the Norfolk of today to which the pilgrims of the future may turn with pleasure and profit. Norfolk is a genuine city of opportunity, and to let these opportuni- ties be known is the main object of this compilation. Here Nature and Industry have met in friendly alliance to strive for the commercial pres- tige of the South Atlantic coast. Not only is Norfolk a natural point of assembly and distribution, but it is also a point of production, conditions which are fast bearing her to her destiuy as a metropolis of the South. Always, heretofore, a city of substantial enterprises, the phenomenal era of growth and prosperity she is now experiencing is set forth in the pages which follow. This work is pubUshed and circulated by the Industrial Commission, an official adjunct of the Norfolk City Councils, composed in part of mem- bers of that body, together with some of the representative business men of the community. The Commission invites communications from com- panies or individuals of other sections who are looking for new homes or business opportunities. To such, on behalf of the city of Norfolk, the Commission ex-tends its greeting and a welcoming hand, with the assurance, that so far from any exaggeration herein of the claims of this section, they will find that the half has not been told. The Commission will take pleasure in replying to all communications, giving such information, advice, or suggestions as the case may require. Literature containing detailed information of special subjects «-ill be furnished on application. Respectfully and cordially yours, THE INDUSTRLIL COOHSSION OF NORFOLK. VA. THE "CRADLE OF THE NATION" HE name "Norfolk"' possesses a talismanic potency to call up pictures of the early colonial period. Its en- vironment was the cradle of the great nation of which it is today so small a fraction. The birthplace of Anglo-Saxon American civilization lies some 30 miles from Norfolk up the majestic James River. Jamestown, as it was called by the first English settlers in honor of the reigning Eng- The City Hall and Court House lish monarch, is the most sacred and interesting spot upon the American continent. Its story is certainly the most familiar of our history, for with the names of Jamestown and Virginia are 5 entwined those of Raleigh, Captain John Smith, Pocahontas, and those English maids "so pure and incorrupt," who were the maternal ancestors of the men who laid the foundations of the massively magnificent edifice of the United States. It was at this point that the first negro slaves were landed from a Dutch vessel. Here occurred the first civil Commercial Place and Confederate Monument uprising on the continent — Bacon's Rebellion; and here, cen- turies later, the same soil was consecrated by the blood of the soldiers of the Confederacy. A delightful trip of a few hours from Norfolk through enchanting scenery of land and sea brings one to this interesting spot. THE AWAKENING. O FAR as American cities go, Norfolk is an ancient place, indeed one of the oldest in the nation. The first charter granted to Norfolk was issued in 1736, so that the city is now well advanced in its second century. Its slow growth during its centuries of existence is even more amazing than the wonderful progress of New York during the same period. Every natural feature on which the greatness of New York has been based finds its equal or su- perior in the case of Norfolk. The majestic harbor of Hamp- ton Roads is the best on the Western Continent, and a com- merce quadruple that of New York's at present would not crowd it. In proximity to the richest section of the country Norfolk has decidedly the advantage of New York, and its cli- mate is certainly more moderate and equable. Considered as sea-ports, bidding for the commerce of the world, the advan- tages are decidedly on the side of Norfolk. Nevertheless the present reveals a vast disparity between these cities. Equally blessed by nature — to say the least — this disparity is one of the most surprising historical and commercial facts of the age. Ill the beginning the destiny of Norfolk was the same as that of New York and it is so now. The fulfillment in the one case is but a guarantee of the other. The retardation of Norfolk has been due to many causes with which we are not here con- cerned. Sufficient to say that these causes have been mainly political and that only of late years have they been evacuated of all force. While under their spell the city has apparently been content to live in its past and bask in the light of the "old regime." Now that the wounds of war have healed and the bridge of national fellowship and good-will rebuilt, Nor- folk has taken a wonderful stride forward and foots the threshold of the twentieth century a friendly but formidable rival of her great sister cities of the North. In the short space of only a single decade a new and splendid city has been added to the old. From a dreamy old Southern town, indifferent to and even contemptuous of the noise and stir about her, she suddenly has her pride aroused, and lo— A TRANSFORMATION! NORFOLK'S STRIDE FORWARD. Norfolk possesses in a superior degree the com- pelling combination of conditions and circumstances to build up a great metropolis. Lying in the very center of the great commercial zone it holds a strategic position as a favored point on the line of least resistance. The extent of territory tribu- tary to Xorfolk is well nigh continental. The environment of the citv is one of the richest agricultural districts of the nation. Xorfolk feeds herself and is one of the largest contributors to the feeding of Xew York and other dependent places. Manu- factories are locating, and will continue to locate here by reason of superior advantages of entr\" and distribution. The excel- lence of the climate, together with natural beauty of environ- ment, offers surpassing opportunities for health and pleasure seekers and homemakers, and these considerations, equally with the commercial, are gaining rapid recognition throughout the countr\-. St. Vinxext's Hospital It is only within the last decade that the alluring advantages of this section have gained wide outside attention. and the results are to be seen in the facts and statistics of the wonderful for^vard stride the city has taken. Hardly as yet underway, this great movement already gives assurance of the "Greater X'orfolk" of the very near future. — "the Queen City of the South," a rival of the greatest in the land. o o a in H o m Pi ca z o 2; H o H ir-' 'E6** s6 «» 5ES5^' CC«s rr TT r r » ^ " :p! rA^ '';^ 'f^ Tr^ 111 .III 11 Hi li IIS Bank of Commerce Building THE IMPERIAL CHESAPEAKE. N THE following poetic language a writer has de- scribed the coast section of Virginia contiguous to Norfolk. Ordinarily descriptions of this kind would be out of place in a purely advertising booklet, but in this case it is but the plain statement of facts and as such we tender it: "Approaching — by either land or sea that portion of the Atlantic Seaboard bisected by the 37th parallel of lati- tude, we come to a region where dame Nature seems to rest in raptured contemplation of her own rich and varied charms. Here, in kindest mood, reposeful in her fair estate, she medi- tates upon a scene "Where the tmts of the earth and the hues of the sky In color though varied, in beauty may vie, And the purple of ocean is deepest in dye; and calls upon the rampant elements, at this her shrine serene, to cease their wantonings. Tumultuous winds and turbulent waves, forgetful of contention and bearing incense for an offer- ing, tread here with reverential step, and in this land of golden mean, by whose reposeful shores the tranquil waters flow, for wanton deeds done in a wilder clime they yield atonement. "Within this hospitable zone that royal daughter of old Ocean, the Imperial Chesapeake Bay, entwines in fond embrace her thousand arms about the enamored land, and from this happy union there is born the multitudinous beauties of shore and sea for which the ocean frontage of Virginia is famed throughout the Nation. In endless panorama of delightful forms the shore-line stretches its enchanting prospect, and at a point surpassing, upon the choicest spot of a most choice lo- cation, the Greater Norfolk of the twentieth century is rapidly rising." 14 COMMERCIAL NORFOLK. A \eaiiy increase of trade and a constant exten- sion of trade territory are marked features of Norfolk's pro- gress. So important is the retail and wholesale local and trib- utary trade that outside manufacturers and the great jobbing houses of the North either establish headquarters in this city or keep their best men here. Salesmen for Norfolk houses help to materially swell the army of drummers, and these may be found in cA'ery section of the South and A\'est competing successfully with the agents of other jobbing centers upon their View of Ghent From Bridge— A Venetian Prospect own ground. The Gulf States and the Southeastern States are slowly but surely becoming tributary to Norfolk enterprise. The reputation of Norfolk as a jobbing center is being supplemented and reinforced all along the line, and within the next decade she will undoubtedly take Baltimore's place as The Great Em- porium of the Chesapeake. To enumerate the products han- dled by the jobbers and wholesale houses of Norfolk would necessitate the repetition of the list of nearly every commodity known to the trade. 16 NORFOLK'S SILVER MACE One of Norfolk's most valued relics, an unique fragment from the colonial period, is the ancient and honorable silver mace, pho- tographic reproduction of which appears upon this page. This fine piece of the silversmith's craft weighs 104 ounces, and is made in six sections, which, when screwed together, gives a total length of 4 3 inches. The top is slightly raised and extended and under the open work for the crown appear the royal arms of Great Britain in the reign of George II. The emblems of Eng- land and Scotland, France and Ire- land occupy three of the panels of the bowl, while the fourth con- tains the combined quarterings of Great Britain. These embel- lishments comprise the rose, this- tle, fleur-de-lys, and the harp, the emblems of these countries, each surmounted by a small crown. The bowl is surmounted by an open crown and above this is a globe capped with a standing cross. The following inscription ap- pears around the base of the bowl. The Gift of the Hon'ble Robert Dinwiddie, Esq'r, Lieu't Governour of Virginia, To the Corporation of Norfolk, 1753 The official trade mark, a lion rampant, attesting to the stan- dard quality of the metal, appears in several places, and also the initials F. W., which are believed to stand for the name of Fuller White, silversmiths of Noble street, London, a firm of that day engaged in the making of official emblems under royal sanction. Norfolk's mace is in a fine state of preservation and is the most justly prized relic in its posses- sion, giving as it does a distinc- tion and a dignity to the city which must increase as the his- torical prospects lessen. A care- ful research by a Norfolk citizen fairly warrants the assertion that no other city of the American Union possesses this particular emblem of royal authority and that the only other in existence in this country is the State mace of South Carolina, now carefully guarded in the capitol at Colum- bia. Copyrighted by J H. Faber, 1909 City Mace THE BANKING BUSINESS OF NORFOLK. HE pulse of a city's prosperity is felt at the counter of the Clearing House. The history of a city's banks is a summary of the city's progress and the best me- dium for gauging its importance. In the ultimate of things commercial and industrial, the bank is the arbiter. It decides the future of enterprises, its decisions being the passport of the financial and commercial world. Its credit is the stimu- lant to healthy enterprise, its ban the restriction to extravagant schemes. AVhile very much alive to the business of this com- munity and the opportunities of Norfolk, the banking business View of Inner Hakbok of this city is characterized above all else by methods of sanity and conservatism. Responsive to the legitimate demands of business, it is a fact capable of demonstration that the care- ful, yet liberal policy of her financial institutions has been a pow- erful factor in the growth of Norfolk. In ten years the de- posits of Norfolk banks have increased over 200 per cent. This is a splendid showing and indicates above any other item the healthy financial growth of the city. The loaning potentialities of a bank depend upon its deposits, and it is in the loan depart- ment that the bank enters as a propulsive factor in the business world. In methods, facilities, lodgment and equipment, the banks of Norfolk will bear comparison with the great insti- 19 tutions of the larger cities. Their influence extends throughout the South and inspires confidence and security in every section. The financial institutions of Norfolk are anxious and willing to lend comfort and credit to enterprises of merit. For the prosperity of this community a major portion of the credit is due the banks. Their absolute solvency and healthy conditions attest that the factors of safety and legitimate busi- ness methods have been matters of careful solicitude. Liber- ality to business enterprise has functioned equally with the MoNTicELLO Hotel protection of depositors and vigilant wardenship over every trust committed to their care. The following table, in which the Portsmouth banks have been included because the two communities are practically one, will indicate the solid basis upon which the fi- nancial and commercial growth of Norfolk rests. These fig- ures reveal in condensed form a very gratifying and remarkable condition of present prosperity, and a high guarantee of its continuance. 20 NORFOLK A CONVENTION CITY. III^^ manner in which Xorfolk has on numerous occa- sions handled and cared for exceptional!}' large crowds of strangers, has given her a reputation as a Convention City. During the Jamestown Exposi- tion an attendance of twenty thousand strangers daily was nothing unusual, yet the arrangements and the hotel accommodations were adequate for the care of even a greater number. Prior to the Exposition numerous fine hotels had been erected to meet the anticipated requirements of a great world's fair. These arrangements, as it turned out, were far in excess of any subsequent Exposition demands, and the citv, upon the closing" of the great fair, found herself, size and popu- lation considered, the best hotel city in the United States. A half a dozen commodious and palatial hotels were added during the Exposition period to the sum of Norfolk's hostelries, and in the matter of hotel accommodations the city is more than well provided. This was demonstrated upon the occasion of the "x\tlantic Deeper A^'aterways Convention," held at Xor- folk November 17-21, 1909, when President Taft spent a day in the city. There were many hundred delegates besides mem- bers of their families and friends, yet every individual was com- fortably cared for without in the least crowding or disarranging the hotel accommodations of the city. Therefore, in the important item of accommodation of strangers, Norfolk is a Convention City second to none in the Nation. Certainly in the items of natural interest, in its man}' adja- cent seaside resorts and also historical scenes, Norfolk is a Con- vention Citv second to none. Convention delegates invariably seek to combine pleasure with their business and in Norfolk they find the facilities unrivalled. The erection of the new Norfolk Con\'ention Hall, with a seating capacity of 7,000 people, and to cost some $150,000.00, plans of whicti are under olTficial consideration, will, when comjDleted, supply the one sing'le deficiency in the sum of Nor- folk's advantages as a first-class cit}' for con\'entions. 21 NORFOLK'S INCOME AND CAPITAL. HE source of a community's wealth may be inherent, or contributory, or both. Norfolk is blessed both ways and especially in the former respect, among the items of which may be enumerated the vast agricultural wealth produced here, the products of the manu- factories, the gross earnings of labor, and the immense yearly sums expended here for the maintenance of the Navy Yard, The Norfolk Male Academy, Erected in 1840 military posts, and fortifications, all of which represent in the aggregate the steady income of the city. Hampton Roads is the great point of rest and rendezvous for the American Navy, and the streets of Norfolk are constantly enlivened by the pres- ence of hundreds of Uncle Sam's seamen who find their pleas- ure and spend their money freely within her gates. Upon this solid foundation of inherent wealth and income the great contributory factors find a double security. In the generous combination with which Norfolk is blessed he who runs may read her present prosperity and her assured greatness. 22 a u z a S3 a hj o b o 2; O o O Norfolk's features of excellence comprise : Geographical location. Accessibility to the greatest fields of natural wealth. Meeting place of the land and ocean highways. Unexcelled distributive center and facilities. Food supply abundant, diversified and cheap. Opportunities for industrial, commercial, and trade expansion unlimited. Conservative financial methods. Investigate these claims ! THE BANKS Statement Compiled from January, 1910, RESOURCES NORFOLK Loans Banking House Cash and and and Due NAME Investments Real Kstate from Banks National Bank of Commerce $4,477,662.82 1325,000.00 $771,268.20 Norfolk National Bank 4,017.914.35 85,000.00 867,450.29 Citizens Bank 2,470,398.97 200,78125 S99,185.97 Norfolk Bank for Savings and Trusts... 1,252,008.39 29.201.08 92,335.51 Virginia Bank & Trust Co., I nc 1,386,342.23 213,500.00 259,000.00 Merchants & Mechanics Bank 1,069,540.87 42,066.39 129.365.73 Marine Bank 671,872.37 33,037.50 124,530.09 Merchants & Planters Bank 435,706.54 11,085.64 52.991.35 Seaboard Bank 429.849.36 13,924.34 87,213 34 Bank of Norfolk 372,907.29 15,189.84 105,770.49 Mercantile Bank 282,992.41 9,669.49 33,388.22 Peoples Bank & Trust Co 204,506.87 5,784.67 67,571.00 Savings Bank of Norfolk 137,497.00 980.00 13,294.00 Gideon Savings Bank 14,647.86 1,500.00 2,389.92 PORTSMOUTH Merchants & Farmers Bank 1,236,779.29 25,000.00 244,895.00 Bank of Portsmouth 630,400.63 50,010.66 98,198.34 Bank of Tidewater 259,671.74 39,040.97 First National Bank , 245,000.00 45,000 00 Totals |19,595,69S.99 $1,061,730.86 $3,432,888.42 Norfolk is a city with a Glorious Past, a Splendid Present, and a Magnificent Future. She holds these circumstances with equal esteem. Her past acclaims her future and her present assures it. Within a period of twelve months some sixteen million tons of freight, valued at nearly seven hundred millions of dollars, is handled at Norfolk's harbor, yet every indication gives the assurance that the next generation will look out upon a commerce and scene of industrial activity to which the present will seem a feeble traffic. OF NORFOLK Reports to Comptroller of the Treasury LIABILITIES ^iirn1n>i anrl Re-DiscOlllltS Totals Capital Profit Deposits Circulation and Bills Payable $5,573,93L02 $1,000,000.00 1645,236.03 $4,646,789.00 ?!, 000.000,00 $400,000.00 4,970,364.64 1,000,000.00 629,033.21 4,465,000.00 1,000.000.00 350,000.00 3,070,366.19 300,000.00 373,255.08 2,502,900.00 225,000.00 1.373.544.98 100,000.00 214,976.42 1,548,573.93 1,858,842.23 600,000.00 118,000.00 1,101,000.00 80,000.00 1.240.972.99 25,000.00 116,654.38 1,209,539.60 829,439.96 110,000.00 202,870.36 634,469.60 20,000.00 499.783.53 50,000.00 63,643.45 436,004.18 530,987.04 100,000.00 17,622.24 453,622.00 40,350.00 493,867.62 100,000.00 28,171.62 363,286.00 34,000.00 326,050.12 100.000.00 14,332.83 192,159.64 23,979.40 277.862.54 50,000.00 18,851.13 209,218.01 151,771.00 35,600 00 12,806.00 131,342.00 18,537.78 7,445.00 12,720.56 1,000.00 1,506,674.29 51,500.00 243,300.00 1,287,983.00 778,609.63 100,000.00 91,905.97 659,980.53 25,000.00 298,712.71 60,000.00 10,573.38 191,133.28 40.000.00 290,000.00 100,000.00 5,500.00 190,000.00 37,500.00 $24,090,318.27 $3,889,545.00 $2,806,732.10 $29,235,721.36 $2,037,500.00 $1,239,329.40 Norfolk is a Southern City but above all a patriotic American city. She has no sectional feelings and has long since passed the "reconciliation" period. She holds with equal pride — Virginia, the South, and the Nation. NORFOLK REAL ESTATE. T is a fact worth recording that during the panics of the past, property values of Norfolk suffered less fluctuation or disturbance than in any other city of the United States. Panics may come and go, but the realty values of Norfolk stand solid and impregnable. In many of the "brag" cities recent disastrous panics knocked the bottom out of real estate values, as many unfortunate investors, some of whom are in Norfolk today, can sadly testify. But in solid, substantial old Norfolk, which has rarely hitherto had a word to say for herself, not only did property values hold their own, but speculators were buying and selling to their advantage right in the midst of the worst general depression. No better test of the stability of a community could be applied, and the manner in which Norfolk has re- peatedly stood that test is a commercial and financial fact that commands attention. COMMANDING POSITION OF NORFOLK. The disintegrating forces of panic and National depression are powerless to prevail against the impregnable situation on which Norfolk has been reared, a location above and about which the kindly elements have engaged in friendly conspiracy to dower with manifold blessings. The tributary ocean laves her feet, and behind there lies the boundless wealth of a rich continent which in coming years, by virtue of necessi- ty, must pay at the gates of Norfolk a generous toll. Just so sure as trade and commerce tend to the line of least resistance, just so sure will the port of Norfolk become one of the greater and perhaps the greatest upon the American Atlantic coast. Her situation possesses in trans- cendent measure the compelling combination of circumstances and conditions to build up a great commercial and industrial emporium. Such in brief is the sure and solid foundation upon which Norfolk is built, this is the vital element of her progress, and this it is which secures her realty values against the attacks of sustained or transitory panics. To paraphrase the poet, "The city stands serene and glorious O'er all the ills of fate victorious." 26 GREATER NORFOLK. HE greater and grander Norfolk has arisen during the last twelve years. In that short time a city, and one far more durable and beautiful, has been added to the old. The story of the city's advancement is not a tale told second-hand to a third party, repeated as hearsay and heard with suspicion; the material is at hand; every patriotic citizen affirms it and tenders it as a challenge to investigation. No city in America can boast of natural ad- vantages superior to those of Norfolk, and here, upon the shores of Hampton Roads, Destiny has decreed that a city of magnificent proportions should be established, for not in all this broad land can there be found a spot more fair or more ac- cessible. This is the grand meeting place for commerce and industry, this imperial harbor is the peerless arena of the nation, and here in the coming years the generations will look upon a commerce to which its present activity will seem but a pitiful trade. The Taylor Building It is, therefore, her superior and impregnable position which assures to Norfolk a position among the greater seaports of the world. Geographically, industrially, and com- mercially, she is on the point of perfection along the line of least resistance, and while very indifferent endeavors to test her strength have thus far been made, the propulsive move- ment is beginning and Norfolk's star is in the ascendant. 27 ♦ THE INCOMPARABLE HAMPTON ROADS ♦ •: »:• •:• In that section of Tidewater Virginia of which Norfolk is the center, shore and sea and climatic conditions have combined to create a ter- ritorv supremely attractive. The site of Norfolk is one of the choicest of a choice selec- tion. Situated on Hampton Roads. that> splendid harbor and arena of knightly encoun- ters. Norfolk and its environ- ment are rich in every prospect TO tire the heart of patriotism and sparkle the eye of Nature's lover. Land and sea abound in historic interest. The ex- panse of Hampton Roads is the scene of many gallant achievements of the American sailor, and the shores about are forever consecrated by the \alorous blood of the Ameri- can soldier. Here, in the Na- tion's infancy, the savage war cry roused the colonists. Here the English mariners met the ships of France. Here, in the Revolutionary war and the war of 1812, American sailors set their battle flag and defied the power of Britain; and it was here, during the great Civil war, that the Monitor and Merrimac inaugurated a new epoch in the naval affairs of the world. All these stirring incidents have long since passed into history and the Hampton Roads of today is an arena of peace and plenty, the grand emporium of the world, where the fleets of commerce ply back and forth, presenting a marine pic- ture unequalled on the American Continent. During the sum- mer months the call of Hampton Roads is heard to the Mis- sissippi River and the two hundred thousand annual visitors are made up of the excursionists from all surrounding States. 28 Lorraine Hotel B* i^ m til ^ NORFOLK (9 ii The NATION'S NAVAL CITY HAT the National Government is duly cognizant of the supreme importance of Norfolk as the country's naval base is shown in the various massive fortifica- tions which it has erected in the vicinity. In addition to the extensive works at Fortress Monroe, properly termed "the key to the Capital," there are minor defences at points along Hampton Roads and the Chesapeake Bay which include Fort Wool and the smaller battery within the city limits on the Elizabeth river. Plans are being considered for extensive works at Cape Henry to guard the entrance to Chesa- peake Bay, and these will doubtless be of sufficient power to effectually resist invasion at the very threshold of the conti- nent. The existing garrisons are maintained in the average force of five thousand men, which of course is greatly aug- mented when the fleets drop their anchors in the harbor. This host of sturdy American soldiers and sailors make up to a con- siderable extent the life of Norfolk, interesting and picturesque, and always inspiring. Across the harbor, at Newport News, is located the greatest shipbuilding plant in America, the proximity of which to Norfolk entitles this city to claim its share in this stupendous enterprise. Perhaps no item of recent years has so served to bring this city before the American public as the departure from and return to the port of Norfolk of the great world-gird- ling fleet. It was an event which astonished even the natives, accustomed though they are* to the presence of warships and naval pageantry. The festivities and the parade on the return of this magnificent aggregation of fighting ships is without a parallel in the annals of America's peaceful pageantry. The grand and memorable spectacle was reproduced by moving pictures and has stirred the pride and enthusiasm of hundreds of American communities, which have thus been brought to realize the importance of Norfolk, Va. It was a great occasion but the city rose to it nobly; in the words of a local poet: 30 "Virginia hails the fleet's return Across the fields of foam, The last to fling a fond farewell, She's first to greet it home." If there were no printed records of Norfolk's past, the history of the American navy would of itself alone make a fairly comprehensive history of the city, for from the earliest days of the Nation this city has been the great rendezvous for the American fleets and the residence of many distinguished Norfolk Protestant Hospital. naval officers. Elsewhere in this work will be found a photo- graphic reproduction of the great naval parade referred to, and also a picture of the magnificent new Naval Y. M. C. A. pre- sented by Mr. John D. Rockefeller, the dedication of which was appropriatly consummated during the now historic "fleet week." This splendid structure is but one of the many pre- tentious architectural additions to the Norfolk of the past few years. 31 o z s B pq < > < Q Z 63 J D- a H o z o < o Q H Q ALL ROADS LEAD TO NORFOLK With twenty-six steamship lines and ten railroads having their terminals at Norfolk this city is the hub from which the lines of travel and traffic radiate as the spokes of a wheel. Approaching or leaving the city in any direction there are on the average several routes from which to select. Located on the shores of the Nation's finest har- bor and in proximity to a dozen famous seaside resorts, the visitor to Norfolk may crowd into his itinerar}^ a multitude of delightful experiences impossible but to a destination so ad- mirably located. The charm of Norfolk lies in its unrivalled situ- ation on the sea, with an environment the most naturally and historically interesting of the Nation. Lying within the inner circle of the Nation's densest population, whatever route one may choose to reach Norfolk lies through magnificent scenic sections lined with splendid cities. The visitor from the Northern States or Eas- tern Canada is in this respect especially fortunate, having a choice of land or water routes, or a combination of both not to be excelled. The visitor from the West passes through the en- trancing mountain scenery of North Carolina or Virginia, and his whole route is a panorama of natural loveliness. From Pennsylvania and the adjoining States the route is through historic sections and battlefields with stop- overs at Washington and other interesting cities. All roads lead to Norfolk, and these roads lead through the most beautiful and interesting section of Eastern America. NORFOLK'S GREAT RAILROAD SYSTEMS. The railroads which focus their glistening lines of steel at the sea portals of Norfolk radiate through all points of the compass for approximately twenty-five thousand miles, which together with the connections, make up the chains that bind a captive continent to the service of this port. 33 These systems comprise: Atlantic Coast Line. Chesapeake & Ohio. Norfolk and AVestern. N. Y., Phil. & Norfolk (in connection with Penn- sylvania system). Norfolk Southern. Seaboard Air Line. The Southern. The Virginian. The Belt Line. The Electric Systems. THE IMPORTANT STEAMSHIP LINES COMPRISE: Old Dominion S. S. Co. Merchants and Miners S. S. Co. Chesapeake Steam Ship Co. Bay Line. Norfolk and Washington S. S. Co. LeRoy Steamship Co. Maryland, Delaware and Virginia S. S. Co. Virginia Navigation Co. Clyde Line. Furness-AA'ithy Co., Ltd., to London, England, with passenger service. Operating over fifteen thousand miles of water service and offering superior and cheap transportation for pas- sengers and freight to all important points along the Atlantic Seaboard. WATER TRANSPORTATION. The schedules by water are : To Boston, 36 hours ; Providence, 30 hours ; New York, 19 hours; Philadelphia, 24 hours; Baltimore, 12 hours; Washington, 13 hours; Richmond, 12 hours; London, England, once every two weeks. The fleet covering these schedules comprises thirty-two vessels, and provides regularly forty-two sailings per week, with additional sailings when necessary, the gross tonnage of the vessels being 73,321 tons, 34 THE SPLENDID WATER FRONT. By reference to the map it will be noted that the city of Norfolk lies upon the Elizabeth river, an arm of the famous harbor of Hampton Roads. This is the older Norfolk which is so situated. The growth of the city, particularly the industrial and commercial growth, is towards the north, and Greater Norfolk will lie upon the shore of Hampton Roads, occupying the same relative position on the south as Newport News, some five miles distant, does on the north, and this ex- tension will rapidly embrace the magnificent section lately oc- cupied by the Jamestown Exposition. If due foresight and wis- dom is used in the making of the new Norfolk, if intelligent experience is applied and the imperfections of other places carefully guarded against, the city to come will take its place among the cities beautiful of the world with a unique distinc- tion and individuality not to be duplicated. The various water courses which indent and tra- verse this section in every conceivable direction, appearing upon the map as a delicate tracery of ornamentation, may be utilized for the highest effects of art, making of the Norfolk of the future the most beautiful and picturesque city on the con- tinent — the Venice of America. Nor is this a dream of the remote future. Under the conditions of present progress it is a dream most likely to have fulfillment within the life-time of the present generation, the assurance of which already has its inception in the present Beautification Commission. "The Sea-City Beautiful" will be a designation appropriate to Nor- folk by reason of the combined natural and artistic beauties it will present. NORFOLK AS A HOME CITY. A feature of Norfolk's growth during the last decade has been the development of numerous suburban sec- tions which have generally become a part of the city. Various land companies are engaged in the improvement and exploita- tion of outlying districts, and the very reasonable and liberal terms upon which lots are offered to the public have enabled multitudes to own their homes, and this has been, and continues to be, an important factor in the sum of Norfolk's progress. A home by the surging sea ! Who, that having experienced the delights of such, could be lured to live else- where? 36 Many of these suburban properties are along the splendid water courses for which the section is famous and frequently tenants may step from the rear of their back gar- dens into their pleasure boats with a highway before whose boundary is the shore of the old world. The bare contemplation gives one a feeling of enlarged freedom. Taking into consid- eration the advantages of location in Norfolk, rents are moder- ate, and there are houses available in every section of the city to suit all purses. U. S. Marine Hospital POPULATION. The growth of Norfolk during the past five years has been rapid. The present year will break all records in gain in population and a large gain in new buildings. Norfolk had in 1880 a population of 21,966, in 1890 a population of 34,- 871, in 1900 a population of 46,624, and in 1910 the population is estimated at nearly 100,000, while the commercial population, including those living outside the city, but engaged in business in Norfolk, will increase the population to fully 120,000. 37 NORFOLK AN AMERICAN CITY. Up to the present, for reasons that have no plausi- ble explanation, immigration has had little or nothing to do with this section of Virginia. In the early days of immigration, after the Revolution had been fought and won, the tides of immigra- tion seemed to diverge at the Virginia coast, and of the great hosts of Germans and Irish who came to this country those who did not land at New York or Boston did so at either Charleston or Savannah, hence the population of Virginia and of Norfolk in particular is composed of the descendants Sarah Leigh Hospital of the original English colonial stock, forming so far as an American city can, a distinctly homogeneous population and perhaps the most distinctly American city on the continent. This has frequently been a subject of comment by those ac- quainted with all sections of the country. The increase of population above the natural has been gathered from the va- rious States of the Union and has been mainly of the same parent stock as that of the natives. 3& NORFOLK'S IDEAL CLIMATE. N THE sum of those things which make up the com- fort, healthfuhiess, and happiness of mankind, certain- ly the item of cHmate is one of the greater factors. Where life is a constant struggle against adverse climatic conditions, all other advantages, how^ever great they may be, must suffer deterioration. Throughout the whole of North America there are very few sections presenting so perfect a coast climate as that of Tidewater Vir- ginia surrounding the city of Norfolk. Because of the nu- merous estuaries, rivers, lakes, and bays, — to say nothing of the great sea, — which indent and invest in every direction this great extent of territory, the heated winds of Summer are tempered and cooled as they pass over expanses of multitudi- nous waters. In ^^'inter the Gulf Stream opposes its vast col- umn of relatively heated air as a barrier against the biting north- westers which chill and solidify the sections remote from its genial influence. The winds at Norfolk, filled as they are with the rich odors of the great contiguous pine lands on the one hand, or with the invigorating ozone of the sea on the other, are the factors in the sum of climatic excellence, which for all we know to the contrary, render this section distinct and unique in the topography of the planet. It is the combina- tion of these atmospheric elements which renders the climate of Norfolk so thoroughlv delightful and so remarkaldv health- ful. Data compiled from the best authorities, includ- ing that of the U. S. Weather Bureau, and covering a period of twenty years, show the mean annual temperature at Norfolk to be 62.9 degrees, and the month averages as follows : January 42.8, February 49.9, March 51.7. April 59.2, May 65.8, June 72.6, July 78.4, August 80.6, September 73.9, October 62.4, Novem- ber 60.1, December 52.5. One hundred degrees of heat has been reached on but few occasions during this extended period, and Winters frequently pass without the temperature falling below 32 degrees. The average A\'inter temperature is 41.9 and that of Summer 77.4. In climatic qualification humidity is a factor of large import, and here again this section is happily favored, proffering a mean relative humidity for the year of 71.8, which practically represents the medium between the extremes of this phenomenon, operating to keep the landscape of a delight- ful green freshness and rarely reaching the point of oppres- siveness. 39 The U. S. Weather Bureau gives Norfolk a total of 258.8 sunny days out of the 365, and with the statement of this fact further comment on the climate of this section is unnecessary. The New Norfolk National Bank FREEDOM FROM STORMS AND EARTHQUAKES. The cyclones of the South Atlantic States expend their fury between those States and the West India Islands and reach Norfolk with spent force. The unroofing of houses and the demolition of miles of water front property, as some- times happens at other places, is a calamity happily unknown to Norfolk. No earthquake shock of any consequence has ever been recorded in this section. The sense of security thus resulting is a potential factor in the investment of capital. 40 HISTORICAL NORFOLK AND ENVIRONMENT. Founded in 1682, Norfolk proper naturally takes its place in the genesis department of things American. It presents an array of material witnesses to support its writ- ten history and make it in- teresting. Almost every great event of American history is in some manner connected with Norfolk. Every war the country has engaged in has left its im- press here ; the memorials are many and would require a special book to properly detail and elaborate. Among the best known of Norfolk antiquities is old St. Paul's church, a relic of the Colo- nial period, still maintained as a house of worship, as it probably will be for cen- turies to come. Among the more impor- tant adjacent historical points may be mentioned Jamestowm, Cape Henry, where the first settlers set foot u p o n American soil, and the famous Hampton Roads, the scene of much of the naval glory of the na- tion. Taken in connection with the host of eminent and illustrious men wdio have lived in this city, the claim that Norfolk is the most historical city of the Union is merely the plain statement of a plain fact. No matter what may be the splendor of Norfolk's future, the renown of her past will ever remain her chief glory. The Virginia Club THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT. The legislative and administrative branches of Norfolk's . government comprise a Mayor, a Board of Con- trol consisting of three members, a Common Council, and a Board of Aldermen. The various important offices are 41 filled by the voters. A new code will shortly be adopted, under which some needed reforms are expected to become operative. The Police Department is adequate to the needs of the city and Norfolk is decidedly an orderly community. Labor and capital are harmonious and strikes are of very rare occurrence. The Board of Trade Building The negro population is barely one-third of the total, the races living together in amity and the horrors of lynching are un- known. The Norfolk fire department ranks in equipment, qual- ity, and effectiveness with the best in the country, and insurance rates are moderate with a downward tendency. In all of these items the city measures up with the best conducted munici- palities of America. 42 View of City Hall Avenue, Looking West, 1887 View of City Hall Avenue from Same Point, 1910 1 THE VIRGINIAN RAILROAD Norfolk's Latest Acquisition and Commercial Asset HE investment of the stupendous sum of forty mil- lions of dollars in the new V'irginian Railroad iDy the late Henry H. Rogers has served perhaps more than any one other item to direct the attention of the Nation upon this seciton and city. This magnificent road extends from Deepwater, W. Va., to Sew^ell's Point, on the edge of the city of Norfolk, a distance of 446 miles, and w^as opened for business April Tidewater Terminal of Virginian Railroad, the Great Coal Pier 1st, 1909. The great coal piers at Sewell's Point have a ca- pacity of 15,100 tons of coal per day. Through the comple- tion of this splendid enterprise a million acres of the best coal lands in West Virginia are rendered accessible at Nor^ folk to the shipping of the world. In a single county tra- 44 ^Md f=--^ ^•^ k \^ aa &■ o « K 03 H O O ^ ■A' (% ■! versed by the trains of the Virginian road there is an item of 800,000,000 feet of standing- timber. For every lineal mile between the terminals of this new road there are fifty tributary, and these consist of the finest grazing and agricul- tural lands of the State. Tapping a territory of splendid and varied resources, the wealth opened to commerce by the Vir- ginian Railway pays toll and tril)ute at the gates of Norfolk. Peanuts, lumber, cotton, tobacco, fruits, wdieat, corn, live stock, etc., will pour into this city over the new line, and the return shipments will consist of the wares of the merchants of Nor- folk. ^''^ttiJKtSSKSBSSKHSKSilllBmMtKKKKKKBmMBi^ Norfolk & Western Railway Coal Piers at Lamberts Point Mr. Rogers' forty-million-dollar investment is to all intents and purposes a new Norfolk asset, practically new Norfolk capital, and if so prodigious a resource fails to fortify the business courage and acumen of the financiers and merchants of this commuity it would make a strange reve- lation in the records of industrial movements. On the com- mercial horizon Norfolk is a higher magnitude star and a ris- ing one. Up to a few years ago very indifferent endeavors to test this truth were made ; it needs little demonstration now. We are not dealing with corn-stalk towns or mine- boomed villages, but with one of the oldest and certainly one of the most conservative cities of the Nation. If money and enterprise will not secure themselves upon a rising market we have indeed something new under the commercial sun. Nor- folk is a rising market, and the most attractive point in Amer- ica for the investment of capital, large or small. 46 The inauguration of the new Virginian Railway was a momentous circumstance in the history of this city, sounding a call that has been heard throughout the length and breadth of the land. The times are auspicious, the location is most attractive, the men, money, merchandise, are massing here- abouts, the methods for movements are at hand, and prosperity, of a most generous quality, has settled down for an indefinite sojourn in Tidewater Virginia with headquarters at Norfolk. 47 Scenes at Ocean View, Norfolk's Popular Seaside Resort NORFOLK VIRGINIA INAUGURATION OF PASSENGER SERVICE BETWEEN THESE POINTS LONDON ENGLAND Concurrent with the preparation of this work comes formal announcement by Furness, Withy & Co., Ltd., of the inauguration of passenger service between Norfolk and London, England. Two fine steamships of this firm will make fortnightly trip-^ between these ports, carrying freight and pas- sengers. This movement is generally regarded as one of the Southern Railway and Atlantic Coast Line R. R. Piers at Pinners Point most significant in the marine history of this city, indicating as it does a striking recognition of the growing importance of this port. It also indicates that in the near future Norfolk is to be one of the ports of immigration entry. The firm of Furness, Withy & Co., Limited, have long conducted a great freight traf^c between this port and Great Britain, but the inauguration of direct and continued passenger service is an innovation as important as it is interesting. The resident of Norfolk may now take a pleas- ant sea trip on fine commodious steamers lying almost at his door, and at the small cost of eighty dollars for the round trip he may visit the land of his ancestors. The announcement of this service has already proved very interesting, especially to the holiday hosts of the Southern States. 49 Tidewater Virginia The Garden Spot of The Atlantic States A WORD TO AMERICAN EMIGRANTS. Surely few, if any, of those hundred thousand Americans who went over into Canada during the past year to engage in agricultural pursuits, had ever heard of the great- er opportunities awaiting them in Virginia under their own flag. With the knowledge and the choice before them it is Scene in Trucking District, Shipping Truck to Norfolk Merchants hardly conceivable that any would choose the bleak climate of the Canadian Northwest and the dull monotony of exclusive wheat raising for the sunny skies of this section and the di- versity of delightful farming which it offers to the industrious worker. 61 FORTUNES FROM FARMING Splendid fortunes have Deen made and are being made by the truckers and farmers of Tidewater Virginia, and numbers of the richest men in Norfolk have made their wealth from the soil in the vicinity of this city. It needs but slight investigation to substantiate this statement. The men are here, the farms on which their bank accounts have grown dot the landscape and many of them in the range of vision from the top of some of the tall buildings. While the sections to the north are still frozen tight the truckers of Tidewater Virginia In the Cotton District are shipping great carloads of cabbage, kale, onions, spinach,, strawberries, etc., to the cities of the North and East, and these crops are merely preliminary to the larger planting and the greater harvests which follow. Taking as a unit for demons- tration, the 100 square miles in which Norfolk is located, it is a fact, according to U. S. Government Agriculture Bureau statistics, that the soil produces more pecuniary return from agricultural sources than any other 100 contiguous square, miles in the United States or Canada. 52 ROOM AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL. Virgin immensities, endless tracts, tremendous stretches of fertile lands still wait in generous promise the hand of industry and the sowing of the seed. Very truly it has been said that the backbone of any nation, and indeed of civilization itself, is agriculture, and in this regard Tidewater Virginia is the backbone of the Atlantic States. Norfolk is the distributing point for these immense harvests and the transportation lines, rail and water, are taxed to their ca- LoADiNG Truck for New York pacity the year round to place the food supply before the hun- gry and helpless millions of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, Baltimore and other places. THE INDEPENDENT FARMER. Nor is there any solicitation necessary, contrary to the usual exigencies of business. The Northern commission houses send their best men to this section the year round to 53 bid against each other for the produce of the farms of this sec- tion of Virginia. The intelligent farmer hereabouts is one of the most independent men on earth ; when once he has done his share by nature, nature does a generous part by him and he asks no odds of anv man. Truck for Northern Markets SPORT AND GAME. Within twenty miles of Norfolk there lie some of the finest small game preserves on the Continent. The in- land waterways and branches of the sea swarm with water fowl and in season attract numbers of wealthy sportsmen from the North. The Dismal Swamp and the great Desert behind Cape Henry are veritable sportsmen's paradises, teem- inpf with game birds, rabbits, deer, and not a few bears. HAPPY DIVERSION OF LABOR. Owing to the multitudinous rivers and creeks which indent the land in every direction farms frequently have water frontage, in which case the harvest of the sea, fish and 54 oysters, may be gathered and made a source of revenue during the very few weeks of winter when farming operations are suspended. This section includes the counties on the coast and along the tidewater streams, where the soil is uniformly rich The Hucksters' Market and responsive and over which the rain and sunshine follow each other as if under the regulation of the goddess of Fortune herself. LARGE VARIETY OF CROPS. No country has a better distribution of rain than this. Some of the general farm crops are corn, cotton, tobacco, cowpeas, peanuts, oats and hay. The principal truck and fruit crops are lettuce, strawberries, beets, cauliflower, snap beans, cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes, radishes, onions, peppers, 55 okra, egg-plant, carrots, cabbage, spinach, turnips, tomatoes, asparagus, English peas, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, cranberries, figs, apples, grapes, plums, peaches and pears. (In some instances from four to five crops are grown on the same land in one season.) A Two-year-old Peach Orchard within Five Miles of Norfolk When to all this is added the items of poultry, timber, and firewood, flowers, honey and various other inci- dental products, it will be seen that the opportunity for the energetic American farmer is at home and that instead of going to Canada he should turn his face to Tidewater Virginia. Indeed it is A smiling land of plenty, where the generous plains and fields Bring forth a golden harvest, and a kindly nature yields An abundance of such blessings, that the mind is staggered quite To put them into figures and reveal them to your sight. 56 Norfolk in Epitome FACTS : FIGURES : FEATURES : FAIRLY FOUND Population Norfolk City proper, 78,000 — a gain of 58.000 since 1880. Population Norfolk County, tributary to city, 1.15,000. Population Norfolk and Portsmouth, practically one community, 117,000. Within a radius of five miles, 130,000. The Lynnhaven Hotel Area of Norfolk, 4,253 acres — a gain of over 3,000 acres in 35 years. Greatest Coal Port of Weste^-n Hemisphere. Annual shipments over 5,000,000 tons; facilities lately doubled. 57 NORFOLK IN EPITOME Electric Street Railway system 193 miles; only three miles in 1880. Real Estate assessment, 1880 — .$8,7f>5,4y2; 1907 — $38,941,970; 1909 over ,$48,000,000.00. Water-borne sliipments aggregate yearly 14,000,000 tons, value $588,650,000. Nine splendid modern hotels with many smaller ones. Power-house of the Norfolk and Portsmouth Traction Co. This is the Largest Electric Powcr-Plaut South of Philadelphia Banking capital, 1902 — $2,745,469; 1909 — $6,863,665. Bank re- sources, $28,409,171. Banks, 15, State and National; combined deposits, $19,711,504.00 — increase of over 140 per cent, since 1900. Bank Clearings, $147,299,117.00. 700,000,000 feet of Timber, or 137,758 miles, yearly output of port; value $10,500,000. 58 NORFOLK IN EPITOME Lumber Mills employ 2,500 men with yearly salary list of $840,000. Railroad lines, 10; Steamship lines, over a score. Real and Personal Property assessment, over $49,000,000.00, or $684.35 per capita. The Carnegie (Public) Library"^ Over 300 Manufacturing' Establishments, capitalized at nearly $20,- 000,000, paying approximately $5,000,000 annually in wages to 12,000 employees. Fuel for manufacturing, .$2.65 per ton. Cost of labor from $1.25 to $1.75 per day. A Great AVholesale and Jobbing center constantly displacing rivals. Norfolk's transportation lines, penetrating all sections, find their facilities constantly taxed to meet the requirements of trade. NORFOLK IN EPITOME Annual truck shipments, the produce of the adjacent country, over 10,000,000 barrels, boxes, crates and packages a year, valued at nearly $16,000,000,00. Trucking grounds around Norfolk have realized as high as $500.00 gross sales per acre. 24,000 miles of Railway Systems terminate at Norfolk. Fertilizer output, annually, 250,000 tons, valued at $6,000,000. Harbor, land-locked, ice-free, twenty miles from ocean, with depth of water 30 to 35 feet. Scene in Lafayette Park Norfolk's shipping congregates in the incomparable Hampton Roads, famous among the hai'bors of the world. About 1,000 foreign vessels freighted annually at this port. Seven splendid developed seaside resorts within a radius of twenty miles, or one hour by trolley or boat. For Commerce and Manufactures Norfolk is the "Point of Perfec- tion" on the "Line of Least Resistance," the most advan- tageously located point on the continent. Statistically and actually one of the healthiest cities in the United States. Nearer than New York to Kansas City, St. Louis, Omaha, and all points South and West. 60 NORFOLK IN EPITOME Tiaiispoitatioii teiiiiiiials embrace 50,000 lineal feet of waterfront, 2,000,000 square feet of warehouses, adequate yard capacity, and 300 private sidings. Shipments by water from Norfolk aggregate annually 14,000,000 tons, valued at $500,000,000. Belt Line, connecting all railroads and transportation facilities, operates nine miles of trackage and ten miles of sidings. Excursion visitoi-s yeai-ly, 200,000. Railroads of Norfolk employ about 4,000 people. Great Sand-hills at Cape Henry These mountains of saud ate over 100 feet high Ocean passenger service of the best to all princii)al coast cities, North and South, and to England. Climatic conditions unsurpassed by any section in America. Norfolk, a city of Commerce, Agriculture, and Manufactures. Total aggregate of trade yearly, $700,000,000. Ninety miles of paved and sewered streets. Four large Hospitals. Greatest Peanut Market on earth; value of peanut shipments, $9,000,000.00. Norfolk's Factories, Navy Yard, V^essels, Railroads, employ some 40,000 people. Five miles of developed water frontage. 61 NORFOLK IN EPITOME Water frontage still avaihible for coinniercial use, 35 miles. Building permits past year, 867. Value of imiirovements, $3,000,- 000. Increase of population for eight years, 2.3,000. Yearly value of mine shipments, .15120,000,000. Telephone subscribers, 8,131; increase in five years, 4,665. Cotton shipments foi- past ten years have averaged over half million bales yearly, valued at approximately .$25,000,000.00 each season. Norfolk is the fourth cotton port of the world. The B-vnk of Norfolk Mean temperature of Norfolk by seasons: Spring, 57 degrees; Sum- mer, 78 degrees; Autumn, 62 degrees; Winter, 42 degrees. Religious denominations are represented by 77 churches. Water supply abundant and pure, equally good for manufacturing purposes as for consumption. Fire Department thoroughly equipped and up-to-date. Average insurance rates. €2 NORFOLK IN EPITOME Police Department adequate to the needs of an unusally orderly community. Possibility of future beautification unequalled by any city of America. Libraries comjirise tlie new Carnegie (public), the Law Library, and the Medical Library. Nearly every Secret and Fraternal Order of any importance repre- sented in the numerous Norfolk Lodges. Cou :t^rpoise Bridge over Elizabeth River The greater md grander Norfolk has been the growth of the last te-t yc I's. Oysters, the dnest in the world. Output 3,500,000 bushels annually. Sales of Horses, $2,500,000 annually. Fish and Game yield a revenue of $1,000,000 annually. One million gallons of wine manufactured and shipped annually. Norfolk's Silk Mill, manufacturing high-grade silk, employs 350 hands. Numerous Clubs and Social Societies dispense Southern^-especially Norfolkian — hospitality, and the respectable stranger is ever a welcome guest. 63 NORFOLK IN EPITOME Norfolk has a half dozen fii'st-class Building' and Loan Associations, which offer splendid inducements to home seekers. Three large daily newspapei'S, two weekly newspapers, and two first-class magazines are published in Norfolk. Norfolk has one of the finest race tracks in the South, an excellent baseball field, and three large theatres. Church membership over ten thousand. As a strategic point for the wholesaler Norfolk is unsurpassed and the business is doubling every few years. Norfolk offers to outsiders great opportunities for business success, a healthful climate, a cordial welcome from kindly people, and great educational advantages. At a conservative estimate Norfolk will double her population and triple her wealth in another decade. The Dickson Building 25 Public schools, with 215 teachei-s and 803.5 scholars. A new high school costing .$250,000. Aggregate of school prop- erty over $1,0000,000. To be classed among the greatei- seaports of the world is Norfolk's destiny; watch her grow! There are forty million people within a day's ride of Norfolk. Norfolk's banks show a capital and surplus of $6,863,665; deposits, $19,711,504; aggregate resources, $29,607,190.00. The population of the commimities lying on Hampton Roads is fuUy 175,000. Norfolk is the country's fourth cotton port. Annual shipments 500,000 bales, valued approximately at $27,600i000. Street mileage, 150; paved streets, 60 miles; sewers, 58 miles. 64 NORFOLK IN EPITOME The above figures, embodjing the sahent facts and statistics gath- ered from first sources and official records, will serve to indicate the im- mensity of the Norfolk of today, but representing as they do the figures of a city yet in its commercial infancy, they present an allurement for capital and an attraction for enterprise beyond any that the country has to offer. At a very conservative estimate every figure cited will be Citizens Bank Building doubled within the next ten years. For good and sufficient reasons the commercial importance of Norfolk is a subject of decided outside interest. So far back as 1907 the "Manufacturers Record" said: "Today, Norfolk is enjoying an expansion along every line which is without precedent and which exceeds the hopes of even the most optimistic of its citizens. This expansion cannot, in any sense of the word, be termed a boom or temporary in its character, but it is the result of an awakening of its citizens and the appreciation of outsiders of the splendid advantages and facilities which the city possesses." 65 NORFOLK A Classic City- Cf] [t] ft] C?3 [t] Ct] ( )T only is Norfolk historically renowned, bnt she is likewise historically classic by reason of the host of of eminent men of letters and achievements who have either lived or tarried awhile within her portals. Gen- erals, statesmen, writers, orators, and poets have dig- nified her soil and rendered her illustrious by their presence. Between the period of the Revolutionary and the Civil wars, the city of Norfolk was distinguished throughout the Nation for the culture, refinement, and intellectuality of its Ohef Sholom Hebrew Temple society. Very indifferent endeavors to treat this interesting subject have been made, but it will be found a generous field for the one who will turn it up. Few places, in so short a time as the period indi- cated, have produced such a multitude of eminent and distin- 67 giiished people as has this city. During thi^ period the name of Norfolk was better known to distinguished people of England and other European countries than that of any other American city. St. Mary's Catholic Church The list of eminent scholars, statesmen, and sol- diers who lived and labored here is large, and in proportion to- es the population it may be truthfully said, that rarely in modern times has such a brilliant galaxy of lofty intellect been crowded together in the same time and space. This enviable distinctionwaslargelyduetothepre- ponderatingly high quality of the early Virginian settlers whose first home was in this section. Transplanted from the milder and slower-maturing climate of the British Isles, Anglo-Saxon genius, subjected to the forcing power of a new soil and an im- petuous climate, flowered with prodigal luxuriance, culminating a few generations later in the world-renowned cluster of bril- liant names that center around the American Revolution. St. Paul's Episcopal Church Many of these distinguished men lived in Norfolk or had intimate relations with its society, and as like draws like, no distinguished visitor to America ever omitted Norfolk from his itinerary. It is not the purpose to dwell here upon this phase of the subject, beyond to point out to the modern visitor to Norfolk what may be for him a pleasant contemplation, that he is treading where Washington, LaFayette, Robert E. Lee, John Paul Jones, Admiral Farragut, Joseph E. Johnston, and 69 other great commanders have likewise trod ; and that he may enter portals where Thomas Jefferson, John Randolph Tucker, Lyttleton Tazewell, Jefferson Davis, Judah P. Benjamin, Mat- thew F. Maury and Robert IngersoU have likewise entered; and that the scenes about him have been sanctified by the pres- ence of poets, and that Thomas Moore, Edgar Allen Poe, Sid- ney Lanier, James Barron Hope, Father Ryan and John Boyle Freemason Street Baptist Church O'Reilly have in turn looked upon them. In fact it would be difificult to find among the great names of American history those who have not had relations with Norfolk or who did not either live or visit here. Indeed it seems that a pilgrimage to this city is the necessary finish to a national reputation, and only during the last few months Mark Twain has furnished an example of this somewhat strange coincidence. 70 R8 8 i 8 & NORFOLK AS A PLEASURE CITY |8 i7i THE SUN-RISE CITY BY THE SEA. HY should life all labor be?" asks the poet, and the average man will readily agree that it should not. Of the sum of life 66 2-3 per cent, should properly be accorded to rest, recreation and pleasure, and we should be satisfied with no less. It would be a dull man who could find life in Norfolk monotonous. As a pleasure city it would be difficult to name its superior, for it is a lively spot, dowered with a multitude of natural blessings affording every opportunity for the enjoyment of the fair and pleasant things of life. The section in which Norfolk is built is of penin- sular form, bounded l^y the waters of the magnificent Chesa- peake Bay and the Atlantic ocean, and shot through in every conceivable direction by the tributary streams of those great bodies. Rivers, lakes, lagoons, bays, sea and ocean, stand to the service of the pleasure seeker, offering the boundless op- portunities for healthful recreation and the varied delight of existence which the sea alone affords, of which bathing, boat- ing, fishing, exploring, under the azure dome of heaven with its unpolluted and limitless ocean of ozone, are features. Those who have once felt the mighty charm of the sea will heed no other call. It is the spell supreme, the spell that binds the soul t^ serenity, the spell that moves the larger sympathies of our nature, the spell that holds the heart in thrall to wonder, the eternal sea, of which the poet wrote : 'Time writes no wrinkles on thine azure brow. Such as Creation's dawn beheld thou rollest now." THE OCEAN SIDE. ASSING in or out of that great highway of commerce which lies between Cape Charles and Cape Henry, the eye of the traveler is invariably attracted by the sunny slopes and bright verdure which lies to the south. The scene presented is restful and beautiful in the extreme. Surrounded by a glittering beach on which the waves break in rythmic cadence ; washed on the north by the waters of the magnificent Chesapeake Bay, girt on the east by the stately billows of the solemn Atlantic, lies the point of land known as Cape Henry and which marks the commencement of the string of seaside resorts environing the city of Norfolk. This is the point of land upon which the eyes of the first Eng- lish colonists rested. This was their first glimpse of the great strange new continent and here they first set foot upon the shore of the new world. A bronze tablet set in the walls of the first but now obsolete lighthouse by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities reads as follows : NEAR THIS SPOT LANDED APRIL 26, 1607 Capt. Gabriel Archer Christopher Newport Hon. George S. Percy Bartholomew Gosnold Edward Maria Wingfield with twenty-five others who calling the place CAPE HENRY planted a cross APRIL 29, 1607 "DEI GRATIA VIRGINIA CONDITA." From the top of the new lighthouse, 165 feet high, and open to visitors, the view is surpassingly grand. One instinctively catches breath at first sight of the world of land and water spread out before the wondering gaze. To 72 those who love to sit and watch the ships go by, Cape Henry is a never-failing spot of interest. The enormous foreign com- merce of eight large cities passes in and out at this point, the government's signal ofifice located here reports from 75 to 100 vessels a day the year round. Every variety of steam and sail- Cape Henry Lighthouses The famous old Cape Henry Lighthouse, at the entrance of Chesapeake Bay, was erected in 1690 and was used about 290 years until the new Lighthouse nearby was built in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century ing vessel pass this way and nod their first salute or fling their last farewell at old Cape Henry. Eight miles down the coast, set broadly on the ocean, lies the famous Virginia Beach now rapidly nearing the dignity of cityhood, and at about the same distance on the Chesapeake shore is Ocean View, appropriately called "the Coney Island of the South." This whole coast section is replete with enchant- ing prospects and historical interests to vivify, inspire, enthuse the tourist, making him loath to leave and anxious to return. 73 CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. Norfolk is blessed by a charitable spirit among all classes of its citizens. In addition to the numerous societies and lodges which care for the families of their members, and the benevolent work of the many churches, there are some fif- teen institutions for the care of the aged and infirm and desti- tute, including orphan asylums, houses of refuge for old people, houses of protection for young girls, the almshouse, aiid two institutions at the seaside for infants and working women need- ing rest and recreation. The aggregation makes a splendid showing for a city of this size, of which the people of Norfolk may feel proud. MATERIAL ASSETS. Norfolk's largest material assets are her w^ater- works and system, than which few places can boast a better; her sewerage system ; her public schools, comprising many artistic and durable structures; her city hall and market, and her parks. The public utilities operated by private corpora- tions are under adequate municipal control and all such services are operated at the lowest cost and to the best interests of the public. NORFOLK'S NEWSPAPERS, AND PUBLICATIONS. Norfolk has three excellent daily newspapers, the Landmark, the Virginian-Pilot, and the Ledger-Dispatch, the latter an e\'ening journal. The L^nionist, the organ of the Labor interests of this section, is published weekly. The Galaxy Mag- azine published monthly. Three pul)lishing companies are prepared for the printing and exploitation of any form of literature, and some of the works turned out in this city are not excelled in substance and mechanical make-up by any house in the country. First- class printing establishments are numerous. 74 OLD POINT COMFORT. A delightful hour's ride from Norfolk across the picturesque harbor of Hampton Roads lands one at Old Point Comfort with its Fortress Monroe, that massive sentinel of the Chesapeake, the greatest of American fortifications. A regi- ment of Coast Artillery is constantly stationed at this fort, in- cluding one of the finest l)ands of music in the United States service. Dress parades, free to the pu1)lic. are held daily, and Chamberlaine Building, Plume and Granby Streets the military pageantry presented in the framing of the fortifi- cations, with its combination of land and sea-scapes, is worth crossing the continent to witness. During the summer months hundreds of Norfolk people attend these drills daily. 75 NORFOLK NAVY YARD. ^]HE Norfolk Navy Yard is situated about a mile from the center of the business district of the city, from which it may be reached in about twenty minutes. It has a water front of 3,800 feet and an area of about 300 acres. The navy yard proper includes three dry docks, the battleship moorings, the great shipbuilding and re- pairing plants, the historical park and parade ground, and the various offices and. residences of the officials, including the Ma- rine barracks. On the other side of the river is the St. Helena Reservation, comprising 91 acres with wharfage and basins and immense drill grounds for the landsmen apprentices who are here made into sailors for Uncle Sam's navy. Here are berthed the receiving ships Franklin and Richmond. The training station has constantly from one to two thousand apprentices under training. It is very rare that one or more of the larger battleships of the navy are not moored on the opposite side, and at such times the naval and military force of the post will be from three to five thousand men who spend their liberty periods in Norfolk. The sham battles, dress parades, and daily drills, are deeply interesting, and though but an incident in the life of the average Norfolkian, the grand combination is a constant source of delight and entertainment to the visitor. As we go to press with this work the daily newspapers announce that the government has plans in hand for the construction of an immense dry dock at this yard, a structure that will hold two of the largest battleships at once, and to cost in the neighbor- hood of eight to ten millions of dollars. This is but the com- mencement of a vast scheme of improvement contemplated by the government in the way of great fortifications to guard this, the recognized strategic naval post of the Atlantic coast. Vastly important, especially to the cities of the North, will be the inauguration and development of the govern- ment's plans to make the Norfolk Navy Yard the adequate and impregnable base of the nation's sea-power. 76 The Old U. S. S. 74-gun Frigate "Delaware" in Stone Dry Dock AT Norfolk Navy Yard, June, 1833 1 ; i , ^ m- 1 ~~ Infw 1 ^' ' _.;-^"'^^Siv* ■■ ^%^ . — ^ mtf^ [, ■ • - j^' ^|H^|h The New 20,000-ton Battleship "Delawarej" in New Dry Dock at THE Norfolk Navy 5fARD, June, 1910 THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP. AN'ithin a few hours' ride of Norfolk lies the famous Dismal Swamp, one of the great natural wonders of America. This remarkable tract of country, hundreds of square miles in extent, contains in its center the celebrated Lake Drummond, a fresh water body nearly circular in formation and fifteen miles in circumference. This lake was the inspiration of Moore's well-known poem. "The Lake of The Dismal Swamp.'' The Norfolk Country Club The somber fastnesses of this great swamp with its wild and tangled luxuriance of foliage and impenetrable ferns and mo- rasses, possesses a charm and fascination for every mood and temperament. As a source of wealth it is one of the greater resources of Norfolk. The portion reclaimed for agriculture is wonderfully productive, and railroads and canals have been constructed for the transportation of its great stores of timber 78 and other products to the Norfolk market. For the hunter, ang-ler, naturaHst or mere pleasure rambler no spot is more interesting or attractive than the great Dismal Swamp of Vir- ginia, practically at Norfolk's door. Paul-Gale-Greenwood Building In short a jaunt in any direction from the city of NIorfoIk lands one amid natural beauties of uncommon interest, and in this particular respect the city has no superior, if indeed an equal, ui)on the American Continent. As a pleasure city Norfolk, Virginia, leads all others. 79 SEP 30 iftU Distance, Time and Fares to Norfolk, Va., from Important Points in the United States Place Miles Asheville, N. C 457 Atlanta, Ga 595 Baltimore, Md 186 Boston, Mass 578 Bristol, Tenn 408 Charleston, S. C 391 Charlotte, N. C 350 Chattanooga, Tenn. 650 Chicago, 111 969 Cincinnati, 666 Columbia, S. C 432 Dallas. Texas 1,589 Danville, Va 205 Denver, Col 1,929 Detroit, Mich 806 Edenton, N. C 83 Eliz. City, N. C 53 Galveston, Texas. .1,483 Greensboro, N. C... 257 Hot Springs, Va... 293 Hot Springs, Ark... 1,212 Jacksonville, Fla. ... 578 Kansas City, Mo 1,255 Knoxville, Tenn 539 Lexington, Ky 648 Lexington, Va 280 Louisville, Ky 733 Hours Fare 16:00 $10.55 20:00 14.75 12:00 3.00 36:00 12.00 14:20 9.75 13:58 9.85 10:45 8.10 23:25 15.75 33:00 19.00 14:00 15.00 13:30 9.40 56:00 33.80 8:00 5.20 68:50 39.85 32:50 16.25 2:25 2.10 1:25 1.35 48:45 35.25 11:00 5.75 14:50 6.30 43:00 26.45 21:00 17.85 47:00 26.45 18:45 13.45 24:00 15.50 10:20 6.25 27:00 17.00 Place Miles Hours Fare Lynchburg, Va 204 6:45 5.00 Memphis, Tenn 960 36:00 22.50 Mobile, Ala 955 31:25 24.70 Montgomery, Ala... 775 25:00 20.00 Nashville, Tenn 846 29:25 18.00 Natural Bridge, Va. 264 9:20 6.45 New Orleans, La.. ..1,071 34:45 26.50 New York, N. Y... 345 14:00 7.65 Newport News, Va. 18 1:00 .25 Old Point, Va 12 1:00 .25 Ocean View, Va... 7 :20 .10 Petersburg, Va 82 1:55 1.95 Philadelphia, Pa 255 11:00 5 40 Pittsburg, Pa. 480 24:00 11.00 Richmond, Va 104 2:20 2.15 Roanoke, Va 257 8:35 5 95 Raleigh, N. C 176 6:30 4.35 Savannah, Ga 506 15:45 13.45 St. Augustine, Fla. 714 22:10 19.10 Staunton, Va 216 11:00 6.85 St. Louis, Mo 1,007 34:00 21.00 Suffolk, Va 20 :30 .40 Va. Beach, Va 18 :45 .25 Washington, D. C. 210 12:0(i 3.00 W. S. Spgs., W. Va. 312 10:45 7.00 Wilmington, N. C... 245 10:00 6.75 THE AGENCIES WHICH BUILD CITIES. CITIES OWE THEIR GROWTH AND GREATNESS TO ONE, OR SEVERAL, OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: 1ST, STRATEGIC POSITION IN THE GREAT COMMERCIAL ZONE, CREATING A NATURAL CLEARING HOUSE OF COMMERCE, BY LAND, OR WATER, OR BOTH. 2nd. a RICH AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT. 3rd. MANUFACTORIES EXISTING BY REASON OF ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER PLACES. 4th. UNUSUAL EXCELLENCE OF CLIMATE WITH COMPLETE FREEDOM FROM NATURAL CATACLYSMS, STORMS AND PESTILENCES. 5th. natural BEAUTY OF ENVIRONMENT, OFFERING SURPASSING OPPOR TUNITIES FOR HEALTH, PLEASURE AND HOME-BUILDING. Ally one of these items is suffitieiit to create a great and prosperous city and the map is full of jjlaces which exist solely by virtue of posses- sion of one or more of them. Some few fortunate places possess the com- bination and these ure invariably listed among the great cities of the world. The entire number in the highest measure of superiority may unquestionably be credited to the city of Norfolk. UNLESS ALL SIGNS FAIL, BY I9I5 NORFOLK WILL BE A SPLENDID CITY WITH A QUARTER OF A MILLION INHABITANTS, AND THIS ACCRESCENCE WILL EMBODY NO SPASMODIC GROWTH, BOOM OR INFLATION, BUT WILL REPRESENT THE SAFE, SANE AND LEGITIMATE ADVANCEMENT OF A CITY MARCHING WITH GIANT STRIDES TO TAKE ITS PLACE AMONG THE GREATER MUNICIPALITIES OF THE NATION. 80 LbAp'l2 \