Hampton Virginia History

The City of Hampton, located on the southern end of the peninsular on Chesapeake Bay, is the oldest continuously settled English community in the United States. Originally an Indian village called Kecoughtan, English colonists landed here first before sailing up the James River to establish Jamestown. Fort Henry and Fort Charles were built in 1610, and the community was called Elizabeth City; however, it became known as Hampton from 1680 on. In 1819 Fort Monroe was built, the only fort in the United States with a moat round it. Hampton was incorporated in 1849. The first free public schools in the United States were founded in Hampton, and Hampton University was established in 1868 to educate freed slaves. The famous battle between the first ironclad battleships, the Monitor and the Merrimac, was fought just offshore. During the Civil War, residents of the city burned it down rather than surrender to Federalist troops. Hampton has attracted not only Fortune 500 industries that have established corporate offices, but almost 500,000 visitors each year who enjoy the city’s historic charm and attractions. As the city's logo and slogan, “Hampton, America's First” states, one of the city’s several “firsts” includes America's first training ground for NASA’s astronauts.