The history of the Revolution can be felt everywhere in Virginia, from the mountains to the beaches. Learn about the American Revolution and Independence and how Virginia helped shape our nation at these attractions and museums.
1762 Historic Trinity Episcopal ChurchTen years after Col. William Craford laid out the town in 1752, Portsmouth Parish was built on Church Square. Portsmouth Parish served as the first Church of England for Norfolk County and was re-named Trinity Episcopal after the revolution. Brimming... Read More
1772 Historic Emanuel AMEFounded in 1772, three years before the American Revolution as the African Methodist Society, Emanuel AME is the oldest African-American church in the area. The congregation shared several locations with the (White) Methodist Society before becoming ... Read More
1820 Historic Hill House MuseumImagine a family went for an afternoon stroll and never returned home... This is what it feels like in The Hill House Museum, a historic home in Portsmouth, Virginia furnished entirely with family belongings from the 19th and 20th centuries, colle... Read More
1832 Cedar Grove CemeteryWith more than 400 graves and monuments dating from the late 1700s to the present, Cedar Grove was established as the first city-owned cemetery in Portsmouth and remains its oldest. Its memorial markers include small tablets, ledger stones, obelisks... Read More
Cradock Historic DistrictThe Cradock neighborhood was built in 1918 and named in honor of British Rear Admiral Sir Christopher G. F. W. Cradock whose fleet was sunk by the German Navy in 1914. It was built on a 310-acre tract, formerly known as Afton Farm, three miles south ... Read More
Nivison-Ball HouseThis house was originally located on Crawford and had to be moved when a railroad track was being laid. It was previously thought that the house was built around 1784 but research now shows that it was built closer to 1754. During the War of 1812 it ... Read More
The Pass HouseBuilt in 1841, it was used by the Union forces during the Civil War as the Federal Adjutant General's Office. It received its name because passes, which were required to leave Portsmouth, were issued here.... Read More
Watts HouseColonel Dempsey Watts built this house in 1799. It was originally constructed on a hill between Dinwiddie and Washington but moved to its present location in 1808. Congressman Henry Clay, Chief Blackhawk, and and President Andrew Jackson have all bee... Read More