Welcome To The Norfolk Historical Society

Norfolk Historical Society is pleased to announce the creation of a PayPal account to help fund the second phase of a new initiative launched in January – an internship program in partnership with the Department of History at Old Dominion University.

For the Spring 2023 academic semester, we sponsored two ODU graduate students – Gillian Hardy and Bennett White – who completed their research projects in the Sargeant Memorial Collection’s local history archives at Slover Library. 

Ms. Hardy researched Norfolk's role in the Domestic Slave Trade during the 19^th century and presented her findings in A Walking Tour for the Domestic Slave Trade in Norfolk, Virginia. Mr. White delved into the records of the Union League Club of Portsmouth for his paper, For Cause and Country: Southern Unionists in Hampton Roads, a look at local social and political life under Union occupation during the American Civil War. The students presented the results of their completed research at our annual meeting on 17 May. 

We have identified two students for sponsorship during the Fall 2023 semester. One will research Civil War-period diaries from Hampton Roads. The other will research Japanese internees from the area during World War II – including biographical information, where they were interned and what became of them after war’s end. 

We invite you to consider supporting the intern program financially at whatever level – large or small – works best for you. Go to www.norfolkhistoricalsociety.wildapricot.org to donate. If you prefer to pay by check, make your check payable to Norfolk Historical Society, note “Internship Program” on the memo line and mail to Norfolk Historical Society / P.O. Box 6367 / Norfolk VA 23508-0367. We thank you for your support.