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AHistory
History · Hampton

Hampton dates to 1610, and 31 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #23 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

Most of Hampton was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. 31 places in town are on the National Register, among them 7 National Historic Landmarks and ten historic districts with 2,939 buildings between them. Below: 19 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.

1610founded
31on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
19old photos & papers
58famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hampton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hampton began

When was Hampton founded?

1610

Hampton dates its founding to 1610 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 787 in 18502020 census: 137,148416 years

How historic is Hampton?

A

More historic than 86% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1774.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hampton’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hampton is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #23 of 253 in Virginia. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hampton’s overall grade.
Founding era1610, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19406.5% of homes (±0.8) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register31 listings, 2,956 historic buildings, 215 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 86%
NewerOlder
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 91%

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Hampton ranks #95 on History.

Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hampton’s 215 sits above most of its state (79% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 2,956 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1610.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Hampton’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A National Historic Landmark31 places on the National Register, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks.A historic districtThe Old Wythe Historic District takes in 2,076 historic buildings.Older than the countryEstablished in 1610, 166 years before the Declaration of Independence.Lost villages6 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Hampton, and 66 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

31 listings protect 2,956 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 7 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier.

places listed
31
National Historic Landmarks
7
Fort Monroe
historic buildings protected
2,956
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Fort Monroe
Fort Wool, built 1818St. John's ChurchHerbert HouseOld Point Comfort Lighthouse, built 1803William H. Trusty HouseLittle England ChapelReuben Clark HouseVictoria Boulevard Historic DistrictBuckroe Beach CarouselAberdeen GardensHampton National Cemetery, built 1862Greenlawn CemeteryScott HouseThimble Shoal Light Station, built 1872Phoebus Historic DistrictChamberlin HotelHampton City Hall, built 1939Hampton Downtown Historic DistrictChapel of the Centurion, built 1856Quarters 1NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Historic District, built 1917Pasture Point Historic DistrictOld Wythe Historic DistrictHampton National Guard ArmoryFort Monroe, built 1834★Eight-Foot High Speed Tunnel, built 1936★Full Scale Tunnel, built 1929★Lunar Landing Research Facility, built 1965★Rendezvous Docking Simulator★Variable Density Tunnel, built 1921★Hampton Institute★
BuildingsDistrictsSitesStructuresObjects★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne6
Colonial Revival5
Beaux Arts3
Art Deco3
Fortress2
Italianate2
★ Landmark
Fort MonroeFortress · Built 1834
★ Landmark
Eight-Foot High Speed TunnelBuilt 1936
★ Landmark
Full Scale TunnelBuilt 1929
★ Landmark
Lunar Landing Research FacilityBuilt 1965
★ Landmark
Rendezvous Docking SimulatorObject
★ Landmark
Variable Density TunnelBuilt 1921
Fort WoolFortress · Built 1818
St. John's ChurchBuilding
All 31 listings
Herbert HouseBuilding · listed 1972Old Point Comfort LighthouseBuilding · listed 1973William H. Trusty HouseBuilding · listed 1979Little England ChapelBuilding · listed 1982Reuben Clark HouseBuilding · listed 1984Victoria Boulevard Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984Buckroe Beach CarouselStructure · listed 1992Aberdeen GardensDistrict · listed 1994Hampton National CemeterySite · listed 1996Greenlawn CemeterySite · listed 1999Scott HouseBuilding · listed 1999Thimble Shoal Light StationStructure · listed 2002Phoebus Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2006Chamberlin HotelBuilding · listed 2007Hampton City HallBuilding · listed 2007Hampton Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2010Chapel of the CenturionBuilding · listed 2011Quarters 1Building · listed 2011NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2012Pasture Point Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2012Old Wythe Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2012Hampton National Guard ArmoryBuilding · listed 2016Hampton InstituteDistrict · listed 1969

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Timeline

Hampton, 1610 to 1975

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 17th century
  2. 1610
    FoundingHampton is established
  3. 18th century
  4. 1774Post officeThe Hampton post office opens
  5. 19th century
  6. 1824Post officeThe Old Point Comfort post office opens
  7. 1834BuiltFort Monroe is built
  8. 1836Post officeThe Kecoughton post office opens
  9. 1861In the archiveUnion Army hospitals between Fortress Monroe and Hampton, Virginia
  10. 1880Post officeThe Old Point Comfort post office closes
  11. 20th century
  12. 1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1921Born hereMary Jackson is born here
  14. 1929BuiltFull Scale Tunnel is built
  15. 1936BuiltEight-Foot High Speed Tunnel is built
  16. 1955Post officeThe Kecoughton post office closes
  17. 1960LandmarkFort Monroe named a National Historic Landmark
  18. 1965BuiltLunar Landing Research Facility is built
  19. 1965Born hereRobert Satcher is born here
  20. 1969Born hereMargot Lee Shetterly is born here
  21. 1974LandmarkHampton Institute named a National Historic Landmark
  22. 1975Born hereAllen Iverson is born here
The story

How Hampton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hampton.

Read it all →

Indigenous people settled in present-day Hampton before 10,000 BCE. In the early 1600s, the Tidewater region was populated by the Algonquian peoples who called the lands Tsenacommacah. The Powhatan Confederacy was made up of over 30 tribes numbering an estimated 25,000 people before the arrival of English colonists.

In December 1606, three ships carrying men and boys left England on a mission sponsored by a proprietary company. Led by Captain Christopher Newport, they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to North America. After a long voyage, they first landed at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay on the south shore at a place they named Cape Henry (for Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the elder son of their king).

ChaptersColonial historyPost-colonial historyModern military history

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Hampton in 1922

Passages that mention Hampton, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Hampton in the Revolution At the time of the American Revolution the population of Hampton was probably about one thousand people. There, as elsewhere, the spirit of patriotic resistance had its home, and the following gentlemen chosen 23 of November, 1775, constituted the Committee of Safety for E…
History of Hampton and Elizabeth City County, Virginia1922Read the page →
Read the text

Hampton in the Revolution At the time of the American Revolution the population of Hampton was probably about one thousand people. There, as elsewhere, the spirit of patriotic resistance had its home, and the following gentlemen chosen 23 of November, 1775, constituted the Committee of Safety for Elizabeth City and the town of Hampton: William Roscow Wilson Curie, Chairman, John Tabb, George Wray, John

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Captain Squires, however, did not relinquish his desire for revenge, and on October 24 appeared in Hampton River with six armed tenders sent by Dunmore, and a message was received at Hampton that he would that day land and burn the town. The Virginia troops, who were then in the vicinity, consistin…
History of Hampton and Elizabeth City County, Virginia1922Read the page →
Read the text

Captain Squires, however, did not relinquish his desire for revenge, and on October 24 appeared in Hampton River with six armed tenders sent by Dunmore, and a message was received at Hampton that he would that day land and burn the town. The Virginia troops, who were then in the vicinity, consisting of a company of regulars under Captain George Nicholas, a company of minute men, and a small body of militia, made the best disposition they could to pre-

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Hampton, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s19 items
Union Army hospitals between Fortress Monroe and Hampton, Virginia1861Union Army hospitals between Fortress Monroe and Hamp…Union Army hospitals between Fortress Monroe and Hampton, Virginia1861Union Army hospitals between Fortress Monroe and Hamp…Ruins at Hampton, Virginia showing chimneys, and man standing1861Ruins at Hampton, Virginia showing chimneys, and man …Union Army hospitals between Fortress Monroe and Hampton, Virginia1861Union Army hospitals between Fortress Monroe and Hamp…Churchyard at1862Churchyard atRuins of old brick church, Hampton, Va. The oldest church in America1862Ruins of old brick church, Hampton, Va. The oldest ch…Ruins of old brick church, Hampton, Va. The oldest church in America1862Ruins of old brick church, Hampton, Va. The oldest ch…Ruins of old brick church, Hampton, Va. The oldest church in America1862Ruins of old brick church, Hampton, Va. The oldest ch…Ruins of old brick church, Hampton, Va. The oldest church in America1862Ruins of old brick church, Hampton, Va. The oldest ch…The great expedition- the vessels at anchor at Hampton Roads, from the top of the Hygeia Hotel, Old Point Comfort, Va1862The great expedition- the vessels at anchor at Hampto…The great expedition- the vessels at anchor at Hampton Roads, from the top of the Hygeia Hotel, Old Point Comfort, Va1862The great expedition- the vessels at anchor at Hampto…The great expedition- the vessels at anchor at Hampton Roads, from the top of the Hygeia Hotel, Old Point Comfort, Va1862The great expedition- the vessels at anchor at Hampto…The great expedition- the vessels at anchor at Hampton Roads, from the top of the Hygeia Hotel, Old Point Comfort, Va1862The great expedition- the vessels at anchor at Hampto…Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries- Volume 19, page 80, March 25, 18621862Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries- Volume 19, page 80, March…The Old Hampton Church, at Hampton, Virginia1862The Old Hampton Church, at Hampton, VirginiaGraveyard at St. John's Episcopal Church1862Graveyard at St. John's Episcopal ChurchChesapeake General Hospital, formerly Chesapeake Female Seminary1862Chesapeake General Hospital, formerly Chesapeake Fema…Chesapeake Hospital1864Chesapeake HospitalSouth-to-North-POW-Richland-to-Mass'18641864South-to-North-POW-Richland-to-Mass'1864
On the map

Hampton on the map, 1907 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hampton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hampton on the 1907 USGS mapHampton on the 1944 USGS mapHampton on the 1955 USGS mapHampton on the 1965 USGS mapHampton on the 1970 USGS mapHampton on the 1980 USGS map1907Hampton sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hampton.

Every building

Hampton, building by building, 1885–1916

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Hampton fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 5
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Union Army hospitals between Fortress Monroe and Hampton, Virginia
Retake this viewUnion Army hospitals between Fortress Monroe and Hampton, Virginia, 1861

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hampton’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Hampton, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,000100,000120,000140,000160,0001850190019502000Peak: 146,437

Between 787 and 146,437 people in every census since 1850.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hampton’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

58 famous people were born in Hampton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Allen IversonAmerican basketball player · b. 1975
Mary JacksonAmerican mathematician and aerospace engineer · b. 1921
Robert SatcherAmerican astronaut and orthopedic surgeon · b. 1965
M
Margot Lee ShetterlyAmerican nonfiction writer · b. 1969
Steve CardenasAmerican martial artist · b. 1974
Chris DurkinAmerican soccer player · b. 2000
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Hampton’s post office has been open since 1774. Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hampton
1774–today
Old Point Comfort
1824–1880
Kecoughton
1836–1955
Phoebus
1885–1953
Rip Raps
1892–1916
Buckroe Beach
1905–1953
Fort Monroe
1941–1972
17701900today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Aberdeen GardensArmistead HeightsArmstrong GardensBack RiverBellview TerraceBig BethelBloxom Trailer CourtBloxoms CornerBuckroe BeachBuckroe GardensBuckroe Mobile Home ParkCarver CourtCedar ParkChapel VillageCherry AcresChesapeake HeightsClarkdaleDebman's Mobile Home ParkDrummonds CornerEast HamptonEdgewaterElizabeth Lake EstatesElmwood Mobile Home ParkFairview Farms
Gone or out of use
Back River LighthouselocaleBattery AndersonmilitaryBattery BarbermilitaryBattery BomfordmilitaryBattery ChurchmilitaryBattery ClaibornemilitaryBattery De RussymilitaryBattery DyermilitaryBattery EustismilitaryBattery GatesmilitaryBattery HindmanmilitaryBattery IrwinmilitaryBattery LeemilitaryBattery MontgomerymilitaryBattery ParrottmilitaryBattery RugglesmilitaryCharles H Taylor Memorial LibrarybuildingElizabeth City County Courthousebuilding
17cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hampton
BarnesBassetBethel AME ChurchClarkEbenezerElmertonGreenlawnHampton NationalHampton National Cemetery (VAMC)Hampton Veterans Memorial ParkHebrewLincoln ParkMount OliveOaklandParklawn MemorialPleasantSaint John's

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Hampton’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewUnion Army hospitals between Fortress M…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Newport News31 historic placesB−PoquosonIts storyBBethel ManorIts storyDNorfolk66 historic placesAPortsmouth23 historic placesA

Questions about Hampton’s history

What year was Hampton founded?

In 1610, according to Wikidata. Hampton’s post office opened in 1774, and the census of 1850 counted 787 people here.

How does Hampton rank for history?

Hampton is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #23 of 253 in Virginia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Hampton?

31 listings, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks: 12 buildings, 10 historic districts with 2,939 contributing buildings, 2 sites, 6 structures, and 1 object. 2,956 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Hampton?

7% of Hampton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1974.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the Library of Congress (7), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (31), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.