Harbor Homes and Dickerson Courts and Their Demolition

Why this Information Is Important: Residents of Harbor Homes and Dickerson Courts experienced severe coal dust impacts and fought against this pollution before the apartment buildings were torn down. Their efforts, especially the activism of Mrs. Gloria Tabb in the 1980s, helped push for the water‑spray system used today. Their story shows how community action can lead to real change. It also gives today's activists helpful examples of how to organize, speak up, and work together. This history can guide future policy by showing what has worked, what has not, and what kinds of protections and solutions communities should demand moving forward. Attention: Residents, activists and advocates, researchers, policymakers See the highlights before jumping in. Hide Highlights

Listen Lawrence Turner, Resident and Youth Football Coach, describes visiting his aunt's home in Harbor Homes as a child. He saw coal dust there without knowing what it was at the time. Want to hear more? The full interview and transcript and many more interviews are available: Interviews and Oral Histories Interviews and Oral Histories

History and Activism

Harbor Homes and Dickerson Courts were apartment buildings constructed in the 1940s and 1950s and located between Jefferson and Terminal Avenues close to the coal export terminals in Southeast Newport News. The residences were demolished beginning in 2010. Newport News City Council subsequently rezoned the land under Harbor Homes as M2 Heavy Industrial and under Dickerson Courts as M1 Light Industrial.

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  Image: Stephanie Smith and Mrs. Tabb stand while Ms. Tolliver goes over a draft letter to Virginia Governor Charles Robb concerning coal dust pollution, May 24, 1984.

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  Image: Stephanie Smith and Mrs. Tabb stand while Ms. Tolliver goes over a draft letter to Virginia Governor Charles Robb concerning coal dust pollution, May 24, 1984.

The Harbor Homes land was sold to S23 Holdings for a ship repair business and the Dickerson Courts land was sold to IndieDwell for emergency housing unit assembly. During public comment, residents of nearby homes reiterated concerns about coal dust pollution and expressed worries that pollution from any new industrial facilities at these locations would worsen local air quality burdens.

Mrs. Gloria Tabb, President of the Tenants Council of Dickerson Courts and Harbor Homes led activism against coal dust pollution. Mrs. Tabb filed a complaint with the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board (APCB) concerning coal dust on May 9, 1983 and wrote a letter to the APCB on October 11, 1983 that received a reply from Region VI Director Ramon Minx. Former residents of Harbor Homes and Dickerson Courts have described coal dust pollution as a severe and persistent problem, with many people reporting the kinds of health impacts that are associated with particulate matter and coal dust exposures.

While there is no record in government documents or official statements, although some have eluded to it, many former residents of Harbor Homes and Dickerson Courts maintain that the apartments were demolished at least in part because of the impacts of coal dust on health and quality of life of residents.

"[Harbor Homes and Dickerson Courts were] old. It could not be rebuilt. And because of the proximity to—I'm not going to say proximity to the coal yard, but people did not like being that close to the coal yard. And we didn't like people being that close to the coal yard."
—Sheila McAllister, Director of City Planning for the City of Newport News, Interviewed by Adrian Wood in Crosswinds

In 2011, a Newport News City Council work session agenda said their current land-use map recommended commercial development on the Harbor Homes and Dickerson Courts land "because of its location adjacent to I-664, the coal terminals and access to the I-664 on/off ramp."

Resources and Materials: See for Yourself and Dig Deeper

Media

Matthews, Coal Dust Unsettles Residents: Tenants Group Write Governor, Daily Press, May 24, 1984

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NN-Owned Housing Closer to Demolition, The Virginian-Pilot, May 19, 2007

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City Completes Demolition of 1950s-Era Public Housing Project, Daily Press, January 27, 2011

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Public Housing Reducing Its Footprint on the Peninsula, The Virginian-Pilot, October 22, 2011

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Thayer, Letter to the Editor, Daily Press, June 5, 2015

"I have lived in the Southeast Community of Newport News for 14 years. My family lived in Harbor Homes for 10 years before is was torn down. It was difficulty dealing with the coal dust coming in my windows constantly, and I wondered how it would affect my then-teenage daughter. We have moved to Ridley Circle (only a block away) and while the coal dust is not as visible, we know it is still there. I have been working with the Southeast CARE Coalition for a few months, doing whatever I can to help our neighborhood. I hope Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward and the Department of Environmental Quality Director David Taylor will become involved in making our neighborhood a better lace to live. Thank you for publishing articles about our dilemmas. Maybe making the problems more well known will encourage more of my neighbors to get involved."
—Thayer's Letter to the Editor, June 5, 2015

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Clift, Candidates Address Environmental Issues, Daily Press, April 14, 2016

"We're not going to advocate for more housing in that area because it has not been the safest thing for our community."
—Tina Vick, Newport News City Council Member, April 14, 2016

Resident Complaints and Response

Complaint from Ms. Gerline Avston (Massey Terminal), Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board, May 9, 1983

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Complaint from Mrs. Gloria Tabb (Massey Terminal), Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board, May 9, 1983

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Complaint from Ms. Maurice Cary (Massey Terminal), Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board, May 9, 1983

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Letter from Ramon Minx (APCB) to Mrs. Gloria Tabb, Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board, October 11, 1983

Municipal Documents

Work Session Agenda, Newport News City Council, September 27, 2011

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Newport News Zoning Map, 2016

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City Planning Commission Meeting Minutes, City of Newport News, May 2, 2018

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City Planning Commission Meeting Minutes, City of Newport News, January 6, 2021

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Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting, City of Newport News, June 15, 2021

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City Planning Commission Meeting Minutes, City of Newport News, November 3, 2021

Interviews Referencing Harbor Homes, Dickerson Courts, and Their Demolition

Donquitta Clements, Southeast Newport News Resident and Community Organizer, June 28, 2023

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Sheila McAllister, City of Newport News Director of Planning, November 14, 2023

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Yugonda Sample-Jones, Southeast Newport News Resident and Community Organizer, February 27, 2024

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Lawrence Turner, Southeast Newport News Resident and Community Organizer, July 7, 2023

Visit Next

Local Air Monitoring

Interviews and Oral Histories

Local Air Monitoring

Oral Histories

The Front Porch and Community Action

Have a question? Want to start a conversation or share an observation? Join the discussion: Front Porch

Did you live in Harbor Homes or Dickerson Courts, and do you have memories you would like to share? Do you have photographs or stories to add to this page? Add Your Voice

You can also email the Repair Lab at editor@voicesinthedust.org or call, text, or send a voice memo to (757) 317-0356. If you prefer, a Repair Lab team member can record your story in person or collect physical materials to digitize and then return them to you.

About the Audio on this Page

You are listening to Southeast Newport News resident and youth football coach Lawrence Turner. The interviewer is the Repair Lab's Adrian Wood on July 7, 2023.

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Lawrence Turner, Resident and Youth Football Coach, Interview Audio | Transcript, July 7, 2023

https://voicesinthedust.org/images/a/a9/Lawrenceturner-shower.mp3

Sources