Lambert's Point, Norfolk
Location and History
Lambert's Point is one of the oldest neighborhoods and industrial areas in Norfolk, Virginia. Lambert's Point is situated along the southern shore of the Elizabeth River and has deep-water port facilities.
Named for Thomas Lambert, who patented 100 acres there in 1635,[1] the neighborhood began as a town for railroad workers.[2] In 1883, the first trainload of coal arrived in Norfolk from the Pocahontas Coalfield in West Virginia,[3] and coal quickly replaced cotton as the city's main export. At the time, the Norfolk & Western Railroad piers were located in downtown Norfolk on the Elizabeth River waterfront. Because more space was needed to handle the growing shipments of coal, Norfolk & Western expanded into Lambert's Point in 1886.
By 1900, the Norfolk & Western Terminal had become the top coal-exporting port on the East Coast.[4] In 1911, Lambert's Point officially became part of the City of Norfolk.[5] The neighborhood was one of the first in Norfolk where Black residents could buy homes.[6]
Old Dominion University Expansion and Neighborhood Destruction
In the 1960s and 70s, Old Dominion University (ODU) bulldozed parts of Lambert’s Point to expand their campus causing the neighborhood to shrink in size and forcing many long term residents to move away.[7] This was despite the fact that Lambert's Point was a middle-class neighborhood with a “thriving business sector” and many homeowners.[8] This is part of a long, racist history of Virginia's public universities displacing Black residents.[7]
Today
Lambert's Point is a predominantly African American neighborhood[9] with a strong sense of community. The typical household earns around $42,000 a year, which is less than the citywide median household income in Norfolk ($64,017).[10] The Norfolk & Western Terminal, now the Norfolk Southern Terminal, remains a feature of life in Lambert's Point, with its operations continuing to influence the local economy, the ambient noise of trains screeching slowly along the tracks, and the distinctive black coal dust residues that commonly mar the outside surfaces of buildings.
Historical Records
Mapping Lambert's Point
In 2016, a group of undergraduate and graduate students from ODU interviewed residents who grew up in Lambert’s Point during the 1950s and 1960s to learn about how the neighborhood has changed over time. The students also gathered historical accounts of life in the neighborhood from the early 20th century in the Norfolk Journal and Guide. This archive is available to the public on Mapping Lambert's Point, featuring transcribed interviews and photographs that highlight residents's stories and mapped to the places that shaped their experiences in the neighborhood.[11]
Coal Dust Activism in the Lambert's Point Community
Residents of Lambert's Point have raised concerns about coal dust pollution from the the Norfolk Southern Terminal for decades. The neighborhood is also subjected to air pollution and traffic nuisance from heavy duty-diesel truck traffic along Hampton Boulevard, which boarders Lambert's Point to the east and is one of the main truck routes servicing the Port of Virginia.[12]
There are records of community activism around the coal dust issue dating back to the 1970s, when neighborhood groups began organizing to demand stronger environmental protections and monitoring.[13]
Organizations such as the Sierra Club, New Virginia Majority, and local community associations have periodically partnered to amplify residents’ voices.
Documents
- Lazo et al., Community Perceptions, Rnvironmental Impacts, and Energy Policy: Rail Shipment of Coal, Energy Policy, 24, 6, 531–540, 1996
- McPhillips, Lambert’s Point, Norfolk Public Library, 2013
- Evoqua Water Technologies, ETS-UV Disinfection, 2017
- U.S. Census Bureau, Census Tract 25, Norfolk, VA. American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Census Reporter Profile, 2023
References
- ↑ Citation. Is there a map to go along with this?
- ↑ Cite the census records you mentioned (now deleted) here
- ↑ Citation
- ↑ Citation
- ↑ McPhillips, Lambert's Point, Norfolk Public Library, 2013.
- ↑ Need citation
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hansen, Virginia's Public Universities Have a Long History of Displacing Black Residents, ProPublica, September 11, 2023.
- ↑ Citation
- ↑ Recent census as a citation?
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, Census Tract 25, Norfolk, Virginia, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Census Reporter Profile, 2023.
- ↑ Vera, ODU Looks to Shed Light on "Neighborhood without a Voice,” The Virginian Pilot, September 20, 2016.
- ↑ Murphy, Historically Black Neighborhoods in Norfolk, Newport News Will Get Air Quality Monitoring, WHRO Public Media, WHRO, September 2, 2022.
- ↑ Citation needed. This should be specific and cite the specific records