During the Great War, the American youth was fascinated with the idea of serving one's country. So much in so, that thousands of young men lied about their age to serve. William Augustus Stuart however, was the complete opposite. William Stuart served in the United States Navy at the tender age of 43 years old.
This marks the 1920 address of John Webb Johnson. Johnson was an African American who served with distinction in the US Army Medical Corps in France in World War 1. Johnson saw extensive action evacuating front line casualties.
During a time of racism and prejudice, African American enlisted to fight during World War One. Paul Washington Alexander, of Norfolk, Virginia was a member of the United States army during the Great War. Although, Paul Washington had limited education and faced many prejudices during his life, he still embodied the feeling of patriotism and fought during the war. "My attitude was patriotic and I felt that my call to the war was a blessing from God to give me a chance to serve my government and country in its greatest crisis".
Dudley Allen Payton was an African American man who joined the US Navy in 1913 at the age of 18. His job options in the navy were severely limited by the color of his skin, so he was assigned as a ward room steward. The ship he was serving on in 1917 was the USS Scorpion. The ship, along with its crew, were interned by the Turks when the US declared war.
This location is now the parking lot next to The First Baptist Church. It is now the Brambleton Lot. It is right across the street from the Norfolk Scope. It is also just down the street from Chrysler Hall The address use to be the address of James Coleman.
The Freemason st Church is near the 1920 address of World War 1 veteran Edward Daniel Edgar. Edgar Resided at 262 W Brown St, a residential area that has since been bulldozed to make room for much of Downtown Norfolk.
Norfolk native and Post Office Department employee, Wyckham Langley Tyler, who worked at this address, was an African American serviceman with the 369th Infantry Regiment 93rd U.S. Infantry Division, known as the Harlem Hellfighters. Designated a Supply Sergeant, Tyler nevertheless "took charge of company in absence of officers and led to a position of resistance." His action brought Tyler a citation by the Regiment Commander and a field commission to 2nd lieutenant in France on September 27th, 1918. With his new commission, Tyler was transferred to Co. A 370th Infantry Regiment 93rd Division.
The MacArthur Memorial Museum preserves the memory of the life and military career of former US General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. It also pays tribute to the personnel that served with him in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. The museum features a variety of MacArthur's belongings from military artifacts and documents to photographs and paintings. The Memorial also features a theater, exhibit galleries and a historical research center.
Every belligerent nation in World War I was in desperate need of ambulance drivers to care for the wounded. Richard Baker was one of those American drivers who volunteered to put himself in harm's way for the good of others. In his time on the front line, he would receive the French Award Croix de Guerre, which was the highest honor given to a soldier of an ally of France. He received this for his outstanding work in the trenches to save lives.
The U.S. Naval Reserve Force was created on August 29th, 1916 to answer the naval demands of looming American entry into the First World War. Over the course of the War, the number of enlisted men swelled from 8,000 to over 250,000. The establishment of Norfolk as a military hub during the War ensured the enlistment of men from this area. Norfolk residents Stephen Konstovich and Aubrey Luther Lamb, who lived at this address, served in the Naval Reserve onboard the U.S.S. Cyclops. They were both among the 309 men that lost their lives when the ship mysteriously disappeared near Bermuda in March of 1916. Despite exhaustive search efforts, no debris or evidence of any kind was ever found, sparking rumors and controversies related to the "Bermuda Triangle."
There is no longer a house at this location. This location is now the Blocker Norfolk Family YMCA. It is located at 324 West Bute Street Norfolk Virginia. It is across the street from Omar’s Carriage House. This location use to be the residence of Albert Sidney Johnson Tubb.
Nurses were integral to the advancing medical care during World War I. Sarah Leigh Hospital was built in 1902 on Mowbray Arch in the Hague District. St. Vincent de Paul Hospital, originally located on Church and Wood Streets, was established in the home of a patient, Miss Ann Plume Behan Herron, who willed the house for the creation of a hospital in 1855. They both served as nurse's training schools locally and for the Red Cross, the U.S. Army, and the Naval Reserve during the War.
This home that is located on 412 Pembroke Avenue, Norfolk, VA was built in 1888. The house has 7 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The home has 3,393 square feet. The home was once the residence of Lawrence Butler Wales.
The house that is located 530 Pembroke Ave. Norfolk Virginia was built in 1895. The house has 6 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms. The house has 6,182 square feet. The house was once the residence of Robert Baylor Tunstall.
Norfolk native and VMI graduate Charles Antonio Etheridge served with great distinction with the US Marines in the Great War. Etheridge would be promoted twice in two days due to the severe casualties Marines sustained on the Western Front. He would be sited for exceptional bravery at the battle of Bellau Wood, earning the Silver Star for bravery and contributing to the fierceness that earned Marines the "Devil Dog" nickname from German troops. Etheridge's family home at 811 Colonial Ave still stands today.
World War One allowed opportunities for individuals that in some cases may not have had any. However, World War One also gave arise and more influence to people in influential positions. Reginald Whitehurst Steward was a World War One opportunist.
Maury High School alum Walton Marshall Ellingsworth served with distinction in the Army's 12th Field Artillery Regiment in the Great War. In his duties as a forward observation/reconnaissance officer Ellingsworth would be cited for extraordinary courage and coolness under fire. Earning a Distinguished Service Cross and French Croix de Guerre, Ellingsworth would serve as an instructor for future artillery observers after the war.
Beneath the waving flags and patriotic rhetoric, there lies a nuanced experience of participation of African Americans in the American Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Herbert Ulysses White, a Norfolk native who lived at this address, attended Norfolk High School before going on to Hampton University. After the War, he finished his degree and went on to become a lawyer.
The story of Robert Anderson is one that is not often talked about when discussing the men who served in World War I. Anderson never saw combat, having arrived in France just 2 days before the armistice, but he did see its destructive capacity. What he says horrified him and he was not happy with what he experienced.
Norfolk has long been the place where American service members leave the county and for Raleigh Bagley that was the case as well. He was stationed in Norfolk for a few months before and after his time in France where he had seen a significant amount of contact. In his words, “No training abroad; nothing but fight.” Bagley would see more than his fair share of combat as well as suffer the consequences.
This Tour is a Digital Story Map.
Get a QR Code for this tour
This heritage trail shares events and people that are part of Norfolk's history during World War I. The heritage trail also serves as an interactive visualization that allows users to explore various aspects of the war and local history. The trail consists of individual entries that were created by students in Professor Maura E. Hametz's course at Old Dominion University in the spring semester of 2019.
