Founded in 1610, Hampton is a city of firsts — the first continuous English-speaking settlement was established here, America's first free public education was offered here, and NASA trained its first astronauts here in Hampton.
Hampton’s unique setting at the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and the James River has positioned it at the forefront of fundamental milestones in our nation’s history. The best stories tell sweeping narratives through the personal accounts of individuals and communities involved in dramatic events. The history of Hampton, a small southern city, has the ability to illuminate the arc of American history in a unique way, at once personal and complex, and fundamental in America’s early settlement, education, slavery, war, and modern technology and innovation.
