Seaview Beach and Amusement Park:

An African-American Gem on Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay.

Sherry DiBari September 2017

This research was funded with a 2017 Research Grant from the Virginia Beach Historic Preservation Commission.

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Seaview Beach and Amusement Park

In 1947, Life Magazine published a photo essay on Seaview Beach calling it

“Virginia’s best-known Negro resort.” The magazine reported that up to 10,000 tourists

visited the beach on the weekends. Images showed well-to-do African-American

professionals enjoying social life at the beach and adjacent amusement park.1This was

contrary to much of the negative media coverage of African Americans at the time and

casts a light on a hidden upper-class population in Virginia.

The history of Seaview Beach and Amusement Park began in 1944, when three

African-American professionals, with the help of Dudley Cooper, the driving force

behind the all-white Ocean View Park, began construction on an amusement park

designated for “coloreds only.” Twenty-one local African-American businessmen helped

to fund the enterprise, which opened on May 30, 1945 on the shores of the Chesapeake

Bay.2 The park was wildly popular and featured famous musicians and artists such as

Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino Jr.3

In the early 1960s, desegregation rules led to open beaches for all races making

separate beaches unnecessary. The amusement park, located on Shore Drive, operated

until 1964 and was demolished in 1966.4 The space now houses a condominium complex

called Seagate Colony Condos.

This amusement park was a vital part of Virginia’s upper and middle-class

African-American society and its history is important to the area. Hampton Roads

African Americans in particular were often stereotyped as economically and

educationally disadvantaged. The Seaview Beach and Amusement Park history shows

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there are other race narratives showing African Americans in a more positive and

advanced light.

The focus of this research is on the founders and businessmen whose vision

enabled a vibrant space for African Americans as well as the use of the park as a space

for recreation and social stratification during a period when African Americans were

limited in the spaces that they could occupy.

Literature Review

Amusement parks and leisure activities

During the early part of the twentieth century, the popularity of amusement parks

ballooned as the American population shifted into urban areas. In The Playful Crowd;

Pleasure Places in the Twentieth Century, historians Gary Cross and John Walton

explained that with good jobs, extra spending money and advanced transportation

possibilities, Americans began to experience the era of leisure. 5

In “Going Out, the Rise and Fall of Public Amusements,” author David Nasaw

suggested that this “era of amusements” brought about a sense of “civic sociability” and a

clear division in how Americans approached work versus leisure time.

Leisure opportunities in the early 1900s included theatres, stage shows, sports,

dance halls and amusement parks. The majority of these entertainments were for whites

only but often had separate days or separate sitting sections for African Americans.6

Segregated amusements also included roller rinks, pools, golf courses and beaches.7

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Even entertainers were delegated to segregated venues. Walker and Wilson, in

Black Eden: the Idlewild Community explained that African-American and Jewish

performers had their own entertainment circuits.8 African-American entertainers often

played in the same rotating locations in what was called the “Chitlin Circuit.”9

Beaches came of age as popular vacation destinations during the 1920s as well. In

almost all locations, particularly in the South, African Americans had to attend separate

“black beaches.”10

By the 1960s, interest in amusement parks and other public entertainments waned.

Nasaw suggests this was a result of several factors including: suburbanization, television,

the decline of cities and the influx of crime.

African-American leisure sites

In the book, Race, Riots and Rollercoasters, author Virginia Wolcott noted a

dearth of scholarship on African-American leisure and recreation. She suggested that

historians focus has been on educational and residential segregation.11

Many white amusement parks and recreational sites, such as Coney Island, were

well documented in twentieth century history, African-American entertainment sites,

particularly for upper-income recreationists, are often absent from historical record.

Many African-American resorts, like the Idlewild resort in Michigan, were rarely

mentioned in history.

An example of one upper-income resort was Highland Beach, which targeted

upper-income African-American professionals in Washington, D.C. It was located on the

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Maryland side of the Chesapeake Bay and sold well-constructed homes and cottages for

residents and vacationers who enjoyed fishing, swimming and tennis.12

The growing African-American population

In the years after Reconstruction, Virginia gained a large African-American

population. In Race Relations in Virginia, 1870-1902, author Charles Wynes noted that in

1870, African Americans outnumbered the white population “in 40 of Virginia’s 99

counties.”13

This trend continued over the next few decades. By 1930, the percentage of

African Americans in Virginia was higher than in any other state composing 34 percent

of the population.14

From 1910 to 1920, Norfolk’s African-American population increased by 73

percent, from just over 25,000 to over 43,000. African-American population in other

Hampton Roads cities increased as well, including Portsmouth, with a 100 percent

increase and Newport News with a 93.9 percent increase.15

In The Peaceful Resolution of Norfolk’s Integration Crisis of 1958-1959, Nancy

Parker Ford wrote that in 1958, in the height of the desegregation battle, Norfolk’s

population of 300,000 contained 80,000 African Americans, at almost 27 percent of the

population. She suggested despite the desegregation battles, Norfolk’s military influence

had led to a more cosmopolitan and accepting environment than other southern cities.16

Although many African Americans were economically depressed during this time,

the sheer numbers in Hampton Roads created an influential economic and political

demographic. In the book, The Negro in Virginia Politics, 1902-1965, author Andrew

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Buni wrote that in the decades from 1930 to 1950, Virginia business owners began to

market to African-American consumers. Patronage and support of African-American

owned businesses increased during this time as well.17

Norfolk’s African-American newspaper, the New Journal and Guide was the

largest circulating African-American newspaper in the state and wielded considerable

political influence.18 Norma Cromwell Fields in the thesis, Blacks in Norfolk, Virginia

during the 1930s, wrote the newspaper had a circulation of 78,000 and suggested it was

“the most important black newspaper in the South.”19

African-American business

In Desegregating the Dollar, historian Robert Weems Jr. credits the Great

Migration, specifically 1915 to 1918, to a large urban African-American population,

which then led to a “viable African-American consumer market.” He wrote that as cities

boomed and became prosperous, so did many African Americans. In turn, African

Americans supported businesses within the community.20

Weems explained that the 1920s were “a time of considerable interest in black

business development” leading to organizations such as the National Negro Business

League and the Colored Merchants Association.21

In Hampton Roads in 1930, about 80 percent of African-American men and over

50 percent of African-American women were gainfully employed. While the majority

were semi-skilled and unskilled laborers, many had transitioned to professional fields.22

The Norfolk City Directory during the early 1930s listed “18 [African- American]

attorneys, 25 doctors and eight dentists.”23 Author Norma Cromwell Fields suggested a

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distinct “caste” system had developed among Norfolk’s “black society” further dividing

those with education and income from their less-educated peers.24

African Americans had established their own banks in response to the lack of

assistance from white banks: first the Knights of Gideon Bank in Norfolk in 1905,

followed by Brown’s Savings Bank and then a few years later, the Metropolitan Banking

and Trust Company. These banks helped African-American businessmen establish and

obtain credit for business ventures. Black banks were prolific in Virginia. In the early

1900s, there were twenty-seven, double the amount than in than any other state.25

Labor shortages in World War II enabled many African Americans to transition to

skilled labor positions, elevating their economic status further. By the late 1940s,

African-American consumers were in high demand.26

In the 1960s, African-American owned businesses began to decline. Walker and

Wilson in the book, Black Eden, the Idlewild Community, suggested that desegregation

led to the decline of black-owned businesses as African Americans, after the Public

Accommodation Act, were free to shop at white stores.27

Black Laws

While African Americans were making some progress, legal economic barriers

were still in place. Virginia had “economic codes” on the books for many years which

entitled employers to pay African Americans less than whites.28

In Patterns of Negro Segregation, Charles Johnson wrote that segregation policies

could be “traced back to the period of the Black Codes,” which were “legal” codes that

allowed cities to discriminate. These laws affected life in the spheres of education,

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religion, marriage, living quarters and labor. Most of the laws were aimed at keeping the

two races separated, both in public and in private areas.29

Beaches

African Americans were limited in the spaces that they could occupy. White

amusement parks and beaches were clearly off limits. Hampton Roads most popular

amusement park, Ocean View, had been whites only for years. Owner Dudley Cooper

recalled in a 1978 interview “Ocean View was segregated. We inherited it that way and it

was the custom and tradition of the whole country.”30

Seaview Beach wasn’t the only African-American beach resort area in Hampton

Roads. In Norfolk, residents could enjoy the Chesapeake Bay waterfront at Little Bay

Beach and City Beach or on the Elizabeth River at Plantation Beach. Princess Anne

County hosted Ocean Breeze and Seaview while Sunset Lake was located in Chesapeake.

Bay Shore Beach, near Buckroe Beach, in Hampton was a popular site as well.

The beaches and amusement parks were primarily seasonal and operated from

around Memorial Day to Labor Day each year.

Little Bay Beach

Articles in the Norfolk Journal and Guide mention Little Bay Beach as far back as

1916. Lemuel W. Bright, an African-American businessman, known for building the

Vernon Hotel in Norfolk, owned and operated Little Bay Beach until his death in 1924.

The beach, as was the hotel, was only for use by African Americans.31

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The beach resort, located near Willoughby Spit on Little Bay and Mason’s Creek,

operated as the only African-American beach in the area for at least 20 years.32 The

dining and dancing facilities were popular for adults, while merry-go-rounds, shooting

galleries and a bowling alley were a hit with the younger crowds.33 Attendance was high

at the beach resort and numerous club and church events were held at the site. In 1921, an

event held by the Sons of Norfolk, attracted a crowd of 3,000.34

A fire wiped out the dance hall and boardwalk in 1929.35 When the Wilcox estate,

which owned the property at the time, attempted to rebuild, they faced opposition from

adjacent white owners. The Board of Zoning Appeals refused the permits because of the

number of neighbors opposed to the project.36

Plantation Beach

The grand opening of Plantation Beach, located on the southern branch of the

Elizabeth River, was held on Easter Monday, 1930. The resort, described in the Norfolk

Journal and Guide as “high-class” boasted a ten-room hotel and offered bathing, fishing

and boating.37

Just a few months after the opening, owners announced plans for a $75,000

renovation with boat docks, dance pavilion and amusements and rides.38 By 1931, the

resort offered baseball, beauty contests,39 boxing, dancing40 and numerous social

events.41 In July of 1932, an article titled “All Colored Workers at Plantation Beach”

noted that the resort had enacted a new policy of all African-American workers, including

new manager B.E. Davis.42

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City Beach

City Beach, located in Princess Anne County near the Little Creek terminal of the

Pennsylvania Railroad, was a free municipal beach owned by the city of Norfolk.43 In the

late 1920s, a group of African-American men attempted to buy waterfront property for a

beach that local African Americans could use. No white landowners would sell to them,

so they formed an interracial committee to study the idea and appeal to the city for a

municipal beach. The group included P.B. Young, publisher of the Norfolk Journal and

Guide and Dr. R.J. Brown, a local dentist and Seaview founder.

In 1930, despite considerable controversy, the city acquired ten acres from the

Pennsylvania Railroad for $10,000. The purpose was specifically to create a beach for

African Americans who had no public access to the waterfront at the time. After five

years of legal battles with adjoining neighbors, and a fight that went all the way to the

State Supreme Court, the city finally was able to advance with the project.44

Construction of City Beach began in 1934 and was partially funded and built by

the Civil Works Administration (CWA) program. Over one hundred and forty men,

primarily African Americans, built the beach and much of its facilities.45

The beach offered a floating hotel and amusements as well as bathhouses,

pavilion, boardwalk and a keeper’s cottage.46 One popular attraction was the “Sunset

Ballroom”47 which could accommodate four hundred dancing couples.48 Many of the

early facilities were built and leased in arrangement with the local Coca Cola bottling

company.49

The City Beach Corporation, a group of white businessmen, leased the beach and

ran the concessions for the first three years after its opening in June of 1935.50

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In 1938, the city decided that the Norfolk Community Hospital, formerly the

Tidewater Colored Hospital, would manage City Beach, leasing the property from the

city of Norfolk for one dollar per year.51 The city considered it a philanthropic business

venture to provide beach facilities to African Americans.52

William T. Mason, business manager of the hospital, was placed in charge of

managing the beach resort. The Norfolk Journal and Guide noted it was an “effort to

place the management and operation exclusively in the hands of colored people.” All

profit would go to maintain the hospital. Mason, who also helped to found Seaview

Beach, said, “This is an undertaking unparallel in the history of the hospital or of any

institution controlled by Negros in this section.”53

African Americans held all operations and management positions. City Beach was

even patrolled by two African-American officers, Robert Hale and Van Buren Luke, “the

first to be commissioned by the [Princess Anne] county.”54

City Beach proved to be popular. One weekend in June of 1938, over five

thousand people enjoyed the beach and its facilities.55 In 1940, the hospital began

charging admission of five cents per person to cover the hospital’s increasing costs.56

City Beach was profitable. In 1943, they grossed $14,872 with a net profit of

$2,363. That same year, the executive committee of the hospital approved compensation

for the managers including four hundred dollars annually to William Mason.57

In 1949, the hospital decided not to renew the lease, citing the beach was “no

longer an asset to the hospital.”58 The Norfolk Recreation Bureau then took over

operations of the beach the same year.59

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Ocean Breeze

On May 30, 1933, while City Beach was still in legal limbo, another for-profit

seasonal beach for African Americans opened up. A group of white men; W.W.

Consolvo, John C. Davis and Joseph Nelson, were the main investors in the Ocean

Breeze Amusement Park, located in Princess Anne County alongside Lake Joyce.60

The resort covered 75 partially shaded acres, offered a dancing pavilion, a 1900-

foot boardwalk, concessions, restaurant and cottages. Beachgoers had opportunities to see

beauty contests and baseball games.61 Many of the opponents of City Beach pointed to

the facilities at Ocean Breeze as a reason to abandon the municipal beach plans.62

By 1936, the owners had added new daily-rental cottages, parking for 300 cars, a

1500-person dance casino, speedboats and a bathhouse that could accommodate 500. In

1937, they added a new pavilion, a merry-go-round and Ferris wheel.63 The beach was

sold in April of 1954. Soon after the sale, a large fire destroyed much of the facility.64

Seaview Beach and Amusement Park

For many years, Seaview, Ocean Breeze, and City Beach had competing

advertisements on the same page in the Norfolk Journal and Guide. Each, however,

served their own purpose and audience.65 Seaview was a resort for African Americans

who were educated and affluent. Every week, the Social Whirl column in the newspaper

mentioned who was seen at Seaview, often what they were wearing and what social

activities were happening.

In 1945, a group of twenty-one successful African-American businessmen and

professionals from Norfolk and Portsmouth pooled their money to create an elite space

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where they could flourish and enjoy leisure time without interference or harassment from

whites.

The group, under the auspices of the Seaview Beach and Hotel Corporation,

purchased a former club along with six and a half acres for $45,000. They also purchased

a surrounding fifty-acre tract of land for $35,000 with the intention of dividing and

selling lots for permanent resort homes.66

At least three of the men were already well known for business ventures in the

community; William T. Mason, said to be one of the first black millionaires in Virginia,

Dr. Wilbur Watts, a Portsmouth dentist and local businessman and William E. Waters,

principal of I.C. Norcom High School.67

Mason served as president, Watts, vice-president, Rev. J. A. Handy, secretary and

Dr. R.J. Brown, treasurer. The 17 other investors were named as the board of directors.68

Seaview Beach was located on Bay Shore Drive, now called Shore Drive, near

Seashore State Park.69 This area was referred to locally as London Bridge.70 When

Seaview opened, reviews in the newspaper were glowing, especially with descriptions of

the white sand and colorful décor.

The former club was 300-foot long, two stories high and painted white with a red

roof. A modern ballroom was the main attraction with 10 other rooms scattered

throughout the building. Outside, the “Starlight Plaza,” an outdoor dance pavilion was

“shaded by colorful umbrellas.”71

The 20-year old building was originally built for the Knight’s Templar group. It

was used for several years as a white dance club called the “Hygeia Club” and for another

“swanky” beach club called “Club 500” before its sale to the Seaview founders.72

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There were many complaints at the time about currents and dangerous riptides at

Ocean Breeze Park. The beach at Seaview, however, was described as a 700-foot

shoreline with gradual descent and calm waters.73 The resort quickly drew large crowds.

When the grand opening was held on Memorial Day, 1945, the attendance reached 2,500.

The facilities were already booked as social organizations reserved spaces for their

dances and events.74

“See You at Seaview” was the popular refrain among locals who visited the

beach. The phrase was repeated often in the “Social Whirl” column of the newspaper.75

Weekly events often attracted hundreds of people. In 1945, over 700 people attended a

sport dance and cocktail party, held for the “sweethearts and wives of the Seaman’s

Club.”76

Changes in operation

In 1946, Wilbur and Irving Watts filed a deed to lease the property for a five-year

period. Their intention was to sublet the lease to the Seaview Amusement Company.77

Dudley Cooper, owner of Ocean View Amusement Park, along with seven other white

men, was partners in this new company. They were to sub-lease all the facilities except

for the “Club Room.”78

The Norfolk Journal and Guide reported the corporation was formed “out of the

necessity of procuring new amusement features.” The article suggested Seaview founders

were unable to purchase amusements and had to turn elsewhere for assistance. Under the

agreement, the new corporation would only operate the amusements and concessions, not

including the “hotel, bath facilities and picnic pavilion.”79

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The sublease continued for the duration of the park’s existence. Not all of the

investors were pleased about the arrangement, however. In 1955, Jet Magazine’s Cocktail

Chit Chat column reported a “Norfolk physician who invested $12,000 in Seaview

Beach, the area’s Negro Coney Island, was peeved with the board of directors who leased

the resort to white operators for $10,000 a year.”80

Dudley Cooper arranged for advertisements and the purchase of rides through the

Seaview Amusement Corporation. In one correspondence with the Globe Poster

Corporation, Cooper wrote “if possible would like to have the figures in the stock sheets

shown as colored, perhaps in a light tan.”81

Several of the receipts in the Cooper’s archives at Old Dominion University

identify the rides purchased for Seaview Park. In one letter to the Allan Herschell

Company in 1946, Cooper indicated an order for amusement rides including a Carrousel

[sic] for his “colored park” for $9,765.000.82

Seaview became popular quickly. Over the Fourth of July weekend in 1947, an

estimated 15,000 people visited the beach.83 Dr. Irving Watts noted in a Norfolk Journal

and Guide article that it was “not uncommon to see between 35 and 50 chartered buses at

Seaview.”84

One of the most popular events was the annual Miss Seaview Beach contest and

the Miss Tidewater contest, both of which attracted crowds of over 1,000.85 In 1954, the

contest, co-sponsored by Seaview and the Norfolk Journal and Guide, drew a crowd of

3,500.86 The Norfolk Journal and Guide called Seaview “Virginia’s only complete

colored amusement park”87 and noted it had the largest crowd in its ten-year history with

a Friday night crowd of 8,000 people.88

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In October of 1956, Billboard Magazine published an article about the success of

the “Norfolk Trio” of amusements. The article noted in the previous year an “estimated

two million people” had visited the three Norfolk area amusement parks with Ocean

View at $1.5 million, Seaside at 400,000 and Seaview at 200,000.89

An incredible number of organizations used Seaview’s facilities for their weekly,

monthly and annual events. The “Social Whirl” section of the Norfolk Journal and Guide

regularly posted social activities held at the beach resort. These social club events often

had large audiences.90 In 1947, a Eureka Club cotillion attracted 700 people.91

A 1947 article in Life Magazine highlighted Seaview Beach. The magazine

described the beach resort as a “gathering place for Norfolk’s Negro elite” and noted it

was where “Norfolk’s social elite holds its formal dances.” The photograph showed a

group of women in formal gowns standing next to Dr. Alfred Fentress, one of Seaview’s

founders.92

Dancing was perhaps the most popular attraction at Seaview. The ballroom was

often reserved for informal dances for groups with names like the Kit Kat Club. Formal

affairs, especially with fraternal organizations, were popular as well.93 Organizations

meeting at Seaview included financial clubs like the Morning Glory Social and Savings

Club.94 Churches, as well, regularly used the facilities to hold meetings, picnics and

parties for ushers, choirs and Sunday school classes.95 The ballroom was not the only

attraction however. Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops spent weekends camping at

Seaview. In September of 1945, almost six hundred boy scouts participated in the

“Makahiki” festival of games there.96

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Constant improvements

Each year that Seaview was open, the owners added more attractions, bigger

entertainment acts and facility upgrades. In 1946, in just the second year of operation, a

$200,000 expansion was underway with a new restaurant, amusement rides, facility

upgrades and Ferris wheel.97 Opening day of 1947 featured a new $25,000 scooter car

ride,98 weekly fireworks and a parking lot that could accommodate hundreds of

automobiles. The Norfolk Journal and Guide noted the park would employ over 100

people during the summer season and called Seaview “one of the leading resort centers in

the nation.”99

By 1947, plans included a one hundred-room fireproof hotel with an estimated

cost of $350,000 and a 3,000-seat auditorium. A golf course and tennis courts were

planned as well. During this period, attendance on Sundays ranged from eight to twelve

thousand people.100 In 1951, a new $50,000 picnic section that could accommodate 1,000

people was installed. The resort also hired ten African-American special police officers

for the summer season.101

Amusements for Seaview’s sixth season included skeeball, a merry-go-round and

sightseeing motorboats.102 The rides, especially the Ferris wheel, were a large part of

Seaview’s allure. The resort was described as having five “major-sized rides” and

numerous others.103

Over the years, free bus transportation was provided from stops in Norfolk and

Portsmouth. The service was discontinued in 1951.104 In 1961, a special bus service

operated by the “Seaview Social and Savings Club” offered $1 round trip tickets to the

beach.105 Seaview owners continued to spend money for improvements. By 1956, new

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attractions included an Allan Herschell merry-go-round valued at $15,000, a $20,000

moon rocket ride and $50,000 worth of bumper cars.106 Other new investments included a

modern bathhouse with showers and lockers with “ a million dollar look.”107

In 1956, the Norfolk Journal and Guide reported Seaview owners had total

investments reaching up to $1 million in land, buildings and amusement rides.108 By

1957, the 40-room hotel was entirely renovated, all rides were overhauled and a new

bathhouse had been built.109

Entertainment

Entertainment was a huge draw for the resort. As an amusement park, it featured

the typical oddities like “Hopalong Bingo,” a trained chimpanzee,110 but more

importantly, gave an outlet to rising musicians unable to perform in mainstream venues.

Some of Seaview’s acts included those well known on the African-American circuit, such

as the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra,111 Patterson and Jackson,112 and Hot Lips Page.113

Others, like the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, an interracial all-female jazz band,

were well-known musicians who toured nationally.114

The concerts drew large crowds, even for local musicians. Ruth Brown, a

Portsmouth native often referred to as “the Mother of Rhythm and Blues” performed at

Seaview in 1956 to an audience of two thousand.115 After the first year, the acts became

bigger. In 1946, the Norfolk Journal and Guide quoted Seaview founder Wilbur Watts,

“the club will feature the finest acts which can be bought” and noted upcoming

performers included Count Basie, Mercer Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie.116 Other big

entertainers booked were Ella Fitzgerald117 and Louie Armstrong.118

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Locals flocked to Seaview for regular shows like the “Seaview Chorus” described

as “a rhymatic line of dancing darlings”119 and “record spinning” by local radio

personality Jack Holmes.120 Another big draw was the weekly cash give-aways. The

amount ranged from one to four hundred dollars each weekend.121 In 1950, a Deluxe

Hudson Sedan was awarded.122

Issues

The resort was not without fault however, and there were a few questionable

incidents in its history. In 1953, one of the special policemen at Seaview accidently shot

and killed another officer during a scuffle with a soldier at the beach.123 In 1955, during a

countywide crackdown on illegal gambling halls, Seaview was raided and six men were

arrested for having a craps table. One of the men, Seaview Beach Club manager Ike

Wells, was arrested and charged with gambling and selling whiskey.124

Internally, there were issues as well. A 1956 article in the Norfolk Journal and

Guide titled “Four Seaview Directors Out After Annual Meeting” explained that a recent

board meeting had led to the formation of a new board and the re-election of only five of

the nine directors. The four men dropped from the board were; Dr. Alfred Fentress,

Andrew Sutton, Herbert Carter and Talmadge Johnson. They had all been stakeholders

and directors since the 1945 inception.125

The new board of directors were; W.T. Mason, president, Dr. Irving Watts, vice

president, Thomas H. Brown, treasurer Reverend J. Handy, secretary and William E.

Waters.126

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In response to being dropped from the board, the four minority stockholders sued

Seaview Hotel and Beach Corporation. They cited several unscrupulous business

practices including “padding” the books and not reporting profits. The men asked to have

the board members removed and an external audit of the record books.127 The article

explained the Seaview Hotel and Beach Corporation holding included the resort, as well

as fifty acres of waterfront. Over the years, an additional one hundred and fifty-acre tract

of land had been subdivided and “sold exclusively to white people.”128

In 1960, an eighty-acre tract of the property south of the highway extending to

Long Creek was sold for $250,000 to a group of white business developers.129 When the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, African Americans were free to patronize formerly

white resorts and businesses. This led to a drop in attendance at Seaview and a general

decline in African-American owned businesses.130

Dr. Watts announced in November of 1965 that Seaview would close. He said,

“We couldn’t compete with the amusement parks at Ocean View and on the ocean at

Virginia Beach once they let the Negroes in.”131 The Seaview Amusement Corporation

filed a suit against Watts and the other corporation members and won the right to renew

the lease, which had been extended a few years earlier. However, the groups came to a

consensus and the lease was dropped leaving the title clear for purchase.132

In 1965, the site, along with ninety acres of land and three thousand feet of

Chesapeake Bay shoreline, was sold to white developer David Levine for $500,000. The

sale had apparently been in the works for several years and Levine’s intention was to turn

the land into beach resort investments.133 A few months later, about ten acres of the

property was purchased by the city of Virginia Beach as a spoil area for dredging.134

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Levine described the property as “the largest privately owned tract of beach front

property north of downtown Virginia Beach,” adding “I feel that this tract of land is one

of the most important in the future development of Virginia Beach.”135

In 1966, the Virginian Pilot reported that Virginia Beach fire inspectors required

the building to be repaired or removed, as it was a “fire hazard.” The article noted the

building had been a hangout for vandals for two years and was in disrepair.136

In February of 1966, wreckers demolished the two-story building and facilities. In

an article about the final demise of Seaview, the Norfolk Journal and Guide called it “the

largest and best Negro beach resort in America during its existence.”137

The Men

A resort owned by African Americans was extremely rare during this period and

the men who banded together to create this space were entrepreneurs ahead of their time.

Although there were twenty-one investors138 several of the Seaview founders stood out

for their prominence in the community or for their numerous business pursuits or

charitable acts.

The man most associated with Seaview was William T. Mason. Mason, “one of

the first African-American millionaires in Virginia,”139 was president of the Seaview

board for most of its operation. He was also manager of City Beach during its time under

the Norfolk Community Hospital. Mason, born in 1897, was an immigrant from Trinidad,

West Indies. He came to the United States sometime around 1916, attended the

University of Chicago and majored in business.140

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After graduation, he moved to Durham, North Carolina, where he worked for

North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance, an African-American agency. He later moved to

Norfolk and opened a branch of the Bankers Fire Insurance Company as well as a small

real estate agency called W.T. Mason and Co.141

Mason had many business dealings in addition to Seaview. He was also president

of the Metropolitan Realty Company, which owned the Metropolitan Bank Building

located on the corner of Church Street and Brambleton Avenue in Norfolk.142 He spent

many years in the real estate and property management field and in 1941, was hired by

the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority as the first manager of Roberts Park

and Liberty Park, which together contained nine hundred rental units for government

workers during WWII.143

Mason’s investments included not only Seaview Beach but also land that had

been subdivided into thirty lots adjacent to the site. Mason’s son, William Mason Jr.

recalled that the lots, located just south of Shore Drive, were sold to whites. He noted

there was a “white real estate firm that handled the whole promotion.”144 Mason Sr. and

partner, Irving Watts, also owned land in old Princess Anne County, which they

subdivided and sold for home sites. Their partnership was instrumental in a number of

Hampton Roads developments including Broad Creek Shores, Cape Story by the Sea,

Fair Meadows, Nansemond Shores and Cloverdale.145

In the 1940s and 1950s, white banks refused to give loans to African Americans.

Mason, many times, stepped in to help fellow businessmen with projects such as the

financing of L and J Gardens in Princess Anne County.146 Mason retired as administrator

of the Norfolk Community Hospital after 23 years as a founder, superintendent and

23

administrator.147 Mason died in 1976. A few weeks after his death, the Norfolk Journal

and Guide posted a story titled “Mason’s Estate Over $1 Million.”148

The Seaview founders were highly educated men and worked as professionals in

Norfolk or Portsmouth, Many of them, like the Watts brothers, had side investments as

well. Attorney Wilbur O. Watts and his brother, Dr. Irving Watts, were part of a well-

known long-time family from Hodges Ferry. The family operated a 500-acre farm

employing over 500 seasonal workers. The Norfolk Journal and Guide noted that the

“Watts Brothers were known for their business ventures.” Wilbur and his brothers also

operated a truck farm, sold produce from their family business, established and owned a

12-car taxi cab service called Safeway Cab,149 owned open-air markets and had

investments in Victory Café, the Inter-City Bus Line and Seaview Beach.150

In addition to Safeway Cab, Watts’s also established a franchise called Watts

Motor Bus Company. The Norfolk Journal and Guide wrote that only “two other bus

companies in the nation are owned and operated by Negroes.”151 His Christmas tree

business was reported to be the “largest individual distributor of Christmas trees in the

entire South.” The annual shipments of 50,000 trees loaded in seven boxcars.152

He was also a senior partner in Watts Brothers Real Estate Loans and Investment

Association.153 In 1954, the brothers announced that they had purchased a 15-acre tract of

land on the Nansemond riverfront near Belleville for a housing development.154

Watts was married to Dr. Helen Mewborn for less than two years. She was a

Portsmouth physician and graduate from Howard University’s medical school.155 In

1953, his life took a tragic turn when she was killed in an automobile accident while

pregnant with their first child. He died the following year of a heart attack.156

24

Irving Watts was a prominent Portsmouth dentist and real estate developer. He

was a graduate of Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry and practiced in

Petersburg for 10 years before moving his practice to Portsmouth in 1942.157 The practice

was located at the corner of Effingham and County Streets.158 Watts was a founder of

Seaview and active in real estate investments. He was instrumental in the construction of

the Nansemond Shores and Drum Creek Farms neighborhoods.159 Watts died in March of

1968.160

Many of the Seaview founders were extremely involved in their churches and

religious organizations. Several of the men were known throughout Hampton Roads for

their humanitarian work. Reverend J. Albert Handy, a graduate of the Bible College of

Philadelphia, built and operated the Colored Union Mission in Norfolk. In the 1930s,

most missions were only for whites. In the book Blacks in Norfolk, Virginia during the

1930s, Norma Cromwell Fields noted the Colored Union Mission “offered black men

who were out of work, free food and a place to stay.”161

In addition to his investments in Seaview, Handy was vice president of the

Metropolitan Bank and Trust, one of the early African-American banks, and vice

president of the Solvent Realty Corporation.162 Handy also operated Camp Handy, a

camp for eight to twelve year old boys, located directly in front of Seaview Beach. The

land, which had been purchased from the Seaview Beach Corporation, included a two-

story dormitory, five cottages and modern facilities.163

Another one of the Seaview founders was a Norfolk dentist with an unusual

business enterprise. Dr. Robert Junius Brown Jr., also graduated from the dental college

at Meharry. In 1916, he opened an office in Norfolk and practiced there for forty-one

25

years. He was known for founding the Prudosene Toothpowder and Toothpaste

Company, a nationally distributed dental product.164 Brown died in 1957.165

At least three of the men were local physicians: Dr. U.S.G. Jones, Dr. Alfred

Fentress and Dr. Harry Boffman. All were well-respected men in the medical field and

active in both local and national medical organizations.

Dr. U.S.G. (Ulysses Simpson Grant) Jones was an alumnus of Leonard Medical

College and practiced medicine in Norfolk for thirty-five years.166 He was chief of the

Norfolk Community Hospital’s obstetric staff. Jones was also chairman of a committee to

open the first prenatal and postnatal clinic for African Americans in Norfolk.167

Jones was known for his compassion and served the medical needs of residents of the

Colored Union Mission free of charge.168

Dr. Alfred C. Fentress, a graduate of Meharry Medical College, operated a

medical office in Norfolk in 40 years and was a member of the surgical staff at Norfolk

Community Hospital.169 He died in 1971.170

Dr. Harry R. Boffman practiced medicine in Missouri for thirteen years before

moving his practice to Portsmouth. He was a former president of the Portsmouth Medical

Society and graduate of Meharry Medical College.171 He operated a “maternity

sanitarium” for African-American women in Portsmouth. In 1944, an article in the

Norfolk Journal and Guide explained, “his maternity ward was set up because local

hospitals had refused to take Negro maternity cases and because colored physicians are

not permitted to treat their patients in local hospitals.”172

Many of the Seaview founders were industrious businessmen such as Talmadge

Johnson. Johnson operated the Talmadge-Johnson Fuel Company on Gosport Road in

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Portsmouth. The business sold fuel oil, coal and wood.173 He also owned a grocery store,

car wash and service center in the Truxtun area.174

Johnson was active in the community. He was part of a democratic organization

that met at Seaview Beach to promote “political consciousness among Negro Virginians”

and to encourage voting and influence legislation.175

One of Portsmouth’s local legends was William Emerson (W.E.) Waters. He was

well known as a civic leader and principal of I.C. Norcom High School. In 1930, he

moved from Wildwood, New Jersey to work at the school as a chemistry and physical

education teacher. He also coached football and track and started the school’s first

basketball team. In 1942, he became principal of the school and was instrumental in its

success. He was known locally as “the father of modern track.”176 Waters was on

numerous boards including the Portsmouth General Hospital, the American Red Cross

and was one of three African Americans elected to the Central YMCA board.177 Today

W.E. Waters Middle School in Portsmouth honors his name.178

Dudley Cooper, a white man, was instrumental in the success of Seaview. Cooper,

owner of the Ocean View Amusement Park as well as Seaside Park, operated the

amusements at Seaview. He was a successful optometrist in Norfolk and known for his

involvement in the Hampton Roads Jewish and African-American communities. He often

held free eye clinics for children at schools, usually in poorer African-American

neighborhoods.179 Cooper felt that Seaview was “not a successful business venture, but it

was a sociological situation and it was considered successful.”180

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Conclusion

Seaview Beach and Amusement Park helped to change the social landscape for

Hampton Roads African Americans. Seaview provided a safe space for up-and-coming

African Americans to experience and enjoy leisure in a time and place when “black laws”

and segregation were the norm.

Organizations that were at the forefront of African-American society used the

facilities at Seaview to construct a parallel recreational experience compared to the local

white amusement parks and resorts. It was common to have cotillions and fraternity

formals in the grand ballroom, as well as business and financial advisory groups at the

facility. This fellowship of educated and affluent African Americans was instrumental in

the success of a race that had been marginalized for centuries.

Seaview Beach and Amusement Park played a vital role in the development and

prosperity of African Americans in Virginia.

28

Appendix A: Photographs and Advertisements related to Seaview Beach

There were often competing ads for three of the beaches; Seaview, Ocean Breeze and City Beach in the Norfolk Journal and Guide. June 1, 1946.

29

Ocean Breeze. Norfolk Journal and Guide. 1948.

30

Life Magazine, August 18, 1947.

31

Above: Aerial view of Seaview Beach, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library. Below: Google Earth, 2017.

32

Location of the former Seaview Beach on current map. Google maps, 2017.

Life Magazine, August 18, 1947.

33

Life Magazine, August 18, 1947.

34

“Club 500” before the site became Seaview Beach, Virginia Beach Public Library Archives.

Seaview hosted many “Miss Seaview” and “Miss Tidewater” beauty competitions. This news clipping was in a Seaview Beach scrapbook created by Dudley Cooper and later donated to the ODU Special Collections and Archives.

35

Harrison Wilson Archives, Norfolk State University. Beach Magazine, Fall 2002.

36

Display ads from the Norfolk Journal and Guide, August 31, 1946 and March 27, 1948.

37

Seaview Beach as seen in a 1928-1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance map. Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library.

38

Dr. Robert J. Brown. History of the American Negro and His Institutions, Vol. 5.

39

Norfolk Journal and Guide, December 11, 1976.

40

Display ad. Norfolk Journal and Guide, September 30, 1950.

41

Dudley Cooper archives, ODU Special Collections and Archives.

42

Billboard Magazine, June 7, 1947.

Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 7, 1947.

43

Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 23, 1947.

44

Norfolk Journal and Guide, August 4, 1945.

45

Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 18, 1946.

46

Norfolk Journal and Guide, April 26, 1947.

47

Dudley Cooper archives, ODU Special Collections and Archives.

48

Dudley Cooper archives, ODU Special Collections and Archives.

Photograph showing the original building and surrounding site of “Club 500.” Virginia Beach Public Library Digital Archives.

49

Notes

1 “A Fine Day at the Beach.” Life magazine, August 18, 1947, 115. 2 “$100,000 Beach Resort to Open Here on May 30.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 19, 1945, B10 3 “Seaview Show Opens at Seaview Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 1, 1946. 4 “Seaview Beach Being Demolished by Wreckers.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, February 26, 1966 5 Cross, Gary S., and John K. Walton. The playful crowd: pleasure places in the twentieth century. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. 6 Nasaw, David. Going out: The rise and fall of public amusements. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000, 1. 7 Wolcott, Victoria W. Race, riots, and roller coasters: the struggle over segregated recreation in America. Univ of Pennsylvania Pr, 2014. 8 Walker, Lewis, and Benjamin C. Wilson. Black Eden: the Idlewild community. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2007. 9 Lauterbach, Preston. The chitlin circuit: and the road to rock n roll. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2011. 10 Nasaw, 92. 11 Wolcott, 4. 12 Jones, William H. Recreation and amusement among Negroes in Washington, D.C., A sociological analysis of the Negro in an urban environment. Westport, Conn, Negro Universities Press, 1970. 13 Wynes, Charles E. Race relations in Virginia, 1870-1902. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1971, 7. 14 Fields, Norma Cromwell. "Blacks in Norfolk, Virginia during the 1930's." Master's thesis, Old Dominion University, 1979, 1. 15 Weems, Robert E. Desegregating the dollar African American consumerism in the twentieth century. New York: New York University Press, 1998, 11. 16 Ford, Nancy. "The peaceful resolution of Norfolk's integration crisis." Master's thesis, Old Dominion University, 1989.

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17 Buni, Andrew. The Negro in Virginia politics 1902-1965. Charlottesville: The University Press of Virginia, 1967. 18 Ibid. 19 Fields, 64. 20 Weems, 10. 21 Weems, 19. 22 Fields, 2. 23 Ibid. 24 Fields, 5. 25 Ibid. 26 Weems, 32. 27 Walker and Wilson, 130. 28 Fields, 23. 29 Johnson, Charles. Patterns of Negro Segregation. University of Notre Dame, 2007, 161. 30 Transcript, “Oral History Interview with Dr. Dudley Cooper.” Interviewed by Peter M. Kusiak, Old Dominion University, Oral Historys, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Perry Library. Online: http://dc.lib.odu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/oralhistory/id/89 (Accessed June, 13, 2017). 31 "An Old Landmark To Make Contribution To Progress: Hotel Was Built By L. W. Bright, Pioneer Of Norfolk." Norfolk Journal and Guide, October 3, 1953. 32 "Colored Norfolkians Left Without A Beach Resort By Decision of Zoning Board." Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 14, 1930. 33 “Cool Breezes Blow At Little Bay Beach” N o r f o l k J o u r n a l a n d G u i d e , J u n e 2 5 , 1 9 2 1 . 34 “More Pep At Little Bay Beach” N o r f o l k J o u r n a l a n d G u i d e , A u g u s t 2 7 , 1 9 2 1 . 35 “Little Bay Beach, Local Resort Swept By Flames” N o r f o l k J o u r n a l a n d G u i d e , F e b r u a r y 1 6 , 1 9 2 9 . 36 “Colored Norfolkians Left Without a Beach Resort by Decision of Zoning Board. N o r f o l k J o u r n a l a n d G u i d e , J u n e 1 4 , 1 9 3 0 . 37 “Plantation Beach, New Shore Resort for Colored of Norfolk and Vicinity will have Gala Opening Easter Mon.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, April 19, 1930. 38 “Resort Here to be Enlarged.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, September 20, 1930. 39 “Five Local Girls Qualify for Beauty Pageant Finals.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, August 13, 1932

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40 “Boxing Bouts on Elks Smoker.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 15, 1931. 41 “Elks Field Day and Smoker set for Monday.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 18, 1931. 42 “All Colored Workers at Plantation Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 30, 1932. 43 “Summer Resorts Plan Gala Memorial Day Openings.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 30, 1936. 44 “Love’s Labor Lost” – Story of a Municipal Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 14, 1956. 45 “Road to Municipal Beach Nears Completion.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, February 2, 1934. 46 Editorials: “The City Beach Road.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 6, 1935. 47 “Beaches and Tennis Claim Pleasure Seekers as Season Opens up.” “The City Beach Road.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 22, 1935. 48 “Summer Resorts Plan Gala Memorial Day Openings.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 30, 1936. 49 “Love’s Labor Lost” – Story of a Municipal Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 14, 1956. 50 “Private Group Will ask Lease from City.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, March 26, 1949. 51 “City Beach to Open Season on May 12.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, April 16, 1938. 52 “Erosion Creates Difficultries [sic] in Developing Norfolk City Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, March 19, 1949. 53 “Reveal Plans for Operation of City Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 7, 1938. 54 Ibid. 55 “5,000 at City Beach Sunday; Race Lifeguards and Officers on Duty.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 25, 1938. 56 “Hospital Seeks Permission to Charge Admission to Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 11, 1940. 57 “Hospital Group Adopts Budget, Approves City Beach Salaries.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, January 30, 1943. 58 “Norfolk Community Hospital will not Renew Lease on City Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, March 5, 1949. 59 “City Beach will Begin new Season on June 15.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 26, 1962. 60 “Local Beaches Complete Preparations for Opening.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 27, 1933. 61 “Black Revels to try Washington Tigers Saturday.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 3, 1933. 62 “Claims Norfolk Negroes Would Rather pay for use of Beach than use site Purchased by City.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, February 17, 1934.

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63 “Ocean Breeze is Located on Historic Spot.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 30, 1936. 64 “Seaview Beach not sold: Plans big ’54 Season.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, April 4, 1954. 65 Display ad “The King is Here” and “Spend Labor Day Weekend at Ocean Breeze Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 14, 1946. 66 “$100,000 Beach Resort to open here on May 30.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 19, 1945. 67 Ibid. 68 Ibid. 69 Now known as First Landing State Park. 70 “Negro Funspot Plans Opening.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 2, 1956. 71 “$100,000 Beach Resort to open here on May 30.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 19, 1945. 72 Ibid. 73 “$100,000 Beach Resort to open here on May 30.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 19, 1945. 74 Column “Social Whirl in Norfolk.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 2, 1945. 75 “Seaview Beach Being Demolished by Wreckers.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, February 26, 1966. 76 “Kappa Alpha Psi Provincial Guests of Norfolk Alumni Chapter.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, September 8, 1945. 77 “Seaview Hotel and Beach Corporation.” Princess Anne County Deed of Purchase Book, page 463, June 4, 1947. 78 “Certificate of all persons or corporations composing the corporation or partnership of Seaview Amusement Co.,” Princess Anne County Partnership Book 1, page 133, recorded 6-4-1947 79 “$200,000 Expansion Program Under way at Seaview Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, December 21, 1946. 80 “Cocktail Chit Chat” Jet Magazine, August 18, 1955. 81 Globe Poster Company Correspondence, Box 2, Folder 1, Series 1: Correspondence, Dudley Cooper and Ocean View Amusement Park Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library, Old Dominion University Libraries, Norfolk, VA 23529. 82 Allan Herschell Company correspondence, Box 4, Folder 13 (Rides), Dudley Cooper and Ocean View Amusement Park Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library, Old Dominion University Libraries, Norfolk, VA 23529. 83 “Work on New Structure will Start in fall.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 26, 1947. 84 “Resort Operators Preparing for Gala Season; Openings set” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 29, 1948, E21.

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85 “Newport News Co-ed is “Miss Seaview.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 26, 1947. 86 “Seaview had a Good ’54 Season.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, December 11, 1954. 87 “Seaview Beach Gives Away $200 Fri., Sundays.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 2, 1956. 88 “Beach has its top Friday in 10-year History.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 23, 1956. 89 “Norfolk trio Surpasses 1955 by four per cent.” Billboard Magazine, October 13, 1956. 90 “Miss Seaview Contest set for July 20.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 5, 1947. 91 Somerville, Annette “Social Chat in Portsmouth.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, April 26, 1947. 92 Life Magazine “A fine day at the Beach. Life, August 18, 1947, 115. 93 “Social Whirl Column, “Let’s Take an Inventory” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 28, 1949. 94 “Portsmouth Club Notes.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 19, 1952. 95 “Bethlehem School Outing Monday.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 18, 1964. 96 “Nearly 600 Scouts have fun Galore at First Makahiki at Seaview Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, September 15, 1945. 97 “$200,000 Expansion Program Under way at Seaview Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, December 21, 1946. 98 “Seaview Beach to open.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, April 19, 1947. 99 “Seaview Beach to open soon.” A16 Norfolk Journal and Guide, April 26, 1947. 100 “Work on new Structure will Start in fall.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 26, 1947. 101 “Seaview Beach set for Gala ’51 Opening May 25.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 12, 1951. 102 “Improved Seaview Beach Ready for Gala Opening.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 24, 1952. 103 “Seaview had a good ’54 Season.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, December 11, 1954. 104 “Seaview Beach set for Gala ’51 Opening May 25.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 12, 1951. 105 “Buses to Seaview Fridays, Sundays.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 22, 1961. 106 “Seaview opens May 27th with $ Million new look.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 19, 1956. 107 Ibid. 108 Ibid. 109 “Many Improvements at Seaview; Opens May 29.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 25, 1957.

54

110 “Trained Chimp Appears at Seaview Next Week.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 21, 1951, A23. 111 “Jimmie Lunceford at Seaview Beach Oct. 8.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, October 6, 1945. 112 “Seaview Books Famed Stars for show, Beginning May 30.” B17 Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 25, 1946. 113 ““Hot Lips” Page and Orchestra Features Orlando Robeson.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 27, 1946, 20. 114 “Sweethearts of Rhythm Come to Seaview Sunday.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, September 13, 1947. 115 “Seaview sets Attractions for Summer.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 30, 1956. 116 “The Seaview Revue gave Sunrise Freebie.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 8, 1946. 117 “Seaview Books Famed Starts for Show, Beginning May 30.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 25, 1946. 118 “Louis Armstrong to Play Labor Day Dance at Seaview.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, August 31, 1946, A20. 119 Ibid. 120 “Seaview Beach Crowd is Biggest for the Season.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 23, 1955. 121 Display ad. “The New Seaview Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, September 5, 1964, A4. 122 “Wins Hudson Sedan at Seaview Beach.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, September 16, 1950. 123 “Seaview Officer is held in Beach Death.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, August 4, 1954. 124 “Seaview Beach Raided; Gambling Room Found.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, August 27, 1955. 125 “Four Seaview Directors out After Annual Meeting.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, March 26, 1955. 126 Ibid. 127 “Minority Stockholders sue Seaview Beach Corp.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 23, 1956. 128 In addition to the board members who were dropped, listed in the lawsuit were: Dr. Harry Boffman, Charles Artis, and Harry Parker. Two other stockholders not listed on the suit were Dr. U.S.G. Jones and James Purvis 129 “Part of Seaview Tract Being sold for $250.000.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, December 30, 1961. 130 “Seaview Beach Being Demolished by Wreckers.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, February 26, 1966. 131 McCollum, Obie, Column “Looking on in Norfolk.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, November 6, 1965, A15. 132 “Seaview Park Wins Battle over Lease.” Ledger-Dispatch, June 10, 1964.

55

133 McCollum, Obie, Column “Looking on in Norfolk.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, November 6, 1965, A15. 134 “Seaview Beach Being Demolished by Wreckers.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, February 26, 1966. 135 “120-Acre Bay Track Sold.” Ledger Star, November 2, 1965. 136 “Seaview Bows to Wreckers.” Virginian Pilot, February 21, 1966. 137 “Seaview Beach Being Demolished by Wreckers.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, February 26, 1966. 138 The original twenty-one founders and Seaview Board of Directors included; William T. Mason Sr., Wilbur O. Watts, Dr. Irving Watts, Rev. J.A. Handy, Dr. R.J. Brown, Leroy Berry, Andrew M. Sutton, Joseph D. Wilbur, Dr. U.S.G. Jones, Dr. Alfred C. Fentress, W.E. Waters, A.J. Tice, R.E. Spellman, James R. Purvis, William Moore, William Marks, Herbert G. Carter, D. H. Randolph Boffman, Charles Artis, Talmadge Johnson and Thomas Brow 139 Littlejohn, Jeffrey L., and Charles Howard Ford. Elusive equality: desegregation and resegregation in Norfolks public schools. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012, 96. 140 “Prominent Businessman Mourned.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, December 11, 1976. 141 Ibid. 142 Ibid. 143 Ibid. 144 William T. Mason Jr., Interview by Dr. Cassandra-Newby, Robinson Law Group offices, Norfolk, Va., March 5, 2008, March 12, 2008. https://scvahistory.org/oral-histories-judges-and-court-staff/oral-histories-civil-rights-attorneys/william-t-mason-norfolk-civil-rights-attorney/Accessed on June 20, 2017. 145 “Prominent Businessman Mourned.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, December 11, 1976. 146 William T. Mason Jr., Interview by Dr. Cassandra-Newby, Robinson Law Group offices, Norfolk, Va., March 5, 2008, March 12, 2008. https://scvahistory.org/oral-histories-judges-and-court-staff/oral-histories-civil-rights-attorneys/william-t-mason-norfolk-civil-rights-attorney/Accessed on June 20, 2017. 147 “Norfolk Hospital Board pays Honor to Mr. Mason, Retiring Administrator.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 28, 1955. 148 “Mason’s Estate over $1 Million.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, January 1, 1977. 149 “W.O. Watts Bus Firm Historic.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 22, 1944. 150 “Watts must Distribute 30,000 Xmas Trees Before Santa Comes.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, December 25, 1948. 151 “W.O. Watts Bus Firm Historic.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 22, 1944. 152 “Watts must Distribute 30,000 Xmas Trees Before Santa Comes.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, December 25, 1948. 153 “Hundreds Attend Funeral for Att’y Wilbur Watts.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, March 20, 1954.

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154 “Hundreds at Funeral for Att’y Watts.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, March 13, 1954. 155 “Dr. H.T. Mewborn Engaged to Attorney Wilber O. Watts.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 16, 1951. 156 “Hundreds Attend Funeral for Att’y Wilbur Watts.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, March 20, 1954. 157 “Saturday Funeral for Dentist Businessman” (3/20/54) “Hundreds Attend Funeral for Att’y Wilbur Watts.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, March 16, 1968. 158 “2 Qualify to Administer Wilbur O. Watts Estate.” (3/20/54) “Hundreds Attend Funeral for Att’y Wilbur Watts.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 1, 1954. 159 “Saturday Funeral for Dentist Businessman” (3/20/54) “Hundreds Attend Funeral for Att’y Wilbur Watts.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, March 16, 1968. 160 Ibid. 161 Fields, Norma Cromwell. "Blacks in Norfolk, Virginia during the 1930's." Master's thesis, Old Dominion University, 1979, 95. 162 “Soap, Soup, and Salvation Dispensed Daily by Colored Union Mission.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 4, 1932. 163 “Adult Education Workshop set at Norfolk June 10-12” Norfolk Journal and Guide, May 26, 1956, C3. 164 “Local Dentist, Native Norfolkian, Discoverer of Unusual Dentrifice.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 16, 1932, 7. 165 “Dr. Brown was Norfolk Dentist over 40 Years.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, June 22, 1957. 166 “Dr. Jones who Served Norfolk 35 years dies.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, April 14, 1956. 167 Fields, 26. 168 “Soap, Soup, and Salvation dispensed daily by colored union mission.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, July 4, 1932. 169 “Norfolk Doctor and new Office.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, September 30, 1939. 170 “Dr. Fentress dies suddenly in Philadelphia.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, August 21, 1971. 171 “Dr Boffman Heads Medical Society,” Norfolk Journal and Guide, November 11, 1944. 172 “The Professions.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, January 3, 1948. 173 Display ad. “Talmadge-Johnson Fuel Company.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, February 15, 1947. 174 “Talmadge Johnson.” Virginian Pilot, March 15, 1991. 175 “Form 2nd Congressional Democratic Organization.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, October 6, 1945, 7B. 176 “Hundreds at Rites for Norcom High Principal.” Norfolk Journal and Guide, April 23, 1966, A14

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177 Ibid. 178 http://wms.ppsk12.us/about_us 179 “Notice: Children of Lott Carey…” Display ad, Norfolk Journal and Guide, September 9, 1922. 180 Transcript, “Oral History Interview with Dr. Dudley Cooper.” Interviewed by Peter M. Kusiak, Old Dominion University, Oral Historys, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Perry Library. Online: http://dc.lib.odu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/oralhistory/id/89 (Accessed June, 13, 2017).