Cultural Facilities
The Newport News Public Library system operates the Grissom branch library in the Denbigh Municipal Center. The Grissom Library should be located to a site near the Stoney Run recreation center where an expanded operation can adequately serve the citizens of the north district.
Across from the municipal center is the restored Old Warwick Courthouse of 1884 which is managed by the Newport News-Warwick Historic Preservation Association. This Courthouse serves as the local history and genealogical center for Newport News. The nearby land surrounding the courthouse has been acquired by the Green Foundation and will be preserved as open space. These cultural facilities are also discussed in Chapter 11 on Culture.
Historic Sites
Planning District III and Newport News, occupies land with a rich history. In some cases, a historic structure remains, but in most cases there is just land, a name and its associated history. This history forms a starting point for the future identify and character of the neighborhoods and activity centers in the District. This history creates a sense of place and is a source of community pride, which are ingredients for building neighborhoods that are stable and quality places to live in over the long term.
Other Colonial and Civil War sites include the following: Warwicktown, Mathews Manor, Windmill Point, Peartree Hall, First Denbigh Parish Church, Balthrop Plantation, Courthouse Square, Lee’s Mill & Young’s Mill, Oakland, Fort Crawford, Lee Hall Mansion, Lee Hall Depot, Mulberry Island, Camp Abraham Eustis, Menchville, Potter’s Field. These and other historic sites are discussed in Chapter 9 on Historic Preservation.
