PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The city of Portsmouth is honoring its history and looking to the future with a new name for the Innovation District.
Mayor Shannon Glover announced the Innovation District has been named "the LINC" at this year's State of the City address.
"The LINC will connect people, ideas, and industries, and two major economic centers," Glover said. "Imagine a place where young artists, artisans and musicians can find affordable studio space, where you can build and scale a small business with mentorship and city support, where big ideas can collide at the coffee shop or at the food hall, and where people of all walks of life can find their own path to success."
The LINC encompasses the area along High Street, generally bounded by County Street, Martin Luther King Expressway, Effingham Street, and London Boulevard. The name is spelled with an "I-N-C" to represent the incoming businesses and symbolizes the connection between downtown Portsmouth and midtown. Lincolnsville is located directly to the north of the LINC from London Boulevard to the Naval Hospital, Cedar Grove Cemetery, and Washington Street.
Historian Charles Johnson, president of the African American Historical Society of Portsmouth, reflected on the area's rich history. “Four houses remain. Four original houses and they're all right together on North Street, and this is one of the houses right here,” Johnson noted, pointing to Dr. James Holley III's residence. “Lincolnsville was, in the beginning, the movers and shakers. It was a who's who. Notably, IC Norcom lived there, Dr. Holley, the city council person, the first dentist in the area lived there, Ruth Brown lived there..."
Lincolnsville was established in 1890 as a community for free Black individuals after the Civil War and was annexed into Portsmouth in 1905.
“It was the center of the African American community. Up until the 1940s, the community was really flourishing,” Johnson stated. "You hear about the Wall Street in other parts of the country, Black Wall Street. That's what it was. It was like the Black Wall Street of Portsmouth."
However, the 1950s brought challenges with urban renewal and the Virginia Law.
"They fought it in the courts in the 50s and up until 1960s," said Johnson. "With the urban renewal that came in they start taking over the properties. And that led to the total decline. The term that some people use today: gentrification. That's what happened. And that's a very sore thing in Portsmouth about what happened in Lincolnsville and across the country,” Johnson added.
While nothing will bring Lincolnsville back, Johnson said the preservation of its history is important. A state national historical marker is set to be erected in Lincolnsville to further honor its legacy. That project was delayed due to COVID-19 and construction, but Johnson hopes it will be placed soon.
And with the nod to Lincolnsville, Portsmouth's making plans to move into the future with the LINC.
“What it means is it is a whole new opportunity for our city to grow,” Glover concluded.
