THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 9, 1996 TAG: 9608070083
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: 72 lines
If Portsmouth folks don't know about and cherish their history, it won't be because M.H. ``Hank'' Morris hasn't tried.
Morris is particularly fond of the city's Civil War history - and aware of its importance. He touts the Battle of Hampton Roads and the development of the ironclad CSS Virginia at the naval shipyard here.
When the Virginia (formerly USS Merrimack) met the Monitor in Hampton Roads during the Civil War for the first battle of ironclads, the future of naval history around the world was changed.
That's no small event. It happened here because of the ingenuity of Portsmouth shipyard workers. Portsmouth deserves to lay claim to this piece of history more than any other community.
Morris wants to start an awareness project and figures history best can be brought to our attention with a 135th anniversary celebration next March.
The weekend of March 7-9, actually the dates the Virginia made her debut, has been designated for a celebration. A 135th Anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads committee has been named and will meet Aug. 22 to discuss plans for the commemorative occasion.
As usual, Morris didn't sit around waiting for committees to do all the thinking. Already he has commitments of participation from the naval shipyard, the naval hospital, the city and ``all the Civil War groups'' in the area.
Morris envisions the celebration opening with a reception, complete with Civil War music, and another event to unveil paintings of the Virginia now being painted by local artists.
``We want to sell prints of the art to raise money for the event and other activities to promote the history,'' Morris said.
Morris wants to have a serious history symposium with well-known speakers on various aspects of the era and this area. He's looking at a charge of $5 for adults and free admission to students for a day of discussion.
A Saturday night banquet would be part of the weekend activities.
And, of course, Morris would include tours of Cedar Grove Cemetery, where many Civil War veterans are buried and where the Sons of Confederate Veterans have been doing a massive cleanup.
The celebration seems like a good idea.
Over the years, people from time to time have attempted to put Portsmouth's ironclad history more in the spotlight. Although we take for granted ships made of substances other than wood today, the ironclad ranks pretty high on a list of important developments in history.
At one time, maybe 10 years ago, the Portsmouth Museums tried to become the repository for Monitor artifacts, which would have given us good reason to build an elaborate shipyard museum. Some people talked of a panoramic display, complete with sound and other special effects, as a big tourist attraction.
Decades ago, there was an earlier attempt to create a special show centered on the events of 1862.
The notion of emphasizing the ironclad's development is not new to those who have preferred to downplay the Merrimack in our history. However, the battle between the Virginia and the Monitor is just one incident in a long and lustrous history of the Naval forces of our land.
For instance, the first battleship came out of the yard. That was the Texas, launched in 1892.
The first aircraft carrier, the Langley, was built here from an old collier.
The shipyard built some of the Navy's finest. It also made Portsmouth a point of concern during every war in this nation's history.
The Civil War era is important. And Morris is doing the right thing by zeroing in on one part of so much illustrious history.
Maybe his example will spur some other groups to follow suit. I always have hoped that the very active Fort Nelson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution would encourage research about Portsmouth's history during the battle for independence. Portsmouth has a special history of that era, too.
If we have anything to sell besides our wonderful small-town atmosphere on the waterfront, it's the history here that spans the life of the nation. by CNB