DATE: Monday, May 19, 1997                  TAG: 9705160891

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: - GEORGE H. TUCKER
                                            LENGTH:   25 lines

HIGH STREET FERRY DOCK

The High Street Ferry dock in Portsmouth during the early 1950s is

shown with three of the diesel-powered ferryboats that traversed the

Elizabeth River until the service was discontinued on Aug. 31, 1955.

At that time, Norfolk had a ferry history dating back 319 years to

1636, when Capt. Adam Thoroughgood had set up the first convenience

of its sort south of Hampton Roads, using a crude, hand-rowed skiff

to replace the hit-or-miss log canoe navigation of the Indians. The

first steam ferry to run between Norfolk and Portsmouth was the

``Gosport,'' which made its first trip across the harbor in 1832.

This type of transportation ended when the diesel-powered ferries

like the ones in this picture made their last run. When this

photograph was taken, the Portsmouth waterfront was lined with late

18th and early 19th century brick structures. One of these, the

white-painted brick building on the left, housed various Norfolk and

Portsmouth newspaper offices over the years.

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