FEATURED NEWS  VIDEO-OF-THE-MONTH  ortsmouth flag factory U.S. Flag and Signal, producer of the Hampton Roads Flag as well as numerous U.S. flags, is featured on WAVY-TV. Access the video here.

Encyclopedia of Norfolk Soon to be Available
Volume 1 is first of a 20-volume work as 7-year project nears completion

 ur big news is that the mammoth project of the geographic history of Norfolk is coming ever so close to completion, and the first volume of this astonishing 20-volume Encyclopedia of Norfolk, Virginia is about to be released as an e-book, which will be available for purchase for the very first time right here on the Hampton Roads Times site.

This is a great opportunity to secure a copy of this resource that promises to be an instant collector's edition. Those who order here will receive an instant discount for the purchase of all subsequent volumes as well as future print editions. Here's a sneak peak at the cover of the first volume.




Hampton Roads Billheads Collection is Growing
Will total more than 400 when completed

 ur collection of 19th-century billheads from Norfolk businesses is growing. We've just completed making available more of this fascinating selection of billheads, receipts, and letterheads of businesses (currently displayed are businesses beginning with letters "a" and "b"). The one below, for instance, is one of the oldest extant copies of a printed billhead of a Norfolk business. Dated 1825, this billhead of the Brettes, Sautejau wholesale and retail store located on the Market Square was found within the Myers Papers (Old Dominion University Library, Special Collections); by that time, as revealed by the scratched-out name ("Vincent"), an original partner in the firm had apparently either left the company or died. Moses Myers, the buyer, was a prominent shipping merchant whose house still stands today on Freemason Street. Check out all the billheads displayed thus far here.





Ethics is Core of Hampton Roads Business
Hampton Roads Times promoting codes of ethics for all area businesses

 he success of Hampton Roads, indeed the success of any region, is dependent in large part upon the strength of its business community. And what makes it strong is largely dependent on one attribute above all others: honesty. That's why we have an entire section devoted to business ethics. Click here to learn about how to write your own business's code of ethics. (We're also promoting the creation of codes of ethics for every Hampton Roads business's website through the use of the logo on the right.)

Latest Resources Becoming Available  Eventful.com gives us access to Hampton Roads-area events;  City Directories will soon be online too
Courtesy of eventful.com, we've added to our Resources (left column, each page) a "More Events" section, which presents an extensive listing of events in Hampton Roads arranged by category.	We're constantly expanding our Resources section. Look for a list of links to complete city directories from the 1800s of some Hampton Roads cities in subsequent issues.

Volunteering is for everyone!

Whether you're a busy businessman or businesswoman or a "stay-at-home" mom or dad, there should always be time for volunteering. That's why Hampton Roads Times has an extensive, and ever-growing, list of organizations in this area that often need and welcome volunteers.

Throughout the history of Hampton Roads, businessmen have frequently joined fraternal organizations, none of which was more popular than that of the Freemasons. The Sargeant Memorial Room (Norfolk Public Library) holds this rare Masonic certificate of membership of Walter Herron Taylor, dated 1877, for the Masonic Mutual Beneficial Association of Norfolk, Va. (from Walter H. Taylor Papers). Click on it to enlarge, and see its remarkable detail, especially in the picture of the Masonic headquarters, one of Norfolk's great architectural gems no longer extant.