Norfolk Southern in Hampton Roads: A Lee Hall Depot Rail Heritage Program

By: The City of Newport News

On Sunday, May 7 at 2 p.m., the Lee Hall Train Station Foundation invites the public to attend a special rail heritage talk at the Lee Hall Depot, located at 9 Elmhurst Street. Author Elizabeth Cooper will highlight the heritage of one of Virginia’s longstanding rail lines, Norfolk Southern.

Norfolk Southern Railway’s history in southeastern Virginia began in the mid-19th century when a young civil engineer named William Mahone designed an innovative 12-mile-long roadbed through the Great Dismal Swamp. Trees were felled and laid side by side at right angles beneath the swamp’s surface, forming a corduroy road, with the roadbed built on top of the logs. The logs sank into the boggy swamp, where they are preserved. 

Nearly 170 years later, Mahone’s design continues to serve as a major route for Norfolk Southern traffic, supporting millions of tons of freight each year as the railroad provides extensive service throughout Hampton Roads. One of the nation’s largest Class 1 railroads, Norfolk Southern was created through the merger of Roanoke-based Norfolk & Western Railway and Washington, D.C.-based Southern Railway in June 1982. 

An award-winning writer, Cooper worked for Norfolk Southern Corporation’s Corporate Communications Department where she had access to their vast archives to research and illustrate her book. Cooper will autograph and sell books after the presentation.

This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact 757-525-7372.