The Hygeia Hotel

The Hygeia Hotel 200th Anniversary

Welcome to the 200th Anniversary of the Hygeia Hotel temporary site. If your device is not compatible with the app, you can view the exhibit in the video below and explore the same archival elements from the exhibit on this page. The exhibit is also available to interact with at the Casemate Museum!

An 1857 bill from the Hygeia to Thomas Reardon.

This image from the late 1860s shows the newly constructed Hygeia Hotel on the land that is now known as Continental Park.

This Harpers Weekly print from 1862 shows the Hygeia at the top of the page. In 1861 the Hygeia was requisitioned as a hospital by the Union Army.

The hotel is quickly expanded to be 4 stories tall as seen in this 1870s image

This 1880s advertisement for the Hygeia Hotel focuses on the many different forms of transportation to Old Point Comfort and the close proximity to Fort Monroe.

This 1890s advertisement for the hotel focuses on the health benefits that can be found by staying at this seaside resort. It also emphasizes the Hygeia as a pleasure resort and focuses on the fact that there's no malaria found at Old Point Comfort.

This 1895 menu from the Hygeia shows the importance of the seafood industry in the Hampton Community. The Hampton seafood industry of the late 19th century was built through the labor of free Black Americans.

This 1895 photograph of the Hygeia is probably the most recognizable image of the hotel. It shows the hotel in its heyday while it was being run by Harrison Phoebus.

In 1898, the addition of a drugstore to the nearby Chamberlin hotel was proposed. In this letter from the current proprietor of the hotel, Pike, he asks that the drugstore not be considered because it would add too much competition to the Hygeia.

A 1900 letter from Grace Bickford

This 1900 letter written by Grace Bickford back home to her family in NH describes the Hygeia nearing the end of its life. Grace was working for hotels in NH and had been sent South to learn the trade from the resorts at OPC. While grace was somewhat impressed by the Chamberlin, the Hygeia did not spark much interest.

Select images in the picture grid to read Grace Bickford's letter.

This page from the Hygeia ledger in 1901 records the profits and losses for the hotel. Beginning with the Spanish-American War and a subsequent Yellow Fever epidemic, the hotel begins to see huge losses.

This document is a copy of the 1902 orders from Elihu Root, Secretary of War, ordering the demolition of the Hygeia Hotel.

Select images in the picture grid to read the demo orders.

Appreciate