VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Monday night, dozens of Seatack residents gathered in Virginia Beach to hear how their home could soon have a historic district designation.
Lots of familiar faces grew up in that neighborhood, like Grammy Award-Winning musician Pharrell Williams and State Senator Aaron Rouse.
The community has a robust history dating back to the end of the Civil War and some current residents say this designation would be a welcome one.
This is a process that's been in the works since 2020, when the National Park Service announced a $750,000 grant to recognize Underrepresented Communities to add to the National Register of Historic Places. Seatack could soon become one of those places.
The community in Virginia Beach is one of the oldest African-American communities in the United States, and with that designation comes a lot of history.
"This community wasn't a plan or a laid out community, but it was hued out. Street by street, home by home, road by road, and we evolved," said Sharon Felton, a Seatack resident.
She said says she's the fifth generation in her family to live in Seatack, which is a common theme among many of the people who live there today.
One of the many significant points in their history happened after World War II, when several residents chartered the first uniquely African-American fire department in the U.S. No other group has existed like it since.
"Unlike a lot of neighborhoods, Seatack has a lot of intact, good integrity resources and it's a strong district," said Marcus Pollard with Commonwealth Preservation Group.
Because of that history, the community is nominated to receive a historic district designation by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources.
A designation residents, like Barbara Olds, say is overdue.
"As a community, we're excited. I'm excited. I think it's a great idea and opportunity," she said ahead of the meeting.
Some at the meeting expressed concern that not everyone home or building is included within the boundaries. The leaders of the project said that to be specifically included, the building would have to have been built before 1970 with no major renovations to change the look or integrity of the home. The boundaries do touch historic cemeteries, churches and older homes.
However, they assured the community that the nomination does cover the full community history.
Felton said she hopes this designation keeps their history alive for generations to come.
"It is a robust community, it still is and it will continue to be," she said.
The next step will be to present the nomination to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources on December 14th.