PORTSMOUTH, Va. — I recently visited the Portsmouth Colored Community Library Museum and talked with Michael Hogan, the Curator of History with the Portsmouth Department of Museums & Tourism.
"The building itself is historic. But we are working really hard to try to touch on subjects, people, and ideas that maybe aren't talked about enough," says Hogan.
During the Jim Crow era, this small, brick building was the only library for Portsmouth’s African American community.
"The importance of the space and its cultural impact, not just on education and learning, but this being a meeting place, a place of social gathering, would have been significantly different than the city's libraries themselves," says Hogan.
This building had an impact beyond just the books inside: It was an anchor point for the community and a source of pride.
Hogan tells me, "This is one of the few buildings that was actually created by the African American community, rather than created by the city for the African American community,"
This library closed in 1963 when the city’s main library was desegregated.
In 2007, the building was moved to its current location on Elm Street and restored by the African American Historical Society of Portsmouth.
"A lot of times, we'll get people that say that they've lived here their entire lives and don't know it's here. This is one of the city's sort of hidden gems," says Hogan.
The Portsmouth Colored Community Library Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is located at the corner of Elm Avenue and Rutter Street.
The newest exhibit (opened in February 2024) at the library museum is called “Art Is Revolutionary: Icons, Innovators and Trailblazers." It showcases some the area’s most successful Black artists, musicians, and filmmakers. This exhibit will be open for the next several months if you want to check it out.
