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Norfolk’s Harbor: Then and Now
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Norfolk is a city whose very existence is based on seaborne trade.
The Borough was founded in 1682 as a place where customs duties could
be collected. Mostly destroyed on January 1, 1776, Norfolk regenerated
after the War of Independence. The merchants behind this re-growth moved
to Virginia to take advantage of the trade possibilities of Norfolk’s
location as America’s northern-most ice-free port. A brisk trade
with Europe and the West Indies led to rapid growth in the years after
the Revolution. By 1800, Norfolk had become the tenth largest city in
the U.S. and the country’s sixth busiest port. A series of economic
setbacks followed. The Embargo of 1807-1809, the War of 1812 and the
closure of British West Indies ports following that conflict all hurt
the city’s economy. When the railroad reached Norfolk shortly
before the Civil War, the port regained its significance only to be
ruined again in the aftermath of that war. Cotton exports and later
coal shipments brought renewed growth at the end of the 19th Century.
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