Harrison Phoebus - 1840-1886

The influence of Harrison Phoebus on his community was so great that in 1900 the town officially changed its name from Mill Creek and Chesapeake City to the Town of Phoebus. It was not until 1952 that Phoebus was incorporated into the City of Hampton and the community still maintains a fierce independence and spirit.

Harrison Phoebus built the luxurious Hygeia Hotel at Fort Monroe. With more than a thousand rooms, the Hygeia became the destination resort hotel at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay. The Hygeia was destroyed in a fire but the equally impressive Chamberlin Hotel replaced it and it has now been lovingly and carefully restored to its former grandeur.