The Hampton Arts Staff

It was Harrison Phoebus who built the luxurious Hygeia Hotel at Fort Monroe. With more than one thousand rooms, the Hygeia became the destination resort hotel at the Southern end of the Chesapeake Bay. While the Hygeia was destroyed by fire and replaced by the equally impressive Chamberlin Hotel, Harrison Phoebus’ influence was so great that in 1900, the town changed its name from Mill Creek and Chesapeake City to the Town of Phoebus. It was not until 1952 that the town of Phoebus was incorporated into the City of Hampton, and it still fiercely maintains its own character and independence.