William Elton Beale, Sr., Photograph Collection, 1900s-1950s | Sargeant Memorial Collection

By Ashlee Jordan

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Collection Overview

Title: William Elton Beale, Sr., Photograph Collection, 1900s-1950s

Predominant Dates:1900s-1910s (bulk)

Primary Creator: Beale, William E., Sr. (1888-1985)

Extent: 0.01 Linear Feet

Arrangement: Chronological order.

Date Acquired: 08/05/2025

Subjects: Curtiss aircraft, Fort Monroe (Va.), Hampton Roads (Va. : Region), Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (Va.), Maine (Battleship No. ACR-1), Naval ceremonies, honors, and salutes, Ships, Shipwrecks, Tunnel, Virginia Beach (Va.)

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

This is the personal photograph collection of William Elton Beale, Sr., which includes six photograph prints he captured of various scenes in the Hampton Roads region. Images depict the Norwegian Lady masthead at the Virginia Beach oceanfront sometime in the early 1900s; Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia in the 1910s; a Curtiss Golden Flyer in-flight in the 1900s; construction of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in the mid-1950s; and two photograph prints in 1912 of the escort of the USS Maine off of the coast of Havana to be ceremoniously sunk with military honors.

Subject/Index Terms

Curtiss aircraft
Fort Monroe (Va.)
Hampton Roads (Va. : Region)
Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (Va.)
Maine (Battleship No. ACR-1)
Naval ceremonies, honors, and salutes
Ships
Shipwrecks
Tunnel
Virginia Beach (Va.)

Administrative Information

Repository: Sargeant Memorial Collection

Access Restrictions: This collection is open to all researchers.

Use Restrictions: The status of copyright for these materials is goverened by Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. C.). Copyright restrictions may apply.

Acquisition Source: Mary Beale Reese, by donation

Preferred Citation: William Elton Beale, Sr. Photograph Collection, MSS 2025-020, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.

Processing Information: Processed August 6, 2025.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Folder:

[Folder 1: Historic photographs, 1900s-1950s],
[All]

Folder 1: Historic photographs, 1900s-1950s

Item 1: Curtiss Golden Flyer, circa 1900s
Item 2: U.S.S. Maine Ceremonious Sinking, 1912 March 16
Item 6: Hamtpon Roads Bridge Tunnel Construction, 1955-1956