Quarantine Path

Quarantine Path cuts through the center of the Old Dominion University (ODU) campus from Albert Brooks Gornto, Jr. Hall, passes the Alfriend Building and behind Webb University Center, and extends into the Larchmont/Edgemere neighborhood. The path is lined with white sea shells that used to mark the path to the Quarantine house, the first of it’s kind in Virginia, located in Lambert’s Point.

History

Quarantine Path is one of the oldest roads in Norfolk still in existence. Constructed as a result of a public health law passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1783, the road was used by foreign passengers and merchants to minimize the risk of spreading diseases, such as yellow fever. The road was used less frequently after the Union troops invaded Norfolk in 1862. The historic marker was placed by the Norfolk Historical Society behind Webb University Center in February 1969.

Resources

1. Old Dominion University Photographic and Multimedia Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Perry Library, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529.
2. ODU Photographic Collection, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Collections, Old Dominion University Libraries.
3. Building the University, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Exhibit, 2005.

References

1. Bookman, Steven and Jessica Ritchie. Old Dominion University: A Campus History Series.  Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, South Carolina, 2017.
2. Russell, Lia. “What’s In a Name: Quarantine Road, Norfolk.” The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va. 2009 August 10. Accessed 2019 June 10.