The Erasure of Black Coastal Communities: Seatack, Croatan, and the Oceanfront

Following the Civil War and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, formerly enslaved Black Americans sought self-determination, autonomy, and security in Princess Anne County. Because white landowners of the late 19th century viewed the swampy, heavily wooded, and storm-prone Atlantic coastline as having little agricultural or commercial value, Black families were able to purchase, clear, and settle these seaside plots.

Over decades, these families built thriving, self-sustaining communities along the coast. The most prominent and resilient of these was Seatack, recognized as one of the oldest African American communities in the United States.

The Thriving Haven of Seatack

Seatack was a monument to Black resilience and self-reliance. Its residents were skilled craftsmen, farmers, and fishermen who built their own homes, schools, and civic associations.

Key pillars of Seatack included:

• The Seatack Volunteer Fire Department: Established by Black residents, it was the first Black-owned and operated volunteer fire department in the nation, providing vital emergency services that the segregated county government refused to provide.
• The U.S. Life-Saving Station Surfmen: Decades before the modern Coast Guard was created, heroic Black men from Seatack served as surfmen at the U.S. Life-Saving Station on the coast, launching rowboats into violent Atlantic storms to rescue passengers from shipwrecked vessels.
• Independent Economy: Local Black-owned stores, churches, and social clubs turned Seatack into a vibrant and safe cultural haven in the heart of the Jim Crow South.

+---------------------------------------------------------+
|                  THE PILLARS OF SEATACK                 |
|                                                         |
|   [Economic Autonomy]   - Craftsmen, Farmers, Fishers   |
|   [Civic Resilience]    - First Black Volunteer Fire Dept |
|   [Heroic Service]      - U.S. Life-Saving Station Surfmen|
|   [Social Cohesion]     - Local Churches and Safe Havens  |
+---------------------------------------------------------+

The Recreation Boom and the Shift in Land Value

In the mid-20th century, the American cultural attitude toward the ocean shifted dramatically. Seaside recreation and sunbathing became highly popular, transforming the previously "worthless" coastal swamp land into some of the most coveted, high-value real estate on the Eastern Seaboard.

As the Virginia Beach Oceanfront and exclusive neighborhoods like Croatan became prime targets for luxury resort development and affluent white homeownership, the city and private developers deployed a multi-pronged strategy to dismantle and displace the established Black communities:

1. Eminent Domain Seizures: Local governments aggressively utilized eminent domain to condemn Black-owned property under the guise of public "slum clearance" or infrastructural improvements. This land was then frequently sold or leased to private white developers for luxury hotel and condominium projects.
2. Exclusionary Zoning and Redlining: The city implemented zoning ordinances that made it illegal to build multi-family homes or run small businesses in areas designated for luxury single-family homes. Redlining policies systematically denied Black families mortgages or home improvement loans, forcing physical stagnation.
3. Property Tax Spikes: As neighboring luxury developments drove property values skyward, property taxes on multi-generational Black homes escalated exponentially. Families that had owned their land outright for generations were suddenly priced out and forced to sell.

Historical Erasure

The displacement of these communities was not just physical, but historical. In 1979, the U.S. Congress placed the Seatack Life-Saving Station on the National Register of Historic Places to honor the heroic legacy of the Black surfmen who manned it.

In response, Virginia Beach city officials took active measures to erase the name "Seatack" from public memory. They renamed the station the "Virginia Beach Life-Saving Museum" (and later the Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum), systematically removing reference to "Seatack" from local signage and official tourism narratives. By renaming the physical space, they stripped the Black community of their historical contribution, presenting the oceanfront as a space that had always been white, modern, and affluent.