Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
Members of the Owens family, and the City of Chesapeake along with elected officials will dedicate a state historical marker that highlights the Owens-Melvin House in Chesapeake and the life of civil rights activist Dr. Hugo Armstrong Owens, a World War II veteran who worked to desegregate public facilities in Portsmouth during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1970 Owens became one of the first two African Americans elected to the Chesapeake City Council, ultimately serving eight of his ten years on the council as the city’s vice-mayor.
The marker ceremony starts at 11 a.m., tomorrow, Wednesday, May 26, at the marker’s location alongside the Owens-Melvin House at 732 Shell Road, Chesapeake, VA 23323
