News Flash

June 18, 2020 - Hampton City Hall and most city services and buildings will be closed Friday for Juneteenth, a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. Trash will be recollected as usual. The treasurer’s office and commissioner of revenue’s office, located in the Ruppert Sargent Building, will also be closed. State courts will be open. The Clerk of Courts office will also be open, but by appointment only.

Although President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news of the war’s end and the president’s declaration. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he would propose legislation making Juneteenth a paid state holiday.

In a message Wednesday to city employees, City Manager Mary Bunting said: "City Council has concurred with my recommendation that we designate this Friday, June 19, 2020, as a paid Administrative/Bonus day so that we can collectively commemorate this important part of our history. We felt strongly about affirming the significance of this day for our citizens and employees."