Aberdeen Gardens, built by African Americans for African Americans, was the first of its kind in America and part of a New Deal program to resettle families who could not afford decent housing during the Great Depression. This successful subsistence housing project consisted of 158 brick homes on 440 acres surrounded by a forest greenbelt, with nearly a half acre for each home so families could plant vegetable gardens and keep chicken coops and, in some cases, farm animals. The federal government provided 12 mules, 12 cows, and 25,000 chickens. Most residents were families of workers at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., although some doctors and lawyers also lived there. The neighborhood took its name from Aberdeen Road, then the main connector to the Newport News waterfront, and that road's name came from Aberdeen, Scotland, from which early settlers immigrated. Begun in 1934 and completed in 1937, Aberdeen Gardens welcomed its first family on November 1 of that year. Residents could choose 3-, 4-, or 5-room homes with indoor plumbing and steam heat, and rents ranged from $11 to $15 per month. The village also had an elementary school and cooperative center. At the end of World War II, families were able to buy their homes. A strong sense of community later led to neighborhood organizations, a museum, and a local historic society, and the community was named one of the best in America. Its seven roads were named for prominent black Virginians. In 1994, Aberdeen Gardens was placed on the Virginia State Register of Historic Landmarks and the National Register of Historic Places.
