The Roy Lane Tract

This is the former site of the Roy's Lane tract, the other option that was considered for Christopher Newport College's new campus in 1960. Like the Shoe Lane tract, the property was 60 acres and located off Warwick Boulevard.

The Roy's Lane tract had many of the same advantages that the Shoe Lane tract had. It was open and undeveloped, had no natural impediments or barriers, and was already connected to the city's sewage and utility systems. The main difference between the two properties was the price: the Roy's Lane tract was valued at $121,000, while Shoe Lane was estimated to be worth $235,000. The rational behind the city of Newport News ultimately choosing the Shoe Lane tract instead of the cheaper Roy's Lane tract makes little sense. However, many members of the community, as well as Professor Phillip Hamilton of Christopher Newport University (author of Serving the Old Dominion: A History of Christopher Newport University, 1958–2011), attribute the nonsensical decision to racial motivations. The city hoped to hinder the establishment of an African- American community next to the whites-only James River Country Club.