 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Howard Association, a benevolent organization, was formed in Norfolk, Virginia during the 1856 Yellow Fever Epidemic which killed 1 in 3 residents of Norfolk and sister city Portsmouth in Hampton Roads. Contributions were used to set up a hospital and an orphanage, to feed the hungry and to bury the dead. It was named after a British philanthropist and prison reformer, John Howard.
It has long been known that the 1855 Yellow Fever epidemic had begun when infected persons arrived aboard a ship. Hampton Roads' plight drew assistance in the form of funds, supplies, and medical personnel from many other cities and communities, especially those located along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast areas of the United States.
Money remaining in the Howard Association's coffers has continued to be used for medical relief in the 150 years since, primarily in southeastern Virginia. The Howard Association resources were merged with those of the Norfolk Foundation, another longstanding benevolent group, in 1986.