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Story
June 28, 1872
Bristol News
Bristol, Washington County, Virginia
What is this article about?
In Norfolk, Virginia, 106 properties, many owned by poor widows and orphans, were sold at auction for unpaid city taxes, with most bought by the city itself at minimal value, exacerbating hardship for the destitute.
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OCR Quality
95%
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Full Text
Sold for Taxes.
The Norfolk Virginian has the following:
For the first time in the history of our city since its act of incorporation, we witnessed yesterday a sale of real estate for city taxes. One hundred and six pieces of property were advertised and sold, many of them were the homesteads of widows and orphans, whose utmost exertions could scarcely raise means to supply them with the necessaries of life, much less pay a tax of 2 3 per cent. upon their exorbitantly assessed homes. Such a state of affairs is truly distressing, and we think somehow or other the council ought to have made a distinction in favor of the really poor. Some were sold for only one year's tax, and none of them brought more than a very small fraction of their value. Of the one hundred and six pieces sold, fifty-two were bought in by the city for the tax due, as there were no bidders for them. We fear that many of the poor women and children thus deprived of homes, not being able to rent, will have to go to the poor house. These sweeping laws which make no exceptions for circumstances and conditions bear with peculiar hardness upon the innocent as well as those who should be justly subjected to their effects. Most of the property sold yesterday belonged to persons who had not the means to pay the taxes. They were mostly small houses.
The Norfolk Virginian has the following:
For the first time in the history of our city since its act of incorporation, we witnessed yesterday a sale of real estate for city taxes. One hundred and six pieces of property were advertised and sold, many of them were the homesteads of widows and orphans, whose utmost exertions could scarcely raise means to supply them with the necessaries of life, much less pay a tax of 2 3 per cent. upon their exorbitantly assessed homes. Such a state of affairs is truly distressing, and we think somehow or other the council ought to have made a distinction in favor of the really poor. Some were sold for only one year's tax, and none of them brought more than a very small fraction of their value. Of the one hundred and six pieces sold, fifty-two were bought in by the city for the tax due, as there were no bidders for them. We fear that many of the poor women and children thus deprived of homes, not being able to rent, will have to go to the poor house. These sweeping laws which make no exceptions for circumstances and conditions bear with peculiar hardness upon the innocent as well as those who should be justly subjected to their effects. Most of the property sold yesterday belonged to persons who had not the means to pay the taxes. They were mostly small houses.
What sub-type of article is it?
Historical Event
Tragedy
What themes does it cover?
Misfortune
Family
Social Manners
What keywords are associated?
Tax Sale
Property Auction
Widows Orphans
Poverty
City Taxes
Homelessness
Where did it happen?
Norfolk
Story Details
Location
Norfolk
Event Date
Yesterday
Story Details
For the first time since incorporation, 106 properties in Norfolk were sold for city taxes, many belonging to widows and orphans unable to pay, with 52 bought by the city due to no bidders, leading to potential homelessness for the poor.