Kody Kight – Connecting Norfolk’s past and present through images

I was born in Portsmouth, Va. I am influenced heavily by my great-grandmother, being she was tour guide and historian for most of her life. She traveled around the country sharing history to anyone who would listen. Her influence led me to have a widespread fascination and appreciation for history. I graduated Old Dominion University in 2016 with a BA in History and BS in Mechanical Engineering. My anticipation is to combine the two fields for an end goal of preservation work.

American classic car culture has been something I’ve grown up in and around. I’ve had the chance to restore multiple cars and attend shows full of people interested in a bygone era. In many ways, antique car restoration has taught me the ins and outs of much of my approach to historical research.

Currently, I’m living up in Northern Virginia and have worked on the side with a few local preservation companies in doing minor home repairs including work on President Lincoln’s Cottage. I hope to continue work both in the historic and cultural preservation field as I find it a fulfilling and worthy venture to teach the next generation of what came before them.

More about what I do and why

Back in early 2016, I realized very few people actually knew about the local history woven into our surroundings.I saw social media as an avenue to share history with people at ease.

I connected with the local historians and leadership at our public libraries and gained access to the cities photography archive named, "The Sargeant Memorial Collection". I work with the Slover Library of Norfolk, Va. This is where the entire cities photo archive is stored, along with various city records, books and artifacts. Through sharing photos of buildings that have been torn down, it gets others engaged to protect and re-purpose what is left.

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What I’ve learned

My advice for other local historians would be to utilize social media to advocate. It is difficult to gain a following or share history on platforms seldom used. Meeting people where they are already plugged in is strategic. Finding things they are familiar with and can connect to helps create content that can instigate interest that could turn into a following. It’s a long haul, but preserving history is worth it! Knowing your audience is crucial.

How I work

I have established a social media presence on Instagram (@vintagenorfolk) for sharing historic photos and cultural research.

The initial process usually entails finding an area of interest or receiving an inquiry that involves a particular location. This could be either a building that a business now inhabits and the owners are curious of the structures history, or perhaps a neighborhood district with some historical significance. Once I know roughly what I am looking for, I dive into the cities photo archives and historical directories to start building a timeline. Key events such as construction and demolition dates, business ownership and architectural details are among the information I collect. If the building is still standing, I follow the history from its start until present. I then compile all the findings into a shortened history and attach a photo as I upload the whole package to Instagram. If possible, i’ll tag local businesses to bring attention to cities local history.

Social media can be a difficult place to attract a large following. It is not an overnight type of thing, but instead a persistent and long term goal. I knew the content I needed to post had to be good. But on top of that, I needed an engagement strategy with followers to help better curate what viewers wanted to see more of. I read comments carefully and try respond to any questions to help clarify locations, history or point in a direction where one can learn more. Additionally, by reviewing the amount of “likes” or views a post gets, it is easy to tell what content is more preferred than others.

The ideal time to post is when people might be taking their lunch breaks or immediately before or after work. Utilizing proper and specific tags are also crucial in helping people find your posts. This can drive both “likes” and new followers.

Furthermore, following like minded pages and local businesses helps engage a larger and already well established local based following. The content I post is local to Hampton Roads, which means finding people who are familiar with Norfolk are more likely to follow than those who are not.

I personally choose Instagram over Facebook because Instagram is aimed at more visual content. It is a streamlined, easy to use platform that has the ability to reach more followers. With a full time job and running @vintagenorfolk on the side for fun, Instagram just makes posting quick and easy.

Connect with me

@vintagenorfolk – A direct link to my Instagram account, showcasing Norfolk’s history and the stories it holds