The Fever

      One hundred fifty years ago, the people of Norfolk
and Portsmouth were stalked by a silent killer

At first, they fell one or two at a time ...
then 10 a day … finally 80 or 90 a day.

Many residents fled, but those who stayed
behind witnessed an otherworldly event:

people battling something that they could not
see, suffering from an illness that had no cure.

At the height of the devastation,
only one thing mattered:

Who would live and who would die?

Publishing Details


"The Fever," Originally Published July 10-23, 2005. Presented with permission from The Virginian-Pilot.
By Lon Wagner, The Virginian-Pilot
© July 10, 2005

Story Description


Learn more about the deadly pestilence that wiped out a third of the population of Norfolk and Portsmouth during the fall of 1855.

The Story in 14 Chapters


Chapter 1: A Killer Sails into Port (PDF)
Chapter 2: Quarantine (PDF)
Chapter 3: Exodus (PDF)
Chapter 4: Desperation (PDF)
Chapter 5: Accusations (PDF)
Chapter 6: Devastation (PDF)
Chapter 7: Orphaned (PDF)

Download and print: The Fever: The full series (PDF).

Reach Lon Wagner at 757-446-2341 or email.