Enjoy Exploring Fort Monroe

ByKristy

Fort Monroe is National Monument

We recently visited Fort Monroe and had a wonderful day! We are so fortune to live in an area with so much history. I often take what we have in our own backyard for granted. Do not miss an opportunity to visit, everyone from kids to history buffs will enjoy this treasure.

Fort Monroe is now a National Monument, open year-round with a lot to enjoy, including the fort, grounds, beach and the Casement Museum. Visitation is FREE even to the Museum. However, you can schedule a tour for a group of 10 or more for only $3 a person.

Stone wall and moat which surround Fort Monroe

History of Fort Monroe

The site was explored by Christopher Newport in the early 1600s. In 1619, the first slave ship arrived where Fort Monroe now stands. During the Civil War enslaved African Americans sought protection at Fort Monroe.

Construction of the Fort began in 1819 and was completed in 1834, designed to protect the Hampton Roads waterway from an enemy attack. It was named after the 5th President of the United States James Monroe.

The Fort is surrounded by a moat, the six-sided fort is the largest fort ever built in the United States.

Fort Monroe was deactivated as an Army base in September 2011 and is now a National Monument.

The history of Fort Monroe is extensive and interesting, learn more following this link https://www.nps.gov/fomr/index.htm

Casement Museum

Inside the Casement Museum you can explore the history of Fort Monroe. Walking through the museum is exciting in itself, the walls are made of stone and some passage ways are no more than 6′. The kids thought this was so cool they could almost reach the ceiling!

The tunnels in the museum are only 5’10”
The most notable prisoner at Fort Monroe was Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy. He was held in a room similar to this for months and remained at the Fort for years.
Although the fort was designed to hold cannons eventually the rooms held prisoners then officers quarters.
Casemate Museum displays supplies and artifacts spanning several hundred years.

Explore the Grounds

Make sure you go on a day when you can explore the grounds. From the moment you cross the single lane bridge to Fort Monroe there is so much to take in from the original buildings and houses to running around the top of fort.

This is the view standing on top of the fort, you can see the moat as well as the Chesapeake Bay.
At the top of the fort you can see the placement of the Canons and how they were aimed.

For more information on the history of Fort Monroe go to https://www.nps.gov/fomr/learn/historyculture/index.htm

Author

  • Kristy

    Multifaceted role combines marketing, sales, event planning, communications and digital management to support the mission and growth of Williamsburg Families, The Burg Weekender, The Burg Weekly and Localourist.

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