The past few posts have been about my trip to Colonial National Park. While I enjoyed Jamestowne, Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg, and saving money throughout the weekend I made the most surprising discovery at Fort Monroe National Monument.
Fort Monroe was once known as the Gibraltar of the Chesapeake and is the largest stone fort in America. It is now referred to as a “Park in Progress” after being named a National Monument in 2011. A few weeks a go it became my 82nd National Park.
During the Civil War, Fort Monroe became known as Freedom’s Fortress. Any runaway slave that made it to the fort was considered free. This was a bit controversial because under the Fugitive Slave Act, they should have been returned to their masters. But Major General Benjamin Butler argued that since Virginia (where the runaway slaves were from) had succeeded from the Union, they were no longer part of the United States so he didn’t need to return the slaves. Instead, he referred to them as “contrabands of war.” Unfortunately, Butler soon put the men to work and didn’t pay them, but a few months later the Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, ordered that the men be paid.
The path to freedom at Fort Monroe is an ironic one. Long before the existing fort was built, a number of English forts stood in its place. In 1619 a Dutch slave ship brought the first slaves to colonies and established this horrendous practice in America.
Another twist of irony came as construction was being completed on the current Fort Monroe. The project was overseen by a young engineer named Robert E. Lee who, of course, would go on to become a General in the Army of Northern Virginia – a member of the Confederate States. At the surrender of the Confederacy, then president Jefferson Davis was imprisoned at Fort Monroe. Perhaps arriving at the very same spot the first slaves did centuries earlier and being held in a structure designed or built by his most notable general.
The fort was used during World War 2 as a line of U boat defense and was only decommissioned in September 2011.
All of these twists and turns in the history of Fort Monroe make it an exciting place to explore.
To get into the fort I had to drive across a moat. A real moat! How many of you have driven across a moat? That experience alone was enough to make the trip worth it.
There were very little signs of National Park Service involvement. Very little signs in general. The entire place looked deserted. Inside the walls of the fort are a few homes and we saw a couple people, but we were the only visitors. We drove the entire way around the inside not knowing where to go, but then we parked outside the Casemate Museum. We were there in the evening so the museum wasn’t open, but we were able to pick up a few brochures from the box outside the entrance.
So what do you do inside a deserted fort? You explore!
First, we walked through the Postern Gate. Located around the corner from the museum, this is a footbridge over the moat. Then we climbed the rampart to the terreplein. Now that we were on top of the fort we were met with many foundations and mounts were there were once guns. Every few feet there was another.
When we turned around to face the inside of the fort, my dad noticed a small marker on the ground. A tiny tombstone for Snoopy. I’ve done a bit of research on this now, and at one point this was an active pet cemetery used by members of the military. In fact some of the pets buried here were even service dogs. A place of honor for the best friends of those who fought for our country.
As we walked along we peered over the wall and saw Old Point Comfort Lighthouse and across the water lies the City of Norfolk and Fort Wool.
As a National Park, Fort Monroe still has a ways to go. Informational signage throughout the park is greatly needed. But the lack of publicity at the moment makes now the perfect time to go. It isn’t crowded, very few areas are off limits, and you’re free to explore however you desire.
What is the strangest or most surprising discovery you’ve made in a National Park?
Go. Live.
FYI – I’m taking off on vacation in a few days and I’m not quite sure when I can post again. In the mean time, follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I’m planning to visit 6 National Parks on this trip, so it will be a big week for #100by100.
