Fort Monroe
National Historic Landmark

Fort Monroe

Hampton (Independent City), Hampton County, Virginia
Listed
October 14, 1966
Type
District
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
66000912

About this property

Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service, and the city of Hampton as the Fort Monroe National Monument . Along with Fort Wool, Fort Monroe originally guarded the navigation channel between the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads—the natural roadstead at the confluence of the Elizabeth, the Nansemond and the James rivers. Until disarmament in 1946, the areas protected by the fort were the entire Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River regions, including the water approaches to the cities of Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, along with important shipyards and naval bases in the Hampton Roads area. Surrounded by a moat, the six-sided bastion fort is the largest fort by area ever built in the United States.

Location

Hampton (Independent City), Hampton County, Virginia
37.00313, -76.30829

Federal Designation

The National Register of Historic Places, administered by the National Park Service, is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical, architectural, archaeological, engineering, or cultural significance. Listing on the National Register recognizes a property's importance to American history but does not place restrictions on private owners; it does, however, make properties eligible for federal historic preservation tax incentives and enables consideration in federal planning decisions. National Historic Landmark designation, the highest level of federal recognition, is reserved for properties that possess exceptional national significance in the history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture of the United States. This property is recorded in the National Register under reference number 66000912. It was listed on October 14, 1966.

Categories

MILITARYPOLITICS/GOVERNMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Nearby Battles

Fort Monroe Area Operations
1862Civil War
0.2 mi
Sinking of USS Cumberland by CSS Virginia
1862Civil War
0.4 mi
USS Monitor Engages CSS Virginia Final Encounter
1862Civil War
1.1 mi
Action at Hampton Roads (Collier's Raid, 1779)
1779Revolutionary War
1.3 mi
CSS Virginia Sinking of USS Cumberland
1862Civil War
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Fort Monroe listed on the National Register?

Fort Monroe was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1966.

What type of historic resource is Fort Monroe?

Fort Monroe is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Fort Monroe a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Fort Monroe has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Fort Monroe?

The period of significance for Fort Monroe is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1834.

Can I research the history near Fort Monroe?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Fort Monroe will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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