Wednesday, April 18

Depth of Fort Monroe walls

Casement inside Fort Monroe

Today we awoke to strong winds and small watercraft warnings on the Chesapeake.  After our last experience boating on the Chesapeake Bay, we knew immediately that we needed to go to plan "B" and wait until the waters calmed down.

Fort Monroe moat

We decided to travel 15 miles down the Elizabeth River to Fort Monroe.  The marina, Old Point Comfort, once opened only to military personnel, is now open to all.  Fort Monroe is located at the Atlantic entrance to Hampton Roads (the body of water where Chesapeake Bay and mouths of the Elizabeth and James Rivers meet to form one of the world's largest natural harbors).
Long before the recent fort was built it was the site of the first landing in 1619 of a slave ship in the Colonies.
 Work began on the 63-acre fort shortly after the War of 1812 to protect against another invasion by the enemy.  The fortress remains the largest stone fort in America surrounded by a moat.
In 1861, as the Civil War raged, enslaved African Americans sought protection at Fort Monroe, a Union stronghold.  As word spread about the freedom seekers at Fort Monroe, more than 500,000 enslaved people made their way to the fort and it became known as "Freedom Fort".  Following the
end of the civil war,  Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, was imprisoned in a casement at the fort.
The present-day facility includes the Casement Museum as well as a number of historic homes and
churches.  It is a fascinating place & one that we do not think most people know about.  As we biked around the fort and toured the museum we were the only people in sight.  We could not help but feel that the ghosts of centuries were there with us as we stood on the ramparts.