Four Historic Virginia Sites to Receive More Than $1 Million in Federal Funding for Restoration and Preservation

FORT MONROE, VA / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2023 / Four historic state-owned sites and structures across Virginia are set to receive more than $1 million in federal funding through the Semiquincentennial Grant Program in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

“Virginia’s rich and diverse history is worth protecting,” Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said in a news release. “We are thrilled to see this substantial funding go towards the restoration and preservation of some of the most notable sites that shaped not just Virginia, but the entire country.”

Fort Monroe is one of four Virginia sites to receive a grant from the National Park Service during this round of grant funding. The $75,000 grant was awarded to the Fort Monroe Authority (FMA) for the Fort George Resource Protection Survey at Fort Monroe.

“The purpose of this award is to better understand the site of Fort George, the earliest masonry fort built in Virginia, in order to protect this significant historic resource,” said Glenn Oder, Executive Director of the Fort Monroe Authority. “Fort George played a critical role in guarding the entrance to Hampton Roads, the colony’s vital artery of trade and communications.”

Further archival and archaeological exploration of the site promises to shed light on the daily lives of its occupants, including Commodore James Barron, the leader of Virginia’s State Navy during the American Revolution, who was born at Fort George while it was under his father’s command, and who witnessed first-hand as a young boy its destruction from a powerful hurricane in 1749.

Fort George, like the majority of the lands at Fort Monroe, is located in a Special Flood Hazard Area. With the threat of sea level rise, it is imperative to research, survey, and investigate the site, to the greatest extent possible.

“FMA expects the continued survey of the Fort George site will guide the future preservation and interpretive planning to protect the site and provide educational opportunities for many generations to come,” said David Stroud, FMA’s Director of Heritage Assets and Historic Preservation. “The proposed work is achievable based on FMA’s past performance and experience.”

Very little is currently known about the Fort George site beyond recent surveys. Any information gleaned from the defined project will greatly advance the study of Fort George and lead to long-term management insight.

All partners that have been chosen for this project have previous experience with the Fort George site as well as countless cultural resources across the nation.

The history of Fort George is one of a generational history. Founded on Native American lands, the occupation of the site displaced the indigenous peoples and then was the site of the landing of the first Africans in English speaking America. While the construction of Fort George is historically removed by 100-plus years from the first landing of Africans in Virginia, the site itself is important given that geographically Fort George is closely situated if not indeed located directly on top of the site for Fort Algernourne, which was the fort occupying Old Point Comfort at that the time of the first landing. With this understanding, there is perhaps a chance that the First Africans were taken into the fort walls of Algernourne on their arrival for safekeeping and if so and if Fort George was constructed at the location of Algernourne then there remains a chance to discover more history related to this landing.

About Fort Monroe

The Fort Monroe Authority (FMA) is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia, created to protect the historic resources, exercise exemplary stewardship of the fort’s natural resources and maintain Fort Monroe in perpetuity as a place that is desirable to reside, do business, and visit, all in a way that is economically sustainable. Fort Monroe has received numerous national and international designations to recognize and protect the area’s important heritage. In 1960, Fort Monroe was designated a National Historic Landmark and in 1966, Fort Monroe was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2011, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation designating Fort Monroe a National Monument. In 2021, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Fort Monroe as a Site of Memory Associated with the Slave Trade Route. Learn more at fortmonroe.org

About the National Park Service

More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 424 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Media Contacts:

Phyllis Terrell
Director of Communications
Fort Monroe Authority
757 251-2754
[email protected]

Kent Brockwell
Communications Director
Madison+Main
804-538-9007
[email protected]

SOURCE: Fort Monroe