The impressive live oak tree on Fort Monroe’s parade ground is about 500 years old. It sprouted when Kecoughtan people foraged and fished at Old Point Comfort. The Algernourne Oak became part of Fort Monroe National Monument in 2011. This storied resident of Fort Monroe still watches as American history unfolds.
The US Army built Quarters 1 in 1819. Quarters No.1 housed the ranking officer or post commander of Fort Monroe. It also served as the fort headquarters. In 1861, US Major General Benjamin Butler made his controversial "Contraband Decision" at Quarters No.1. Other occupants were the Marquis de Lafayette, George B. McClellan, Abraham Lincoln, and King David Laʻamea Kamanakapuʻu Māhinulani Nālaʻiaʻehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua of Hawaii.
The US Army built Quarters 17 in 1823 to house bachelor officers. One well known resident was Lt. Robert E. Lee who lived there with his wife from 1831 to 1834. Lee oversaw construction work on the fort.
The brick and stone walls of Fort Monroe house the Casemate Museum. Exhibits chronicle the 400-year history of seacoast fortifications at Old Point Comfort.
The Chapel of the Centurion is the only religious structure within the walls of Fort Monroe. It stands on the edge of the Parade Ground facing northeast. Construction finished in 1857. The chapel was consecrated the following year. It is one of the oldest wooden churches built on an army post. The chapel remains in use for civilian religious services today.
The Commonwealth of Virginia placed a historical highway marker in 1994. It stands on the seawall at Old Point Comfort. The marker represents and commemorates where the first enslaved Africans came to Virginia.
The Main Gate is one of the most prominent and identifiable features of the fort. It is along the western wall known as the Seventh Front. Built in 1823, the Main Gate had four casemates, a sally port, stockade, and within the gate a guard house.
Start your visit and get oriented at Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center. Exhibits and videos tell of people and events that shaped fort's historic landscape. The Visitor & Education Center is in the former Coast Artillery Library, built in 1909.
The Army designed Fort Monroe to concentrate fire on the shipping channel. The Water Battery was a long block of single-story casemates outside the main part of the fort. The 40 cannons of Water Battery along with those atop the main fort enhanced its fire power.
Cast in 1860, this cannon is the first 15-inch Rodman gun produced. It was named for President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. The gun was last fired in 1864. The US Army moved it to the Parade Ground in the late 1800s.
Aids to navigation at Old Point Comfort may date back to the 1500s. The 54-foot white octagonal structure was built in 1802. It is the oldest structure at Old Point Comfort. The US Coast Guard operates the lighthouse today. It is closed to the public.
