Known now as Fort Monroe National Monument, this fort is a decommissioned military post in Hampton, Virginia at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula and the southeastern point of the state of Virginia.

Together with Fort Wool, Fort Monroe the two forts initially guarded the navigation channel between the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads, as well as the natural roadstead at the confluence of the Elizabeth, the Nansemond and the James rivers.

The protection by the fort grew to include entire Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River regions, including the cities of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland, along with important shipyards and naval bases in the Hampton Roads area and did so until disarmamed in 1946.

Surrounded by a moat, the seven-sided star fort is the largest stone fort ever built in the United States, rivaled in size only by Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island and Fort Jefferson on the Dry Tortugas, Florida.

Brick, earth and stone - Third System

I awake quite early and check the time to find that the w-mart is now open so I drive the short distance there for a cup of hot and spend an hour here to wait for the Colonial National Historic park to open. At eight am, I drive to the park which only takes twenty minutes and still need to wait another half hour longer.

Finally, at nine am, the doors open and I go in for my brochure, stamp it and walk to the gift shop looking for a patch. Upon finding the patch, I laugh at the two color single thread embroidery and don't buy it. Then, I walk across the bridge over the swamp and check out the original site for Jamestowne.

Next, I drive to the coast and visit Fort Monroe National Monument with its star shaped bulwarks but as far as I can see, it is undeveloped as a park, having been just retired from service with many of the structures converted to living quarters. I an not able to find a visitors center.