Interior Secretary to visit Fort Monroe Wednesday

WVEC.com
Posted on June 27, 2011 at 7:34 PM
Updated yesterday at 10:03 PM

HAMPTON--Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis will visit Fort Monroe Wednesday to tour the historic site. There will also be a listening session with community, state and congressional leaders to discuss the fort's future.

Wednesday’s meeting will be an opportunity for the Interior Department to engage with the public on exploring the best path forward in preserving the national historic landmark and its rich history for future generations.

Congressman Bobby Scott, Congressman Scott Rigell, the Mayor of Hampton Molly Joseph Ward, and Virginia’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security Terrie Suit, Chair of the Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees, will also attend the meeting.

Fort Monroe, a 565-acre historic landmark, was built for coastal defense between 1819 and 1834. The largest stone fortification built in the United States, Fort Monroe has been called "The Fortress of Freedom" and "The Gibraltar of the Chesapeake." Pursuant to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, the site is scheduled to be closed and reverted to the Commonwealth of Virginia in September of this year.