National-park status for Fort Monroe backed

By: Times-Dispatch Staff The Associated Press
Published: July 20, 2011
Richmond Times-Dispatch

HAMPTON -- Several hundred people showed up for a public hearing Tuesday to voice their support for turning Fort Monroe into a national park.

The historic Army fort on the Chesapeake Bay is being turned over to the state by the Pentagon in September under a base realignment.

National-park proponents have lobbied hard to make a portion of the 565-acre fortress or the entire waterfront property part of the national parks system.

Jefferson Davis was imprisoned at the fort. It is where the first slaves were brought to Virginia in 1619 and is also viewed as the birthplace of the Civil War freedom movement after three enslaved men were granted safe haven at the Union-controlled fort, which led to many others doing the same.

Supporters say a national park in Hampton would fit in well with other historical treasures in the area, including Colonial Williamsburg, the Jamestown settlement and Yorktown Battlefield.

The Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce said the proposal would create jobs and increase tourism.

Bills to turn the fort into a national park have been introduced in the House and the Senate. But supporters fear it could take too long to gain approval. It isn't uncommon for Congress to take years to create a national park.

A bipartisan group of Virginia officials has asked President Barack Obama to declare the fort a national monument through the use of the Antiquities Act to expedite the process.

The National Park Service held Tuesday's public hearing to gauge public support for either option. The service is also accepting comments online and via mail through next Tuesday.