Fort Wool in the Chesapeake Bay-- Part 2: Birds vs. History?

Tourists arrive at Fort Wool on the  Miss Hampton II. a tour boat sailing out of Hampton.  Those traveling the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel can see Fort Wool, lying to the east, on man-made South Island.

Construction started on the fort in 1819, and during the next 125 years, Fort Wool evolved as military technology advanced, resulting in a  rare fort that contains military architecture that spans the entire era of United States seacoast defense.

Notable are the remaining granite casemates dating to 1826, though most of the fort's defenses date from the early 20th century, including the World War II Battery 229 which included two 6-inch shielded guns and its iconic  steel tower.

While fully  recognizing the need for nesting sites for migratory seabirds and completing the tunnel-bridge expansions, these solutions need not and should not come at the expense of the permanent loss of a historic treasure.

The site, in the middle of Hampton Roads, near the  1862 USS Monitor-CSS Virginia battle, offers dramatic views of the Chesapeake Bay and Fort Monroe.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Wool in the Chesapeake Bay Seems to Be Going to the Birds-- Part 1

From the November 13, 2020, Bay Journal "Fort Wool, nesting  seabirds both need  saving" by Terry McGovern.

Recently, efforts have been made to turn Fort Wool into a habitat for nesting seabirds.   But, Fort Wool is also a historic site and saw use during the Civil War and other wars, including World War II.  

It was built on an island of granite blocks after the War of 1812, partially in response to the British attack on Washington, D.C.  It and the completion of nearby Fort Monroe allowed American cannons to control access to Hampton Roads.

It also served a s a summer residence for two U.S. presidents:  Andrew Jackson and John Tyler and it was an initial sanctuary  for enslaved blacks escaping to freedom under the protection of the Union Army.  Guns from Fort Wool fired on the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia in the Battle of Hampton Roads in March 1862.

Union president Abraham Lincoln observed the first Union attempt to take Norfolk, Virginia, from the fort's ramparts in May 1862.

Until recently, the fort was visited by thousands of people a year and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

--Brock-Perry