Last updated: August 6, 2024
Place
Casemate Museum
Fort Monroe Authority
Quick Facts
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Amenities
16 listed
Accessible Rooms, Accessible Sites, Baby Changing Station, Benches/Seating, Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Maps Available, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Parking - Auto, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Water - Drinking/Potable, Wheelchair Accessible
Housed within the brick and stone walls of Fort Monroe, the Casemate Museum chronicles the history of seacoast fortifications at Old Point Comfort. From Fort Algernourne, the first militarized structure at Point Comfort, to Fort Monroe National Monument, the museum shares over 400 years of history. The roles and uses of casemates varied over time. Casemates were constructed as gun positions but also used to house soldiers, store weapons and ammunition, and hold prisoners – including Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, also known as Chief Black Hawk, in 1833. Jefferson Davis was also imprisoned at Fort Monroe held in Casemate No. 2 after his May 1865 capture in Georgia. In June 1951, the Casemate Museum opened as a one room museum, but has since expanded. Today you will learn about the American Indian presence on site; the first English colonists who landed upon Virginia soil in 1607; seacoast fortifications dating back to 1609 and Fort Algernourne; the Endicott Battery Era; the American Civil War and Major General Benjamin Butler’s “Contraband Decision”; military and civilian life; and other history distinct to Point Comfort and Fort Monroe.