Welcome to Historic Fort Norfolk

Welcome to Historic Fort Norfolk. . Fort Norfolk, three blocks south of here, was one of a series of coastal fortifications authorized by President George Washington in 1794 for the defense of 19 east-coast harbors. The orginal earth-works structure was refortified with masonry walls in 1808; many of the brick buildings inside the walls date to 1810. Troops from Fort Norfolk participated in the successtul repulsion of British troops at the 1813 Battle of Craney Island during the War of 18 12. During the American Civil War, the fort was occupied briefly by Confederate troops before being retaken by the U.S Army. Today, the fort is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps and Norfolk Historical Society work together to preserve and interpret Historic Fort Nortolk., By the 1880s, the thriving working-class community of Atlantic City shared the waterfront with Fort Norfolk. Major employers included the Norfolk Knitting Mills, several lumber firms and an oyster business. A toll bridge at York Street and a footbridge at Botetourt Street connected Atlantic City to the city of Norfolk. In the 1870s, there was a racetrack at the end of Fort Norfolk Road, later renamed Colley Avenue after John G. Colley, whose property it bisected. Neighborhood children attended Atlantic City Public Schools #1 and #2 (later Patrick Henry and Robert E. Lee schools). Atlantic City was annexed to the City of Norfolk in 1890 as part of the 6th ward. Streetcar service was extended to the neighborhood in 1893. , , Much of Atlantic City is gone today, razed as part of Project Number Two of Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s three-phase redevelopment program. A comprehensive medical center occupies the site today. Harbor’s Edge upscale retirement community joined the skyscpe in 2006., (sidebar) , Fort Today, Fort Norfolk is the property of the United States Army and is maintained by Norfolk District, United States Army Corps of Engineers. The grounds of the fort are open to the public for self guided tours (see www.nao.usace.ar-my.mil/About/Visit-Fort-Norfolk/ for hours and more information). Norfolk Historical Society offers docent-led tours on Sunday afternoons from mid- June through September, and at special events throughout the year., Visitors may walk the grounds amid buildings that are little changed since their 19th century beginnings. They may encounter re-enactors representing military personnel and civilians from the War of 18 12 or from the period of Union or Confederate occupancy in the 1860s. They may study educational displays, or graffiti left on the walls by Confederate prisoners of war in 1864., Fort Norfolk was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. , A photo ID is required to access the fort. , Admission is free. Parking is available behind the guard house at the entrance., (captions) , Ballard Oyster Co.: Charles Borneo, Photographer, 1941; Courtesy of The Norfolk Public Library , Atlantic City Public School ca 1910, Courtesy of The Norfolk Public Library , Andre Jules Francois de Martineng Sketchbook ca1818-1820, Courtesy of The Norfolk Public Library