Dam Neck in Virginia Beach, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

State Military Reservation

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. State Military Reservation Marker

Inscription. The State Rifle Range, built here in 1912, was the first permanent training facility for the Virginia Volunteers, later the Virginia National Guard. During World War I, the post was leased to the U.S. Navy for warship crew training. Virginia's first state-owned airfield opened here in the 1920s, and the post was renamed the State Military Reservation (SMR) in 1928. During World War II, the U.S. Army leased the SMR, named it Camp Pendleton, and conducted a building campaign that accommodated the training and housing of thousands of troops. The post reverted to Virginia after the war. The Camp Pendleton/SMR Historic District reflects the Virginia National Guard's evolution over more than a century.

Erected 2024 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number KV-42.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Military • War, World I • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.

Location. 36° 49.259′ N, 75° 58.921′ W. Marker is in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It is in Dam Neck. It is on General Booth Boulevard 0.2 miles south of Headquarters Road, on the left when traveling

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south. The marker is located across the roadway from the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 717 General Booth Boulevard, Virginia Beach VA 23451, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: JT Walk & Beach Party (approx. one mile away); Eastern Shore Chapel (approx. 1.4 miles away); de Witt Cottage (approx. 1.4 miles away); Early Libraries of Virginia Beach (approx. 1.4 miles

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. State Military Reservation Marker

away); The Flame of Hope (approx. 1.4 miles away); a different marker also named de Witt Cottage (approx. 1½ miles away); Flame Of Hope (approx. 1½ miles away); Tree of Hope (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Virginia Beach.

Also see . . .
1. Historic highway marker honoring SMR unveiled in Virginia Beach. (Submitted on April 27, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Camp Pendleton/State Military Reservation. (Submitted on April 27, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
3. Camp Pendleton. (Submitted on April 27, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 375 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 27, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.