Downtown in Norfolk, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Half Moone Fort, 1673
City of Norfolk
Photographed by Laura Troy, November 4, 2007
1. Half Moone Fort, 1673 Marker
Inscription.
Half Moone Fort, 1673. . Hostilities between the British and the Dutch continued for a number of years after the British took New Amsterdam in 1664 and established the colony of New York. The effects were felt in Hampton Roads where Dutch ships destroyed a fleet of tobacco ships at the mouth of the James River in 1667 and another fleet in Lynnhaven Bay in 1673. Following the 1673 attack the Virginia Assembly authorized construction of a fort in Lower Norfolk County to protect British settlements from possible future attacks by the Dutch. The new fort was built here, several years before the town of Norfolk was established, at a site then called Foure Farthing Pointe. The act specified that the model be in the form of a half moon. It was armed with demi-cannons and culverins due to the broad expanse of the river at this location. The culverin was an early long cannon capable of shooting an 18 pound (5 inch) ball accurately for about 1300 yards. Building the fort cost Lower Norfolk County 35,000 pounds of tobacco.
Hostilities between the British and the Dutch continued for a number of years after the British took New Amsterdam in 1664 and established the colony of New York. The effects were felt in Hampton Roads where Dutch ships destroyed a fleet of tobacco ships at the mouth of the James River in 1667 and another fleet in Lynnhaven Bay in 1673. Following the 1673 attack the Virginia Assembly authorized construction of a fort in Lower Norfolk County to protect British settlements from possible future attacks by the Dutch. The new fort was built here, several years before the town of Norfolk was established, at a site then called Foure Farthing Pointe. The act specified that the model be in the form of a half moon. It was armed with demi-cannons and culverins due to the broad expanse of the river at this location. The culverin was an early long cannon capable of shooting an 18 pound (5 inch) ball accurately for about 1300 yards. Building the fort cost Lower Norfolk County 35,000 pounds of tobacco.
Erected by City of Norfolk.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles. In
Location. 36° 50.795′ N, 76° 17.727′ W. Marker is in Norfolk, Virginia. It is in Downtown. It can be reached from the intersection of Waterside Drive and Boush Street, on the right when traveling south. This marker stands in front of the Nauticus Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Waterside Dr, Norfolk VA 23510, 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.
More about this marker. This marker is part of the Norfolk Heritage Cannonball Trail.
Additional commentary. 1. The Nauticus Nauticus is an interactive science and technology center that explores the naval, economic, and nautical power of the sea. Home of the Battleship Wisconsin, Nauticus features Battleship Wisconsin-related exhibits, hands-on exhibits, national-caliber traveling exhibits, high-definition films on a giant screen, shark petting, an the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. There is a fee to enter.
— Submitted November 10, 2007.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2007, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,250 times since then and 96 times this year. Last updated on June 23, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos:1. submitted on November 8, 2007, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. 2. submitted on January 18, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
