In the 1980s, the Army began a program to replace the old 2½ ton and 5 ton vehicles who's designs dating from the early 1950s with a new family of vehicles. This project became known as the Family of Tactical Vehicles (FMTV). The 2½ ton . . . — — Map (db m167770) HM
The M1109 was introduced in 1993 after the need for an "up-armored" light utility truck was demonstrated in Somalia. The earlier models were made of composite material and had canvas doors. The lack of armored protection made them vulnerable to . . . — — Map (db m167744) HM
By mid-April of 1942, the American military saw the need for an amphibious vehicle that could transport supplies and men over both land and water quickly during a seaborne invasion. This desire for creating a "truck that can swim" was taken up by . . . — — Map (db m167772) HM
In 1956, the Continental Army Board Number 2 called for increasing the mobility of trucks designed for areas where roads were few or nonexistent. The trucks were to be amphibious and able to keep up with armored formations in the field.
In . . . — — Map (db m167546) HM
The US Army acquired the YAC-1/CV-2 Caribou in 1958. Initially procuring 173, the De Havilland Caribou was the largest fixed-wing aircraft in the Army inventory. Originally designated YAC-1, the aircraft was redesignated CV-2 in 1962 and retained . . . — — Map (db m167680) HM
This historic aircraft is the 3rd prototype for the venerable CH-47 line. It is now the oldest Chinook in existance. Constructed in 1959, tail number 59-4984 started life with the designation YCH-1B; in 1962 this was changed to YCH-47A; shortly . . . — — Map (db m167671) HM
From this rifle pit, Colonel Hiram Berdan’s 1st U.S. Sharpshooters targeted Confederate troops on the opposite bank of the Warwick River. Hiram Berdan, considered the nation’s best marksman, organized the regiment from hand-picked volunteers who . . . — — Map (db m200060) HM
Earthworks on the hillside above mark the southernmost of three fortified cross-peninsula defense lines built by Confederate Gen. John B. Magruder in the spring of 1862 and extending three miles from Deep Creek here at Young’s Mill, to the Poquoson . . . — — Map (db m10175) HM
(sidebar)
Newport News was a small community located in Warwick County until late in the 19th century. Established as a town in 1880, it was incorporated as a city in 1896. Warwick County, one of the eight original Virginia shires formed by . . . — — Map (db m33874) HM
Since early colonial days Deep Creek has had a dam and pond here with a mill, owned by the Matthews, Digges and Young families, grinding corn well into the 20th century. In the Peninsula Campaign, Federal forces of Gen. McClellan encountered strong . . . — — Map (db m10209) HM
The mill located behind you is one of the few remaining tide mills on the Peninsula. In the woods across the private road to your left are several redoubts and rifle pits. These fortifications are all that remain of the Confederate 1st Peninsula . . . — — Map (db m184973) HM
Following the 10 June 1861 Battle of Big Bethel, Confederate Gen. John B. Magruder established a base at Young’s Mill. This tide mill formed the right flank of Magruder’s First Defensive Line, which reached across the Peninsula to Ship’s Point on . . . — — Map (db m184974) HM
(preface) Newport News was a small community located in Warwick County until late in the 19th century. Established as a town in 1880, it was incorporated as a city in 1896. Warwick County, one of the eight original Virginia shires . . . — — Map (db m196108) HM
The fortifications that appear before you are all that remain of the extensive Confederate fortifications defending the Warwick River crossing at Lee’s Mill. After an uneventful march up the Great Warwick Road through Young’s Mill on April 4, the . . . — — Map (db m171524) HM
The world's first military heliport, Felker Army Airfield was dedicated on 7 December 1954 at ceremonies attended by aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky and MGs Rush B. Lincoln and Paul F. Yount. The basic plan of the unique circular landing pad for . . . — — Map (db m92102) HM
Camp Abraham Eustis was established March 1918 as a U.S. Coast Artillery training center and was redesignated Fort Eustis in 1928. During the Depression it was a Civilian Camp. In World War II it served again for Coast Artillery, Anti-Aircraft and . . . — — Map (db m167541) HM
Fort Eustis is named for a native Virginian, Gen. Abraham Eustis (1786 – 1843), a commander of Fort Monroe. In March 1918, the U.S. government established Camp Abraham Eustis as a coast artillery training center; it was designated a fort in 1923. It . . . — — Map (db m10337) HM
The Confederate field fortifications constructed on the Virginia Peninsula were influenced by seventeenth-century French military engineer Marshal Sebastien le Prestre de Vauban and nineteenth-century American engineering professor Dennis Hart . . . — — Map (db m11333) HM
Born at Petersburg, VA., and a Harvard graduate, he led a light artillery battalion at the capture of Toronto in the War of 1812. He later commanded Fort Monroe, VA. and began there the first army service school. He led army units in the Black Hawk . . . — — Map (db m193630) HM
Lee’s Mill, a pre-war tide mill, formed part of Confederate Maj. Gen. John Bankhead Magruder’s second Peninsula defensive line. When Union Gen. George B. McClellan began his Peninsula Campaign, his advance against Richmond was blocked here on 5 . . . — — Map (db m10196) HM
These earthworks were part of General John B. Magruder’s second line of defense. At this site on April 5, 1862, Confederate General Lafayette McLaw’s four companies of the Tenth Georgia with Captain Joseph B. Cosnahan’s two batteries stopped the . . . — — Map (db m171527) HM
Mulberry Point is situated on the James River, on the grounds of present-day Fort Eustis. In 1609-1610, the harsh winter known as the “Starving Time” prompted the surviving colonists at Jamestown to abandon it. They and the recently . . . — — Map (db m10336) HM
Off this point in early June 1610 anchored the small ships of the starving colonists who had abandoned Jamestown and started down the river to return to England. It was here they were apprised of the timely arrival of Sir Thomas West, (Lord de la . . . — — Map (db m79394) HM
The redoubt before you is one of five earthworks built by the Confederates to help defend the Mulberry Island/James River flank of Maj. Gen. John Bankhead Magruder’s 2nd Peninsula Defensive Line. This series of redoubts (of which only two remain) . . . — — Map (db m195977) HM
(preface) Newport News was a small community located in Warwick County until late in the 19th century. Established as a town in 1880, it was incorporated as a city in 1896. Warwick County, one of the eight original Virginia shires . . . — — Map (db m196078) HM
In March of 1862, Union Maj. Gen. George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac landed at Fort Monroe and Camp Butler. This large force contained 121,500 soldiers, 44 batteries of field artillery and 101 heavy siege cannons. Confederate Maj. Gen. John . . . — — Map (db m11310) HM
Overlooking one of the James River’s tributaries, Lee’s Mill is a watershed property with a long history of settlement. The Native Americans of the Powhatan Confederation hunted and fished along the banks of the Warwick River. During the 1600s, . . . — — Map (db m11331) HM
On May 24, 1861, Confederate Col. John Magruder assumed command of the Peninsula’s defenses. The Confederate capital at Richmond was only 80 miles from Fort Monroe, and “Prince John” Magruder did not have enough artillery or men to . . . — — Map (db m11306) HM
The Battle of Lee’s Mill set the stage for an elaborate ruse as Gen. Magruder maneuvered his troops along the 12-mile line and created the illusion of double his numbers. Moreover, Gen. McClellan was daunted by the Confederate defenses and had . . . — — Map (db m11330) HM
This plantation was homesite of Miles Cary, Sr. who came from England in 1645 at the age of 22. He was killed defending Old Point Comfort against the Dutch June 10, 1667. His grave nearby is said to be the oldest in Newport News. Father of Miles . . . — — Map (db m33993) HM
The Battle of Dam No. 1 proved a lost opportunity for the Union Army to break the Warwick-Yorktown line and force a Confederate withdrawal toward Richmond. Instead, Major General George McClellan spent another 17 days completing his heavy artillery . . . — — Map (db m200070) HM
The Vermont troops waited in vain for reinforcements; Corporal Alonzo Hutchinson was mortally wounded while crossing the Warwick River and died without signaling for support. The Union leaders also failed to exploit the break in the Confederate . . . — — Map (db m200066) HM
After the 15th North Carolina’s repulse, Brigadier General Howell Cobb (a former governor of Georgia and secretary of treasury) rallied the Confederates and prepared to drive the Vermonters into the water. Cobb commanded a brigade in Brigadier . . . — — Map (db m200069) HM
Brigadier General William Smith massed 18 cannons in an open field within 500 yards of the opposite shore. In addition, General Smith deployed Brigadier General William T.H. Brooks’s Vermont Brigade along the Warwick River with two brigades in . . . — — Map (db m200063) HM
In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, Chesapeake planters moved the preparation and cooking of food from their homes to a separate structure. Thus, the odors, noise and heat from cooking were eliminated from the main house. Most . . . — — Map (db m16553) HM
Situated on high ground two miles behind the Warwick-Yorktown line, this redoubt (a four or multiple-sided field fortification) was constructed by the Confederate Army of the Peninsula. It provided a field of fire down the Great Warwick Road toward . . . — — Map (db m185336) HM
Situated on high ground two miles behind the Warwick-Yorktown line, this redoubt (a four or multiple-sided field fortification) was constructed by the Confederate Army of the Peninsula. It provided a field of fire down the Great Warwick Road toward . . . — — Map (db m185337) HM
From July 1919 until Aug. 1921, the U.S. Navy operated an aviation training school north of here at what was then known as the U.S. Navy Mine Depot (U.S. Naval Weapons Station). The school provided the first advanced aviation and gunnery operations. . . . — — Map (db m10339) HM
You are presently standing at the site of Dam No. 1, one of three dams constructed by Confederate commander John Bankhead Magruder to make the sluggish Warwick River into a defensive barrier. Dam No. 1 was the mid-point between two prewar tide . . . — — Map (db m180517) HM
A stalwart defense of the Warwick River by units of the 15th North Carolina, 7th Georgia and 2nd Louisiana Infantry, C.S.A., commanded by General J.B. Magruder is commemorated here. The defensive line extending across the Virginia Peninsula was held . . . — — Map (db m10340) HM
This plaque, dedicated October 16, 1981, commemorated the one hundredth anniversary of the completion of the "Peninsula Extension" started in December, 1880, at Newport News and in February, 1881, in Richmond. The linkage occurred October 16, 1881, . . . — — Map (db m34002) HM
George Armstrong Custer had the dubious honor of graduating last in the 1861 class at West Point. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Cavalry and fought with the Army of the Potomac in almost every major battle from Bull Run to . . . — — Map (db m180521) HM
The white two-and-a-half story frame building in front of you in the distance is Endview. Endview was built circa 1760 by Col. William Harwood, Jr., who was a member of the House of Burgesses, a signer of the Virginia Resolves, and a Warwick County . . . — — Map (db m181356) HM
Building a Home and Family
The story of Endview Plantation centers on the Harwood/Curtis family. Thomas Harwood arrived in the area from England in 1622 or 1623. By 1635, he acquired land that included the present-day site of Endview. . . . — — Map (db m185306) HM
This traditional farmhouse was probably built for William Harwood around 1769. His great grandson, Dr. Humphrey Harwood Curtis, acquired the plantation in 1858. In May 1861, Dr. Curtis organized the Warwick Beauregards (Company H, 32d Virginia . . . — — Map (db m59727) HM
Building a House and a Nation
Situated halfway between the James and York Rivers and adjacent to the Warwick River, Endview Plantation occupies a strategic spot on Virginia's Lower Peninsula. The main house was built in the 1760s by . . . — — Map (db m185292) HM
Lee Hall Mansion is the only Italianate antebellum plantation house on the lower Peninsula. It was completed in 1859 and was home to Richard D. Lee, justice of the peace for Warwick County. In 1850 Lee purchased a 452-acre tract of land, which was . . . — — Map (db m16547) HM
U.S. Military Academy graduate, 1830, Virginia-born 'Prince John' Magruder served with distinction in the Mexican War. In 1861 he resigned as Colonel, USA and joined the Confederacy. In the Civil War's first planned battle, his forces were . . . — — Map (db m33996) HM
In 1844, Richard D. Lee inherited 481.5 acres from his father’s estate. For the next 16 years, Lee improved and expanded his land holdings until he owned 2,100 acres. In 1860, his farm yielded 2,900 bushels of wheat, 3,500 bushels of corn, 1,400 . . . — — Map (db m16549) HM
Historic Lebanon Church, located behind you at the intersection of two strategic highways, served both the Confederate and the Union armies during the Civil War. Soon after Confederate Col. John Bankhead Magruder began organizing the Peninsula’s . . . — — Map (db m10389) HM
The Campbellite congregation now associated with Lebanon Church was established about 1825. These followers of prominent religious leader Alexander Campbell originally shared the Chishiack “Cheesecake” Church in York County with other . . . — — Map (db m10338) HM
The village of Lee Hall, built after the arrival of the C & O Railway in the 1880’s, took its name from the fine residence begun in 1848 by Richard Decatur Lee overlooking his extensive Warwick County Plantation. Lee Hall became the headquarters of . . . — — Map (db m10257) HM
The small redoubt in front of you is the only visual evidence of Lee Hall’s military occupation by the Confederate army from May 1861 to May 1862. The antebellum mansion to your right served as a headquarters building for both Maj. Gen. John . . . — — Map (db m10376) HM
Lee Hall, a stately Italianate plantation dwelling, was built by 1859 for affluent planter Richard Decatur Lee. Confederate generals John Bankhead Magruder and Joseph Eggleston Johnston used the mansion as their headquarters during the April – . . . — — Map (db m10267) HM
The historic Lee Hall Depot was constructed in the 1880s as part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway’s efforts to establish its Atlantic terminus at Newport News, thereby linking the Ohio River Valley with the sea. The station was sited on Warwick . . . — — Map (db m34000) HM
As passenger and freight activity became significant, the village of Lee Hall developed around the depot. Numerous places of business sprang up to support the activity generated by the depot including a schoolhouse, Dozier’s dairy, H.M. Clements’ . . . — — Map (db m33999) HM
Unlike their ancestors who worked in tobacco fields, Warwick County slaves provided labor for raising staple crops. Slaves also cared for livestock and draft animals, worked in fields, repaired fences, washed clothes, cut wood and performed a . . . — — Map (db m16551) HM
On April 4, 1862, Major General George B. McClellan launched his offensive on the Virginia Peninsula against the Confederate capital at Richmond. Major General John B. Magruder’s 13,000 troops halted the Union advance along the Warwick-Yorktown line . . . — — Map (db m11254) HM
This area was first referred to as "Newportes Newes" as early as 1619, and the first known English settler lived here in 1621. Several Civil War engagements took place here including the Battle of the Ironclads and the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. . . . — — Map (db m193633) HM
In recognition of the 50th Anniversary of
Newport News Park
1966 - 2016
"On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, this park, one of the largest and most treasured municipal parks in the country, is hereby rededicated for the enjoyment of . . . — — Map (db m165307) HM
First service was held in a one room school house, one mile and half north of this site, Nov. 2, 1879
The school house was renovated and dedicated Aug. 6, 1882 and named Olivet.
The first new building, one half mile north of this site, was . . . — — Map (db m34053) HM
The twelve miles of Confederate defenses followed the course of the Warwick River one mile from Yorktown to Mulberry Island. Dam No. 1, the mid-point, was protected by this one-gun battery mounting a 12-pound howitzer. In addition, a 6-pound . . . — — Map (db m200062) HM
Following the 10 June 1861 Battle of Big Bethel, Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder, commander of the Confederate Army of the Peninsula, organized the construction of three defensive lines of fortifications across the peninsula. The main line extended 12 . . . — — Map (db m180518) HM
The Lost Cause
Like many courthouse greens, Warwick's once included a Civil War veterans memorial. It was erected during a time when southern society put up monuments to commemorate the Lost Cause. The granite shaft with a statue of a . . . — — Map (db m185121) HM
Newport News was a small community located in Warwick County until late in the 19th century. Established as a town in 1880, it was incorporated as a city in 1896. Warwick County, one of the eight original Virginia shires formed by 1634, . . . — — Map (db m165302) HM
In 1667 Miles Cary Jr. inherited land lying between the forks of Stoney Run which he named Richneck. The plantation was home to four generations of Carys and stood until 1865. Charter Elm, commemorated on the Newport News City Seal, grew at Richneck . . . — — Map (db m165304) HM
The Civil War Parrott Rifle was a muzzle loaded rifled cannon capable of firing a 10 pound projectile about 3000 yards at 12º elevation. Invented by Robert P. Parrott, the cast iron Parrott Rifle gave greater accuracy and a larger effective range . . . — — Map (db m180522) HM
Located near a circa 1630 house site, this graveyard has held the mortal remains of the Harwood family and other persons since the seventeenth century. Southern plantations typically had a private plot containing the graves of several generations of . . . — — Map (db m16564) HM
Perhaps nowhere in Newport News is the juxtaposition of the traditional and the eclectic more apparent than on the old Warwick County courthouse green. Within its walls, the 1810 Georgian courthouse sits only a short distance from its 1884 . . . — — Map (db m185125) HM
In the South, dairy buildings were small structures, usually 14 feet square with a gable roof. The buildings’ overhanging eaves, louvered ventilators, and insulated walls were designed to keep the milk cool inside. Milk was placed in shallow tubs . . . — — Map (db m185288) HM
In the South, dairy buildings were small structures, usually 14 feet square with a gable roof. The buildings’ overhanging eaves, louvered ventilators, and insulated walls were designed to keep the milk cool inside. Milk was placed in shallow tubs . . . — — Map (db m185289) HM
Please visit the lower level of the house on days we are open for a guided house tour and to view the permanent exhibition. Feel free to walk the grounds to explore authentic and re-created features that represent activities occurring on this . . . — — Map (db m185284) HM
The fresh water bubbling from this natural spring has supported wildlife and the various residents on this property: Indian hunting parties, the Harwood/Curtis families, and military encampments. During the American Revolution, General George . . . — — Map (db m16563) HM
The 1810 Courthouse
This structure, the oldest government building in the city, served as the second county courthouse from 1810-1884. The first, built in 1680, was on the Warwick River. In 1807 petitioners asked the legislature to . . . — — Map (db m185149) HM
Constructed c. 1896, this graceful frame structure served as the home of Simon Reid and Nannie Cooke Curtis and their two children. The eldest son of Dr. Humphrey Harwood Curtis of Endview, S.R. Curtis was born in North Carolina on June 16, 1863, . . . — — Map (db m34001) HM
Two African American Civil War veterans, Pvt. Edward Diggs and Sgt. Anthony W. Poole, are buried here. Each enlisted in Co. G, 36th U.S. Colored Troops, in Yorktown. Blacks sought to enlist earlier in the war but were banned until after the . . . — — Map (db m66890) HM
“The office was full of books and papers. Some very old ones that had been written long before the Revolution by King George’s officers. A guard was over them but I was lucky and got a handful of deeds.... I have one written 1669.... . . . — — Map (db m184159) HM
By tradition, early Warwick County court sessions were held under a large elm tree at nearby Richneck Plantation, home of Col. Miles Cary, Jr. In 1810, Warwick’s first brick courthouse was built on this Denbigh site. It also served as clerk’s office . . . — — Map (db m11274) HM
Denbigh Parish was established about 1635 and took its name from the nearby Denbigh plantation. During colonial times, the Anglican parish administered ecclesiastical and some civil affairs for the upper portion of Elizabeth City Corporation, later . . . — — Map (db m62565) HM
Captain Christopher Newport (1561 - 1617) was an English seaman and privateer who commanded the expedition responsible for the founding of Jamestown in the Virginia Colony in 1607. He was the Captain of the Susan Constant, the largest of the . . . — — Map (db m95000) HM
Arriving in the year 1001, Liefr Eiriksson is believed to be the first European to set foot in North America.
This sculpture was presented to The Mariners' Museum by the Eiriksson Memorial Committee of the National League of Icelanders in . . . — — Map (db m96046) HM
This anchor is marked "USNB 2438lbs" and was manufactured for the United States Navy Bureau, a materials-support department from 1842 until 1966. — — Map (db m203725) HM
The 21 cm Mörser ("Mortar") 16 was a heavy howitzer produced by the Spandau Company in 1917 and used by Germany during World War I. Capable of firing 120 kg (264.56 pounds) high-explosive or concrete-piercing rounds over 9.6 kilometers (6 miles), it . . . — — Map (db m199912) HM
This anti-aircraft gun was removed from the battleship U.S.S. Missouri, on which the official surrender of Imperial Japan took place on September 2, 1945, ending World War II. The original autocannon design was developed in 1936 by Bofors AB of . . . — — Map (db m199933) HM
240mm T1 Gun, Watervleit Arsenal, New York, c. 1950, serial number 1.
280mm T72 Gun Carriage, Watertown Arsenal, Massachusetts, c. 1952. WM 87.31.7 a,b
The 240mm gun provided a bridge between conventional cannons and atomic cannons. In . . . — — Map (db m168324) HM
On March 8, 1862, the day before her epic battle with the U.S.S. Monitor, the Confederate ironclad ram Virginia (formerly the U.S.S. Merrimack) engaged and sank in the James River two powerful Union sailing Ships of War, the U.S.S. Cumberland and . . . — — Map (db m180516) HM
“A soldier of the Union mustered out,” is the inscription on an unknown grave at Newport News, beside the salt-sea wave, nameless and dateless; sentinel or scout shot down in skirmish, or disastrous rout of battle when the . . . — — Map (db m16595) HM WM
Madam Annie B. Daniels is known for her untiring humanitarian service and her contributions to the general welfare of the city. Her persuasiveness in working with people of various backgrounds has created greater understanding among diverse . . . — — Map (db m94348) HM
“The value of the aeroplane for the Navy is unquestioned.” – Eugene B. Ely
Naval aviation dates from November 14, 1910, when stunt pilot Eugene B. Ely coaxed a Curtiss “Pusher” biplane from the deck of the . . . — — Map (db m15420) HM
Camp Alexander was created from a portion of Camp Hill between Warwick and Jefferson Avenues on Aug. 15, 1918. Part of the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, it quartered Black stevedore regiments and labor battalions. Named for 2nd Lt. John Hawks . . . — — Map (db m41250) HM
Operated by the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation on land leased from the Old Dominion Land Co. In both World Wars I and II, Camp Hill was named for Confederate Lt. Gen. Ambrose P. Hill, C.S.A. During World War I, its over 200 buildings could house . . . — — Map (db m33966) HM
In World War 1, Camp Stuart, named for Confederate General 'JEB' Stuart (1833-1864), was America's largest troop handling facility. It was run by Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation July 1917 to Sept. 1919 on 300 acres leased from the Old Dominion . . . — — Map (db m33951) HM
Born October 22, 1821, Harwinton, Connecticut Died August 13, 1900, “Pine Knot Camp.” New York ---------- • ---------- Sculpted and presented by Anna Hyatt Huntington Dedicated October 22, 1966 Right of Monument: Collis Potter . . . — — Map (db m16598) HM
In this section of the James River directly in front of you lies the remains of the USS Cumberland. At this location and along the shore to your left were the Union batteries that protected Camp Butler. On March 8, 1862, the Confederate . . . — — Map (db m41507) HM
Near this site on July 1, 1958, Mrs. Philip W. Hiden and Mrs. Homer L. Ferguson, assisted by Shipyard Board Chairman J. B. Woodward, Jr., cut the ribbon marking the consolidation of the cities of Warwick and Newport News into the greater city of . . . — — Map (db m110254) HM
To provide emergency housing for war workers and their families during World War II, the U.S. government constructed a combined 5,200 unit project at Copeland and Newsome Park in 1943 on 1,174 acres between Briarfield Road and 39th Street. This . . . — — Map (db m94335) HM
W. Hale Thompson desires to serve the people on city council because he believes that he can represent the interests of all Newport News citizens on an impartial basis. He wants to see that all people, regardless of color, have an . . . — — Map (db m167533) HM
