Posted By HR Partnership on November 9, 2009

‘Fort Monroe Online Heritage Project’ to celebrate history, legacy by Carroll Kim, TRADOC Public Affairs

Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), announced the launch of an interactive, online project to capture Fort Monroe’s heritage through the eyes of its current and former tenants as the post prepares to close in 2011, mandated under the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC).

The Fort Monroe Online Heritage Project was established to collect personal photographs and illustrations of Fort Monroe taken by post personnel, families and visitors over the many years of the post’s rich history.

“Fort Monroe has played an important role in the history of the U.S. Army, particularly TRADOC, but also in the lives of those who have worked and lived on the post,” said Dempsey. “I want to start a dialogue of visual memories and personal anecdotes that captures the heritage of Fort Monroe that you will not find in a history book.”

While Fort Monroe was built between 1819 and 1834, its roots can be traced back to 1609, when Fort Algernourne was built by Capt. John Smith on a small plot of land called Point Comfort at the mouth of the James River and the Chesapeake Bay in Va. Fort Monroe had a critical coastal defense role during the War of 1812, the Civil War and World Wars I and II. Fort Monroe has been the home of the TRADOC headquarters since its establishment in 1973. The TRADOC headquarters will move to Fort Eustis, Va., in 2011.

Anyone with photographs (or illustrations) of Fort Monroe is welcome and encouraged to participate by posting photographs, (illustration) or commentary. Whether it be photos and memories of storms this post has weathered, visits of distinguished visitors, weddings at the post chapel, changes of command, construction at the historic Chamberlin building, or just a softball game, all appropriate personal photos and commentary of Fort Monroe activities can be contributed to a community page on TRADOC’s Flickr photo-sharing Web site. For specific sharing guidelines, please visit the ‘Fort Monroe Online Heritage Project’ group page here.

Now and Then:  This photo of today’s sally port (small controlled space, such as a fortification or prison) of Ft. Monroe is known as Freedom’s Fortress. The drawing depicts the southern slaves fleeing to the sally port to enter into Fort Monroe to reach the freedom of the Union Army which occupied Fort Monroe during the Civil War.

This photo and illustration (and more) may be found on TRADOC’s Flickr page.

Categories: About Hampton Roads, Military Bastion, Visit HR
Tags: Fort Monroe, Hampton Roads, Military Bastion, Sense of Place