CDSG Representive Site Visit Reports Fort Wool

Fort Name: Fort Wool – Hampton Roads Harbor Defenses

Current Site Name: Fort Wool

Dates of Visits: 12 May 2007, by Phil Payette & Gordon Bliss

Site Use: city park, City of Hampton.

Is the site open to the public? Yes, depending on Homeland Security Defense conditions (sometimes closed during special events at Norfolk Naval Station)

Dates and Hours of Operation: daylight hours, seasonal (Miss Hampton II tours daily at 10am and 2pm)

What type of programs are offered at the site?
Living History: None
Tours: guided tour from “Miss Hampton II” Harbor Cruise ferry, access restricted to many areas, length of visitation limited to ferry schedule (about 1 hour).
Museum Shop: None

Restoration Projects: None, but may be included in the future with preservation efforts currently underway at Fort Monroe.

Are there events that the Site would like to have advertised in the CDSG Newsletter? No

What is the overall condition of the Site: Fair to Good

What is the condition of the Individual Elements?
BATTERIES:
Battery Lee: good
Battery Gates: fair (roof over magazines is showing initial signs of collapsing)
Battery Claiborne: good (railings rusting away)
Battery Dyer: good (railings rusting away)
Battery Hindman: fair to good (railings rusting away and falling off, wood doors deteriorating and falling off)

OTHER:
Original granite fort: poor to fair; most was demolished during construction of the batteries
Gates BC/CRF Tower: poor (pylons & stairs rusting away, top level showing initial signs of collapsing)
Dyer CRF station: good
Hindman BC/CRF station: fair (windows and interpretive displays ruined by weather)
Searchlight towers: debris remains at each site
Mine station: only the instrument base remains
Pier: recently rebuilt after a hurricane had destroyed it.

What is the protective status of the Site?
National Park or Register: National Historic Site.
State or Local Historic Site: No

Current Site Owner: City of Hampton
Current Site Supervisor: Michael Cobb, curator
Mailing Address:
Phone:
Internet:

Miss Hampton II Harbour Cruises:
710 Settlers Landing Road
Hampton, VA 23669
(757) 727-1102 or 727-9102
(800) 244-1040

Is the Site or a responsible individual at the site a CDSG member? No.

What information can the CDSG provide to the management of the site? Verbal interpretation of Fort Wool’s history is already provided as part of the ferry tour, but information displays at each of the batteries or in the parade field would be helpful for public interests.

Is there anyone at the Site that would submit material for the CDSG Journal? Not likely.

Any Special Situations at the Site: (Damage, Imminent Destruction, Etc.)
Portions of the original fort are cracking, roof of Battery Gates showing initial signs of collapsing, BC/CRF tower pylons and stairway rusted beyond repair, the larger top level of the tower (CRF station) is showing signs of collapsing onto the second level.

If individual batteries, base-end stations, buildings, etc. are in some way significant, please indicate: Battery Gates was extensively modified for World War II. Searchlight and SCR generators built inside casemates. The instrument base of the former C2/F4 tower (behind current BC/CRF tower) was reused as the searchlight controller’s tower. The BC/CRF on the old fort has a Coast Guard maintained navigational beacon on the CRF level

Report submitted by Phil Payette, May 2007
http://www.geocities.com/hrforts/harbor.htm