{"id":27512,"date":"2015-12-27T13:35:34","date_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soulofamerica.com\/?page_id=27512"},"modified":"2020-10-31T17:49:54","modified_gmt":"2020-11-01T00:49:54","slug":"hampton-heritage-sites","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.soulofamerica.com\/us-cities\/hampton\/hampton-heritage-sites\/","title":{"rendered":"Hampton Heritage Sites"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Emancipation

Emancipation Oak Tree, Hampton University<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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Hampton Heritage Sites<\/h2>\n
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Old Point Comfort, Fort Monroe<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: This lighthouse surrounded by a stone fort marks Old Point Comfort, where in August 1619, a ship arrived carrying free and enslaved Africans. It is important to underscore that many free Africans settled in Hampton. Union Major General Benjamin F Butler made first Civil War declaration here that runaway slaves were “contraband of war” and refused to return them to Confederate owners. Upon hearing the news, thousands of people escaping slavery sought refuge at Fort Monroe. Many nicknamed it “Freedom’s Fortress<\/em>.” Within it, Casemate Museum tells the story of the fort’s role as a Union stronghold in a Confederate state, the “contrabands” and projects a black history film. Make advance reservations to see the film.
\nADDRESS: Fort Monroe, Hampton, VA MAP<\/a><\/strong>
\nPHONE: 757-727-3391<\/p>\n

Little England Chapel<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: This chapel is a National Historic Landmark constructed in 1879 by Hampton Institute students as a Sunday school for black children. It is the only known black missionary chapel in Virginia and features exhibits on the religious life of post-Civil War African Americans. There are plans to add a museum next door with computer-driven exhibits of African-American history in the area.
\nDAYS & HOURS: Weekdays 9a-5p, call to arrange a tour guide
\nADDRESS: 4100 Kecoughtan Road, Hampton, VA MAP<\/a><\/strong>
\nPHONE: 757-723-6803<\/p>\n

William Trusty House<\/strong>
\nDESCRIPTION: Considered of great strategic value to the Union forces during the Civil War because of its proximity to Fort Monroe. It became a haven for emancipated slaves in the decades following the war, when the black population greatly increased. This elaborately decorated home is a symbol of Trusty’s political, social and economic success in the Reconstruction Period.
\nADDRESS: 76 West Country Street at Fort Monroe, Hampton, VA MAP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n