Fort Monroe is a wonderful place to visit. If you are a history buff, nature lover or simply looking for a good meal, a day at Fort Monroe is unlike any other.
Fort Monroe has received several national designations to celebrate and protect this area’s important heritage. 
Join us in Cannon Park for the annual Contraband Vigil and Procession across the Main Gate.
On the night of May 23, 1861 less than 24 hours after Virginia ratified its ordinance of secession, Frank Baker, Shepard Mallory, and James Townsend, determined to cast off their bonds of enslavement, crossed under the cover of night to Fortress Monroe, which was still flying the flag of the United States. The proclamation originated at Fort Monroe and rippled across the war-torn landscape: Escaped formerly enslaved men and women will no longer be returned by the Union Army to their owners as mandated by the “Fugitive Slave Act” and instead will be confiscated as “Contraband” of war.
Union Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler’s decision — made on May 24, 1861, at Old Point Comfort — changed the landscape of the Civil War and put pressure on President Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Beginning the first steps toward liberty! We’ll walk in the footsteps of Frank Baker, Shepard Mallory, and James Townsend during this candlelight vigil.
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