On Friday, July 4, Eric started the day by doing an inventory of spare parts we had onboard. He created a list of spare parts that we need to stock up on.

Karen had told us that Fort Monroe was having special events today. The events started at 0845 and ended with the biggest fireworks show in Virginia at 2115. We figured it was fitting to spend Independence Day at Fort Monroe since it was one of the most important locations in early American history and a pivotal part of winning the War of Independence. As the bird flies, the fort was on the southern tip of a peninsula just a little bit northeast of Morningstar marina, and to get there by car, we went through a tunnel under the James River.

The tip of the peninsula that Fort Monroe sat on was named Old Point Comfort. The king of England had authorized a colony to be established in Virginia, and Old Point Comfort was the first place the new settlers had stopped upon entering the Chesapeake Bay in 1607. They picked the name Poynt Comfort because it was a deepwater port that was safe for ships, and the local indigenous people were kind to the newcomers. The signs didn’t clarify when the “Old” was added to the name.

The settlers wanted to set up their new colony there, but the charter issued by the king had ordered them to go farther inland, so they set up Jamestown farther northeast. Two years later, the colonists realized that since the mouth of the Chesapeake was visible from Poynt Comfort, it was an important lookout point to watch for any Spaniards or Portuguese invaders, so they built a fort at Poynt Comfort.

As soon as we drove into the fort, we were struck by how it didn’t look at all like a modern military base. The bases we were used to seeing had blocky, utilitarian buildings. We passed dozens of charming old brick buildings. Most appeared to be residential buildings, and they looked occupied.