Fort Monroe should be focused on its history, not its name

I was surprised when Chairman James Moran, during the virtual Board of Trustees annual retreat on April 15, suggested that the name Fort Monroe be changed to “FMA-1619.” Moran cited a lack of name recognition that makes it difficult to attract tourists, and stated, “James Monroe, his name doesn’t have all that much relevance, very little relevance really to this site.” Does the proposed name change solve these perceived issues?

There was considerable discussion for almost an hour, but little pushback from board members. Moran floated a name change idea once before in February 2019. The most recent renaming proposal may suggest that the Fort Monroe Authority is underinformed and has not communicated to the public the complex and significant history that has transpired at the site over the centuries.

But Moran does have a point.

More than 100,000 visitors utilize the fort’s seawall and beaches each year for recreation; however, heritage tourism falls well below this figure. Actual visitor data shows that the Casemate Museum draws 45,000 guests annually. Visitation should grow substantially when the Fort Monroe Visitor and Education Center is finally open.

Locals and tourists are also excited to see the National Park Service reach its full potential. Expanded programming and the opening of a rehabilitated Quarters No. 1 will allow guests to walk in the footsteps of Marquis de Lafayette, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler, President Abraham Lincoln and countless other national figures.

Instead of debating a name change, the authority should focus on research, interpretation and developing engaging programs to articulate the fort’s context and history to the public. A template for such activity may be found by studying the Fort

Monroe Arc of Freedom, specific events unique to the fort’s history that influenced the nation.

Some examples include: The displacement and eradication of indigenous people by English colonists; the arrival of the first Africans in 1619; the contributions of enslaved laborers in building the fort; the 1824 visit of Lafayette, an early abolitionist and champion of American freedom; the legendary 1861 “Contraband Decision” and the bravery of the first contrabands Frank Baker, James Townsend and Shepard Mallory; the fort’s strategic importance as a Union stronghold throughout the Civil War, seven visits by Lincoln; Harriet Tubman’s service as a hospital matron; its role during both world wars; being home to one of the first integrated schools in Virginia during massive resistance; and its final mission, headquarters of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

Thousands of soldiers served at Fort Monroe from 1819 until its deactivation in 2011. Fort

Monroe’s Arc of Freedom continued to evolve when on Nov. 1, 2011, President Barack Obama declared “Fort Monroe National Monument.”

Woven within these narratives are countless other significant events and people. French engineer General Simon Bernard designed the fort; Edgar Allan

Poe served in the artillery; Chief Blackhawk’s imprisonment; Robert E. Lee oversaw the fort’s early construction; the imprisonment of Lee’s son, General W.H.F. Lee in 1863, and the incarceration of Confederate President Jefferson Davis after the war; visits of 20 U.S. presidents; Booker T. Washington worked at the fort while attending Hampton Institute; and for decades Fort Monroe protected Hampton Roads and the world’s largest naval base at Norfolk.

The authority should continue developing their National Center for Freedom and engage stakeholders such as the Casemate Museum Foundation, Project 1619, the Contraband Historical Society and the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. These groups can help with research and understanding, simultaneously increasing public awareness that will make the fort’s history more relevant to visitors of all ages. In the meantime, the Fort Monroe Historical Society will continue to assist the authority in sharing the fort’s unique stories.

History is good, bad and ugly. Fort Monroe should be a place where the whole story and the unvarnished truth is shared in an inclusive, accessible, and compelling way.

Simply changing the name will not accomplish these lofty goals.