Fort Story
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Fort Story (1917-Present) - Reservation acquired in 1914 and established as a Coastal Artillery fort in Feb 1917 during World War I. Named for Major General John Patten Story (Cullum 2066), chief of the Artillery School at Fort Monroe. Active military installation.
World War I (1917-1918)Part of the Harbor Defense of Chesapeake Bay. As purchased in 1914 Fort Story consisted of several separate parcels of land. Parcel A was the main part of the base and contained Battery Pennington, the railroad artillery, the temporary batteries, and searchlights. The other parcels contained mostly support facilities.
World War II (1941-1945)Additional land was acquired during World War II and most of Cape Henry became part of Fort Story. Additional 16" guns were added along with anti-aircraft, AMTB batteries and three 6" standard 200 series batteries. An offshore minefield was added to protect the approaches. Fort Story became the most heavily armed coastal battery on the east coast. A combined HECP-HDCP facility was completed in the summer of 1943 to control ship traffic through Chesapeake Bay. This structure was located on the back of the secondary dune line along Coast Artillery Road on section A of Fort Story. This was an underground, reinforced concrete building, 150' long with two underground entrances.
Cold War (1947-1991)After the war the coastal gun batteries were decommissioned. By 1950 all of the batteries were inactive. An Army NIKE missile battery was located on Fort Story from 1958 to 1974. Current StatusFort Story is an active sub-installation of the US Army Transportation Center and Fort Eustis. In addition to the active Army units, also stationed at Fort Story are Army Reserve units, US Navy active and Reserve units, and a USMC section. The Coast Guard also maintains a presence at the Cape Henry Lighthouse.
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Links: Visited: 21-27 Jul 2010 Picture Gallery
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