Yorktown again 9/22/1998

The Yorktown Victory Center chronicles America's struggle for independence with gallery exhibits and an outdoor tour including costumed historical interpreters who are quite eager to tell of and depict daily life at the time of a Continental Army encampment. The white canvas tents were set up with artifacts typical of what each would have included and nearby was the earth mound that served as the cooking area. Down the lane led to a typical village of the time with chickens and tourists wandering around.

As they were soon closing I dashed on to the next Yorktown National Park exhibit thinking that it closed at 5:30 to find it already closed. I had toured the battlefields earlier so decided to wander down the street towards the water. There I encountered numerous streets closed to driving traffic except for residents, with large old houses lining them. What a treat. An indeed authentic looking town overlooking the York River that still functions as an active community with several of the colonial period structures still standing.


Yorktown was a flourishing tobacco port in the 17th century. In 1781 General Cornwallis led his British army of 7,000 troops to the village in hopes of being met there by British ships. Washington and Rochambeau marched down the Atlantic Coast and surrounded Cornwallis. The siege exhausted the British army's supplies of food and ammunition. The British forces lay down their arms for the American and French victors in Surrender Field. I drove through the area a few times and had it not been a hot afternoon after a day filled with history I probably would have enjoyed a walk through the area. I descended a steep hill to the underground York area and then stopped at the waterfront post office to mail a few post cards.

I was determined to spend the night closer to Pennsylvania although one could easily spend a week in the Williamsburg area. This area in Virginia is known as the Tidewater and Hampton Roads. It serves as an important ship and military area. US 17 took me south to Newport News and the Norfolk Naval Base area.