Fort Norfolk History - 1842
In August of 1842 John E Simpson once again surveyed the government land at Fort Norfolk at the request of Colonel DeRussy. (see above) It was clear from this survey that the government was not clear on the boundaries of the land. Mr. Simpson’s survey suggested several different sets of boundaries of the Fort.
During the second quarter of the nineteenth century, the industrial and commercial development of the Borough of Norfolk had still not reached the vicinity of the fort. Vastly different from its setting today, Fort Norfolk in the 1840s was surrounded by pine thickets to the north and grasslands to the east.
In December 1842, the U.S. Navy made its first request for the use of Fort Norfolk. Commodore Kennedy, the commander of the U.S. Navy Yard at Gosport petitioned the War Department for permission to use Fort Norfolk "for the purpose of repairing boats and exercising Marines." It is not certain to what extent Commodore Kennedy made use of the fort. The fact that the buildings were reported to be in generally poor condition only a few years later indicates that the Navy made no major repairs.
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Source of Information
John E Simpson, "John Simpson to Col. DeRussy", August 23, 1842, National Archives, Record Group 77 (Office, Chief of Engineers),Land Papers, Virginia (Craney Island, Mill Creek Bridge, Ferry Point, Ft. Norfolk, Yorktown Monument, Arlingtron Estate, Willoughby Spit); Washington (General), Box No. 61, NM-19, Entry 171
College Of WILLIAM & MARY, "A CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN OF FORT NORFOLK, NORFOLK, VIRGINIA", November 1995, prepared for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District under Contract No. DACW65-94-Q-0075, 22-23.