Senator Warner, Congressman Bobby Scott, and Hampton Mayor Molly Ward toured Fort Monroe with several local historians and discussed ways to preserve its rich history when the U.S. Army leaves as part of the base realignment process. 

Fort Monroe was involved in many key moments in American history. It was built in 1819 to guard the channel between Hampton Roads and the Chesapeake Bay, but long before its official creation, its shores saw the arrival of the first slaves in America in 1619. 

Jefferson Davis was imprisoned at Fort Monroe for two years following the end of the Civil War, and the Fort played a pivotal role in the ending of slavery when its commander refused to return three escaped slaves, which created a precedent that slaves who escaped to Union forces would not be returned.

Currently, Fort Monroe is the only remaining fort still active as an Army post, but is set to be decommissioned and returned to Virginia in the near future.  

Senator Warner is working with the National Park Service, the Fort Monroe Authority, and members of Virginia's congressional delegation and local leaders to preserve Fort Monroe – hopefully by having the National Park Service come in and manage parts of the property.  

Today, the Senator told the Daily Press, "Once you lose this you'll never get it back. The question is how do we preserve the history but, at the same time, allow the city and the region to do appropriate development," he said.

"I can't think of a more significant site in terms of the history of African Americans in the country"