$150,000 grant for Phoebus-Fort Monroe Coalition

Nov. 1, 2024 - A $150,000 National Park Service grant will be used to establish a coalition that will craft a strategy to best showcase the cultural significance of the Phoebus Main Street District, Fort Monroe and the City of Hampton.

The 2024 Chesapeake Gateways grant was awarded to the Chesapeake Conservancy and will be used to establish the Phoebus-Fort Monroe Coalition. The grand is made possible by the National Park Service Chesapeake Gateways.

"The City of Hampton is proud to support the creation of the Phoebus-Fort Monroe Coalition, a testament to the power of local partnerships," said Jonathan McBride, housing and neighborhood services division manager for the City of Hampton. "This initiative will lay the foundation for future collaborations to showcase the full breadth of the American experience, offering residents and visitors additional opportunities to engage through recreation, historic sites and interpretive events throughout Fort Monroe and Phoebus. By bringing together organizations, communities and institutions, we are creating new opportunities to preserve and celebrate our shared history and natural environment. This coalition will foster deeper understanding, stronger connections and lasting outcomes that will benefit Hampton, the region and generations to come."

The Phoebus Partnership, the Fort Monroe Authority and the City of Hampton have worked together for years to present the stories of Phoebus and Fort Monroe, particularly as they relate to military, indigenous and Black History. The new grant will formally unite these community partners in their goal of celebrating our culture and coastal heritage.

With support from a Chesapeake Gateways grant, the creation of the Phoebus-Fort Monroe Coalition will unite stakeholders across the locality to capture and celebrate this area's rich cultural history, ensure the community's heritage is preserved and provide positive impacts to the local community.

Joe Griffith, Virginia Main Street manager for the Phoebus Partnership, said the new coalition would allow the groups to "protect our powerful and diverse shared heritage while safeguarding the Chesapeake Bay's natural resources, encouraging sustainable development that benefits our community and honors its legacy."

John Reynolds, on the Board of Trustees for the Fort Monroe Authority, added that Fort Monroe and Phoebus "are deeply attached by their common history from pre-Colonial times, slavery, the American Civil War, the unraveling of slavery and more modern military history to each other. This opportunity to create a dynamic partnership between the two historic sites and their constituencies is a gift to the future for the people of our nation, Commonwealth of Virginia and the region."

Click here to read more details from the Chesapeake Conservancy.