JEB-Fort Story

Joint Expeditionary Base Fort Story is currently a navy and army base combined. While technically part of the same base as JEB Little Creek, this blog will only be focusing only on Fort Story. It's right at the shore of Virginia Beach, located in Cape Henry. The base was originally built in the onset of World War 1, in 1914 as a defensive measure for the Virginia Coastline. Today it's used mainly to train amphibious troops for beach assaults and other types of coastal warfare. There's a lot on this base, and it can be toured by the general public and also has base housing for military families. Many of the things on this blog have been shut down partially due to the safety measures that were taken to be more civilian friendly.

Battery 226

Completed in 1943, Battery 226 was a fixed gun battery at this coastal base. In World War II, this concrete bunker was most likely where the ammunition was stored for the coastal artillery.  In 1949 it stopped being used like this, and eventually started to be used as a normal building with offices. Going there now though, it looks like nobody has been inside for years. Even though it was designed to be camouflaged into the hill, the brush has completely overgrown it. The vines will soon cover up even the two entrances in a few years.

I took a picture of this image above because it looked like a plaque of some sort. I was hoping to see what I could dig up about it. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything about it. It may have been an information plaque in the past.

This circle is exactly where the gun battery would be placed. Above the circle, there are now townhouses. Back in World War II, the gun was placed here with a clear view of the shore and coast, constantly on the watch for enemy ships out in the ocean. There would be a shield around the gun where the men could stand behind. This gun was an enormous piece of artillery, it could even be described as a modern, for that day, cannon. It shot 6 inch bullets out fifteen feet in a rapid fire.

A picture inside the back entrance of the bunker. You can see a long hallway that has been totally abandoned. It does seem that some equipment has been stored here in the past, but now the doors are chained shut. They can only open up wide enough to get a camera lens through. There's hanging spider webs and dirt covering the floor - this place hasn't been touched in a good while.

It seems before leaving this place, the crew here decided to play a joke on anyone who dares look through the crack of the rusty doors. This is the view from the front entrance of the bunker. In the above picture there's a homemade, haunted woman. She's made out of plastic, and has some gloves placed on her in an eerie way. In the picture to the right there's a gravestone that says "Haunted Valley Cemetery." You can buy this lawn sign for about ten dollars on the web. There's also a skeleton in both pictures to those who can spot it.

Looking back at it, the props here are pretty goofy. However, at the time of taking the picture, I actually thought there was somebody standing there. So the last crew's scare worked and nearly gave me a heart attack.

Other than the props, the state of the inside from the front entrance is also in a dilapidated state. Vines are making their way in there and the place is a falling apart. 

AA

This is the remnants of the anti-aircraft battery, or counter-air defense, on the beach. It was originally put here in the 1920's to guard against threats from the air. As you can see, it's in disarray from years of no use and neglect. A crumbling building right on the oceanfront that once defended citizens from attacks. 

Here's a closer look at the defense station. The entrance is right up front. The enormous, circular slab to the bottom right is the remainder of a gun holder.

The front entrance a bit closer. This place will continue to degrade throughout time until there's nothing left to see.

The stairway down after the entrance. 

After the staircase, there was a room to the right that was pitch black. My camera's flash was able to make it out better. A huge pile of sand sits on the right side, and I can make out some graffiti on the walls. I'm not the only one who's explored in here.

This picture above me really documents the shape this is in. The fragments from the this concrete vessel are flaking off day by day.

This is a more full picture of the gun holder. Where the holes are on the circular platform, the structure would have been supported. On the top, there would have been a large gun to fire at targets off the coast and in the air.














The Washed-Up Chair

Walking back from exploring the counter-air defense station, I saw this beach chair washed up on the shore. While I find all sorts of interesting things on this beach, this one stood out. The barnacles have become a part of this chair. It's safe to assume a few sea critters used this piece of man-made sitting mechanic as their home under the sea for awhile.




Coast Guard Vehicle

There's not a lot to find about the history of this vehicle. It's a amphibious support vehicle that would have been used by the U.S. Coast Guard. 

The Lighthouses

What Fort Story is most known for by the general public. These two historical lighthouses both have a vast history to them and one is still in working order. The Cape Henry Lighthouses are both a sight to see. The old one is the one in the background. It was built in 1792 and is able to be toured by people to this day. The black and white one, the new lighthouse, was built in 1881 and is still in use by the U.S. Coast Guard. Every night the light is on and circling around, and when it's foggy out they put on the beautiful sounds of the foghorn for ships. When I walk up and down the beach here, I continually see ships of all sorts going up and down the ocean, so this lighthouse is being put to good use.

Here's an old plaque in front of the old lighthouse. It says:

"Old Cape Henry Lighthouse
                  1791
Land given by the state of Virginia 1789. First lighthouse built by the United Stated government. Deeded by congress in 1930 to the association for the preservation of Virginia antiquities."

Another interesting fact about the old Cape Henry Lighthouse is that it was the first commissioned lighthouse by the federal government. It was also damaged by the confederates during the Civil War but has obviously been renovated since. It was fixed up in 1863, which was almost two decades before the newer lighthouse was put up. To add more to the older lighthouse's story, it was then struck by lightning and the damage from that caused worry of its condition. This is a factor to the newer lighthouse being put up.

This is right under the old lighthouse. It's where a now unused mines casemate is. It's very hard to see here. The door is a rusted, faded color that's covered in vines. If you look closely at this photo, right next to the door is a little black hole on the right.

Here's inside that little, black hole. It ends pretty far back and is filled with some boards of wood, rocks, leaves, and bottles. It's a very small area that stretches a long way back.

Railroad Cart

An aged railroad cart. The plaque on the side here says the history best:
"Railroads
The first railroad to Cape Henry was a temporary tramway built in 1880 to transport materials for the construction of the new Cape Henry lighthouse. In 1902 the Chesapeake Transit Company opened an electric rail line from Norfolk to Cape, allowing a resort village to develop. A brick  passenger depot, 250 yards northwest of here, opened in 1904. Later that year, the line merged with the Norfolk and Southern Railroad. The U.S. Army established Fort Story here in 1914 and laid new track. During World War 2 the army used these tracks to transport artillery and ammunition to the coastal defense system. Commercial and passenger service to Cape Henry ended in 1947."

Gunpowder Magazine

There is currently a campground those who have jobs in the military and the veterans of these jobs can stay at. The campground has places to set up trailers, as well as small cabins they can rent out. In a little road off of the campground, there's this building. I originally thought it might be an old maintenance storage area, but it has a military history just like most things on this base. It's actually a gunpowder magazine. This is where explosives were stored.   
                       

The inside of it where the gunpowder and other explosives would have been stored. These were considered safe places to keep the military's fiery storage until it may have been needed.

This magazine building was one of several here on base. There's also one right in the middle of the campground, and another on Coast Artillery Road. There are probably more that I haven't personally seen.

Coast Artillery Road

Coast Artillery Road is mostly closed off, like many other parts on this base. A civilian like me can't go on it. Not even my husband can go on it without clearance and need-to-know basis. There's nothing that I know of that's more special then any other closed off military section, except one thing. This aspect of the road is what inspired me to look more into this base. It's a haunted ghost of a soldier that's been seen by those who currently work around here.

Some guards at this base, on this particular road, have said to see a figure of a person walking, then vanishing into thin air. There isn't much to this story, only that they think it's the ghost of a soldier who committed suicide.

I've personally seen stories from the ones married to those who work for the military about haunted encounters on the base housing here. Some say some Natives were slaughtered on this land, but I've found no history to back that up to this date. Others say strange occurrences go on in their houses. Phantom footsteps go off in the other room, shadows of men dance in the light, some say there's a ghost named Charlie who messes with their stuff. Nothing is quite certain, and there's no fact to any of these claims; although, there seems to be various testimonies to back up these claims, but then again people could be working one another up to experience what they want to believe.

This is the other gunpowder magazine. Right next to the gated off entrance to Coast Artillery Road. It was the last sight I saw my day exploring this base.

This base has an obvious rich history. From defensive setup, all the way to ghouls that go bump in the night, there's a never-ending barrage of stories from such a small base. Many of it is hidden, and it needs to be uncovered to be seen. It was a unique experience to see this base through this light. This base may not be as well known as others, but there's a lot more than meets the eye, and this base falls into that criteria. 

The Fairy Woods

I've haven't written anything for awhile. I've been in the process of moving. I'm now down south, in the middle of the East Coast. Virginia Beach, Virginia is my new home for the next few years. I was devastated leaving Saratoga Springs though. I had made such close bonds with a few friends I met up there. And while I'm thrilled to be by an ocean again, I already miss the mountains and cold from up north. Before I left though, I went on a hike. I've hiked a lot of places in my life, both west and east coast, and this hike was by far one the most beautiful ones. I know it's October, and I'll have a blog of something scary for Halloween, but I just wanted to put my last adventure in the area around Saratoga Springs before I left.

I originally wanted to go explore an old mine that lays in the forest of Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area, but I couldn't find it. My dog was getting restless so I pulled over to a random trail and just decided to take an adventure through it. Spectacle Pond was the trail I was lucky enough to find. I've never seen such a lush ecosystem. The forest was sustaining itself so well. It felt magical to walk through, like fairies had inhabited the forest. This blog will mainly be on the pictures, and less on any history. So, take a walk with me through the Adirondacks.

The rushing streams that went over and under a multitude of rocks was a sight to see. You can see the heavy moss growing on the side of this specific stream.



To the picture on the right here, this root looks like a hand. It's like the fingers of the tree are sticking out and glancing at those who walk by. Maybe even playing jokes and tripping people who aren't paying attention.

This was a gorgeous, small stream. It flowed under all of this vegetation and came from a tiny pond covered in lily pads. You can't see from the picture too well, but there were these small, frail lavender flowers growing in between all the ferns and other brush. The stream kept this habitat alive and growing well.

Here are the lily pads floating around. You can see also see the reflection of a pine tree in the left hand corner of the water. In the bottom right of the water, you can see clouds reflecting off of it.



In the picture below was Spectacle Pond, but the outskirts of it. It and the lily pad pond weren't connected though.

This was by far the best photo I took that day. It's perfect. I didn't even edit it. The boat was just sitting there on Spectacle Pond's shore, and the reflection of the clouds created a full scene of beauty. I miss the thick forests up there, and the wise mountains I hiked up.

A campsite right by the pond. There was a little fire pit and it was on the other side of the hill where the boat was. I'll show the view from the campsite in the next image, but it was a truly pretty place. I would have liked to have camped there.

Here's the view from the campsite. The pond looks never-ending here. This was right as the season was transitioning to fall, so the air was crisp and cool. The leaves were just beginning to change. Everything was dark green still though because of all the recent rain.

Do you see it?


It was the first out of two frogs I saw that day.

This was the bridge over the lily pad, mini-pond. This was on my way back. To the left is the lavender flowers, thick vegetation, and small stream. To the right in the lily pad pond and the beginning of Spectacle Pond.

I saw this on a rock. It might be a symbol I don't recognize, or the Blair witch has been there. Or someone probably carved out at random on the moss when they got bored, but to me it looks like some fairies made it a landmark. Maybe one was making some art from the stars they looked up to each night.

I've got to give credit to my husband here. He didn't take the shot but he gave me the idea to. As I said earlier, the leaves were just beginning to change at the start of the autumn season. This was one of the first leaves I saw changing color in the northeast.

I loved the way the roots stood up through the soil here. Tangles of them creating a bumpy earth to walk on. Looking up from the roots, the thin trees looked like I could run through them and never look back.

I can see a little critter taking shelter in here when it rains or snows. A home for an animal to put their family in maybe. Or to burrow in when hibernating.

There were a lot of mushrooms here. These little guys were so cute. They grew like little balls on the fallen tree and plentiful moss.

This wasn't the only time I saw this on the walk. Two roots growing on top of rocks. Like they were covering the rocks from harm. The conjoined, two different types of earth was unique, I'v never seen anything like it.

These are the type of mushrooms that look cute to touch, when you squeeze them though their spores go everywhere. It looks like a thick layer of dust flying off of it. They look bouncy almost.

Some baby plants poking their heads out of the dirt, curious to what's going on, and wanting to grow higher,

This stump looked like its top half got blown off. Or like it just crumbled off one day. The rest of the tree is in a multitude of pieces laying on the ground.

A miniature, purple mushroom. I know the more colorful something is, the more poisonous it is. I'm not a mushroom expert so I can't say what kind this is, but its color was pretty.

There was very little water running down this stream. I can't imagine how thick the water would be flowing on a rainy day. You can see all of the fallen branches here, laying everywhere. It was a wild scene with the tall trees, multiple streams, and immense amount of fallen twigs and branches.

A picture of the mountain I saw by the pond but from a different angle. This was just through a small opening between the trees before getting to, and then leaving from the pond.

This little mushroom was in its full glory. Raised and perked perfectly up, it stood there proud as can be as I sat there admiring it.

This is one of the cutest sights I've seen. There's a mushroom perfectly in the center of a hole in the tree. You can even see a small spider has made its home in there as well. This is where I really started to be convinced that there was something magical in this forest.

Spongy moss spread out along the soil. It was a bright green and healthy moss.

Some big fungi growing off of a fallen limb. This is just one example of the thriving ecosystem here. There were so many fallen branches that were degrading extremely nicely back into the forest. You could witness the circle of life in these woods.

Some more fungi growing off of a tree. This fungi was pretty though, and had a pink outside and white inside. It looked like something you'd see in the ocean, not growing in a forest on a tree.

I took this photo as an example of how green and rich everything was. The abundance of greenery flowing through here was dazzling.

This was one of the many fallen trees. All of them were covered in moss, fungi, or both. The ecosystem was flourishing. I know it may seem like I'm making a big deal out of a simple walk through the woods, but as stated earlier, I've hiked a lot of places and never seen such luxuriant foliage around.

On top of the spongy, green moss, a blue jay's feather laid on top.

A pathway through the forest. I wasn't on a stone path the entire time, but there were several places on the trail that had these endearing, stone paths.

This piece of wood was turquoise. I'm not sure if that's a type of bacteria or maybe it was painted, but I'm glad my eye spotted it.

This silky stream was on some pretty flat rocks that it had eroded nicely over time. It looked like I could go over and grab the water like it was smooth fabric.

As I was leaving I saw more of these tiny, lavender flowers. They were right next to my car and were growing under some twigs, through some thick leaves. I wanted to remove the twigs from on top of them to let them breathe, but I got the feeling that the forest knew what it was doing.

Saratoga Springs and all its surrounding areas were spectacular. I miss all the beautiful sights and kind people I met. The cold weather was perfect and something I missed so bad. I'll be seeing this area again though. I'll be back Saratoga Springs.