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.