{"nrhp_refnum":"08000320","name":"Fort Huger","other_names":["VDHR File 046-0037","Sites 44IW0065 &amp","44iw0204"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Talcott Terrace","address_restricted":false,"city":"Smithfield","county":"Isle of Wight County","state":"VA","lat":37.10966469150006,"lon":-76.65874265946519,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-04-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Historic - Non-Aboriginal"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Fort Huger is an abandoned Confederate earthwork fort on Hardy's Bluff above the James River in Smithfield, Isle of Wight County, Virginia, built in 1861. The 22-acre site also includes a winter encampment site across the marsh from the fort.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the fort was an integral part of the Confederate James River defenses in 1861-1862, anchoring the south flank of General Magruder's line. It is described as largely intact and unaffected by modern development. It is also expected to yield archaeological information about the fort's structures and the soldiers who wintered there.","narrative":"Fort Huger is a Civil War earthwork on Hardy's Bluff, overlooking the James River near Smithfield in Isle of Wight County. Confederate forces built it in 1861 under State Engineer Andrew Talcott as the south flank strongpoint of General Magruder's defensive line. A Union officer's 1862 survey described a bastioned work with a deep ditch, sod-faced parapets and twelve guns. The listed site covers about 22 acres and includes the fort, the remains of a hot shot furnace and a nearby winter encampment, where as many as 40 huts may have housed over 150 men. Mapped incorrectly in 1977, the fort was rediscovered during surveys beginning in 2004, and the developers deeded the land to the county. Excavations show good subsurface preservation of the furnace foundation and the camp. The property was recognized for its role in early Civil War defense of the James River and for its archaeological potential.","period_of_significance":"1861-1862","architect_builder":"N/A (construction directed by State Engineer Andrew Talcott, per the narrative)","architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":["A","D"],"status_note":"Abandoned Civil War fort now county-owned and being prepared as an interpretive park with a parking area, pathway and signage; archaeological work is ongoing.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:03.530223-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/6813/41681350/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/08000320.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000320/cae7dc3689-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000320/cae7dc3689-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Nat Webb","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_Huger_interior.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Nat Webb</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_Huger_interior.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681350","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Huger","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712328"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/isle-of-wight-county/fort-huger-08000320/"}