Colonial National Historical Park
Yorktown, Virginia

The last major battle of the American Revolution was fought in Yorktown in October 1781 between the Allied forces under General George Washington, and the British forces under General Lord Cornwallis. The British forces, encamped within the fortified village, were overpowered by the heavy bombardment of the Allied forces. Nine days after the siege began, the terms of surrender were negotiated at the Moore House, located just beyond the battlefield. The American triumph here sealed the victory of the Revolutionary War and led to the development of a new nation. The Colonial National Historical Park was required to complete a Cultural Landscapes Inventory for the Village of Yorktown, Moore House and Segments of the Battlefield to meet the goals of the Government Performance Results Act and to complete an Environmental Assessment.

Heritage Landscapes conducted archival and field research. Historic and current plans, photographs and written records were used to identify, analyze and evaluate the character of the Village of Yorktown, Moore House and Yorktown Battlefield. Landscape evolution and character for different periods of significance were studied from early exploration and settlement of Yorktown to the Revolutionary War and Siege of Yorktown, Civil War occupation, early preservation efforts of the 1930s, and the National Park Service’s Mission 66 period. The CLI report clarifies the landscape significance and articulates its character which is useful in light of the tension between the historic village and current residential and municipal uses, and daily life as both tourist destination and active community.

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