| Update
6/26/05: Much is going on at the Chamberlin, and
Fort Monroe welcomes visitor |
 HAMPTON,
VIRGINIA—
The
Chamberlin Hotel offers so much in the way of uniqueness,
it's hard to know where to begin. For starters, it's inside
Fort Monroe, home of the largest stone fort ever built in
the United States. Even though it's on federal land, the Chamberlin
is privately owned and operated.
Secondly,
the Chamberlin enjoys a commanding view of Chesapeake Bay.
The dining room offers a simply splendid panorama, no matter
what the weather. Most of the guest rooms offer the same view,
and the swimming is so near the water's edge you can pretend
you're swimming in the ocean.
 The
first hotel to occupy this magnificent spot was built in 1820.
Called the Hygeia, the resort drew a steady stream of well-heeled
visitors. One of them was Edgar Allen Poe, who recited "The
Raven" and "Annabel Lee" on the Hygeia's porch
one September night in 1849, a month before he died.
After
serving as a hospital during the Civil War, the Hygeia was
torn down. Another hotel sprang up in its place, followed
shortly by the first Chamberlin establishment. When it burned
down in 1920, the present edifice was erected.
The
Chamberlin is huge, imposing, and worth a visit. A buffet
luncheon is served every day in the dining room, an all-you-can-eat
smorgasbord for a very reasonable price. If you're lucky,
you'll get to sit near the windows facing the bay.
Afterwards,
stop by the hotel museum, which is housed in a porch behind
the gift shop. Inside glass cases are mementos from every
decade of the Chamberlin's past, including pictures of the
conflagration that burned the first hotel to the ground.
All
this might be enough, but there's more. The Chamberlin is
haunted. More than one apparition is said to walk the halls
of this cavernous establishment, but the most famous is the
ghost of a young woman. Her father, a fisherman, went to sea
one day and never returned. "She's still waiting for
him," said the clerk in the gift shop. "She knocks
things off shelves every once in a while, and sometimes she
plays the piano."
Maybe
we'll meet her next time.
The
Chamberlin
2 Fenwic Road
Fort Monroe, Virginia 23651
(757) 723-6511
12/97
|
Update 06/26/05:
The first Hygeia hotel, (built in
1820 and named for the Greek Goddess of health), a second
Hygeia, (built in 1863), and the first Vanderbilt-Chamberlin
Hotel (built in 1890) were located in three different
locations on Fort Monroe. The second Chamberlin is built
on the same lot as the first Chamberlin (click
here for a photo), which burned in 1920. Shortly
after the 9/11 attacks, the current owner of this historic
motel went bankrupt, and it was closed to all visitors.
In late 2004, a local real estate firm purchased the
property with the intention of converting the hotel
into a senior independent living facility of 130 apartments.
Power was shut off to the building shortly after Hurricane
Isabel in September, 2003, and asbestos removal and
other rehabilitation construction is underway at the
present time. The costs to rehabilitate the property
have been estimated at $50 million, and the first units
should be ready for occupancy in the spring of 2007.
When it reopens, the lobby and some ground-floor businesses
will be open again to the public.
Even though the hotel is now closed,
visitors are still welcomed on the base, and the only
requirement for entry is that they must have a photo
ID and up-to-date vehicle registration and tags. Visitors
must get a day pass, but that only takes a few minutes.
There are brand new exhibits at the Casemate Museum,
and the Old Point Comfort Lighthouse is open. In addition,
visitors can walk around the terreplein (the raised
ground area in front of the old stone walls) and look
at the pet cemetery, the Jefferson Davis Memorial Arch,
and the old gun placements. There is also a RV park
at the fort and an outdoor
recreational program. For
excellent local information about Fort Monroe and its
history, click
here.
Information contributed
by the Fort Monroe Cultural Resource Manager.
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