Nomination Form
The first pitched battle of the Revolutionary War in Virginia was fought on December 9, 1775, at the Great Bridge, a wooden causeway across 360 yards of marsh and open water of the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, south of Norfolk (within the modern day city of Chesapeake). Lord Dunmore, the royal governor, had a British garrison here to protect this approach to Norfolk. The bloody engagement proved to be a victory for the patriots. The British abandoned their fortified position at this strategic point and eventually were forced to evacuate Norfolk because it could not be defended from the south. Artifacts of this engagement likely survive in the marshes adjacent to the Great Bridge Battle Site.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia
