Visit Colonial Historical Park

Start your tour at the primary orientation point and gateway for exploring the historic grounds of the 1781 Siege of Yorktown.

American independence was won at Yorktown Battlefield. Stand on the historic earthworks of Redoubts 9 & 10. Be sure to click around the image to explore the fields where liberation was seized in 1781!

Commissioned by the Continental Congress just days after the British surrender, this granite spire stands as an enduring tribute to the triumph of the Franco-American alliance. It's a powerful symbol of national gratitude and victory.

This secluded woodland served as the strategic staging area for allied siege cannons during the 1781 assault. A powerful testament to military logistics and tactical cooperation, it marks where the crucial firepower that broke the British lines was organized.

Step inside the historic Nelson House and look around. Used as a British headquarters during the 1781 siege, this is the very home that Thomas Nelson Jr. urged allied artillery to fire upon, sacrificing his own property for the birth of a nation.

Look around the historic Moore House. Chosen as neutral ground during the 1781 siege, this quiet riverside plantation is where the major fighting of the American Revolution effectively ended. Here, allied and British officers forged the 14 Articles of Capitulation that finalized the British surrender.

Under this fragile canvas, the Commander-in-Chief, George Washington, spent sleepless nights planning the final, decisive campaign of the war. This mobile headquarters held witness to many tense, late-night decisions.

Here, far from the comforts of a brick-and-mortar estate, Washington pitched his personal sleeping and office marquee tents. Operating from this field command, he drafted critical orders and analyzed intelligence with French allies like General Rochambeau.

Built in the late 19th century along Yorktown's historic Main Street, long after the smoke of the Revolution cleared, this charming weatherboard building stands as a testament to Yorktown's enduring community. For over a century, it has served as a local business hub in the heart of the historic district.

Tucked along the Allied Encampment Tour, this quiet woodland glade holds a simple cross thought to mark the graves of about 50 unidentified French soldiers. It remains a solemn tribute to the ultimate cost of alliance.