Smith's Fort
Smith's Fort is now OPEN for the Season. Come see us!
Guided Interior Tours
In a 45-minute tour guided by one of our trained interpreters, you’ll learn about the lives and legacies of Captain John Smith, John Rolfe, Pocahontas and Chief Wahunsenacawh.
Self-Guided Cell Phone Tour
Receive an informative site map and explore the grounds following a numbered path. Use your personal cell phone to hear about the site’s history and architecture. Admission to the grounds will be $5 per person or $10 per car.
Smith’s Fort is the site of Captain John Smith’s proposed “New Fort” and is located directly across the James River from Jamestown. The site still has earthworks that mark the spot of the unfinished fort site partially completed in 1609 before being abandoned. The current house is situated on land given by Chief Wahunsenacawh (Powhatan) as a dowry for his daughter Pocahontas’ marriage to John Rolfe in 1614.
The manor house on the property was built for Jacob Faulcon circa 1761 and retains much of its original pine woodwork.
In 1886 Smith’s Fort was purchased by a collective group of African American families including Bolling Morris, John and Carter Hardy and Robertson Simmons.
Smith’s Fort was acquired by Preservation Virginia in 1933 after it was restored by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Address
217 Smith Fort Lane
Surry, Virginia 23883
Hours
Interior house tours are available March-December each year:
Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Memorial Day – Labor Day: Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You can take a new cell phone tour of the grounds all year long!
Plan your visit
Ways to enjoy your visit:
Self-Guided Cell Phone Tour- Receive an informative site map and explore the grounds following a numbered path. Use your personal cell phone to hear about the site’s history and architecture. Admission to the grounds will be $5 per person or $10 per car.
Guided Exterior Walking Tour- 45 minute guided tour of the history and architecture of the site. This is a public, mixed-group outdoor only tour and will require guests to be socially distant from individuals outside of their closed group. Masks are encouraged.
Guided Interior/Exterior Tours- In a 45-minute tour guided by one of our trained interpreters, you’ll learn about the lives and legacies of Captain John Smith, John Rolfe, Pocahontas and Chief Wahunsenacawh.
You can hop on the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry for free to visit Preservation Virginia’s Historic Jamestowne or take a short car ride to Bacon’s Castle.
Hours & Directions
Interior house tours are available March through December each year:
Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Memorial Day – Labor Day: Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
African American History at Smith's Fort
We value Smith’s Fort’s African American community’s history and would love for you to be a part of the process of gathering more information about the Black presence at Smith’s Fort. If you are a descendant of Smith’s Fort or a member of the community and would like to share your family’s history or your knowledge of the African American history at Smith’s Fort, please contact us at smithsfort@preservationvirginia.org or 757.294.3872
Smith’s Fort: An American Story
Admission
Pricing
| Preservation Virginia Members | Free (Become a member) |
| General Admission | $15 |
| AAA, Senior (60+), Military Discount | $12 |
| Students | $10 |
| Caregiver for any person with a disability protected under the ADA | Free |
| Children Under 6 | Free |
Contact
For information on pricing and availability:
Tom Forehand, Site Coordinator
smithsfortplantation@preservationvirginia.org
757-294-3872
Donate to Smith’s Fort
African American History at Smith's Fort
The rich story of African Americans at Smith’s Fort includes Black land ownership in the Reconstruction era South. In 1886 Smith’s Fort was purchased by four African American farmers, Bolling Morris, John and Carter Hardy and Robertson Simmons. This 521-acre farm on Grey’s Creek sold for $2,500.
While emancipation abolished the American system of race-based slavery in 1863, most plantations in Surry turned to some form of a share-cropping system. In this system, the mostly African American laborers gave ¼ to ½ of harvested crops back to the land owner. It was from this system that the Morris, Hardy and Simmons’ families were able to purchase Smith’s Fort Plantation from Stith and Maime Spratley.
In 1928, Bolling Morris sold Smith’s Fort to the Williamsburg Holding Company (Colonial Williamsburg) for the sum of $9,000. The Morris family moved to Richmond, VA and in the 1930 census, Bolling Morris Jr. is listed as proprietor of a tobacco store, along with his household, located in Richmond’s historic Jackson Ward, on the same block as Maggie L. Walker’s home, which is now a National Park site.
We have only begun to study the history of the Black presence here. Our goal is to build strong relationships with the descendants of this place, collect oral histories, and present the individual stories that truly highlight the African American experience at Smith’s Fort.
To read more about Smith’s Fort’s African American history, Click Here(Link to the Morris blog). And for more in-depth information, and primary source material please send us an email at smithsfort@preservationvirginia.org
We value Smith’s Fort’s African American community’s history and would love for you to be a part of the process of gathering more information about the Black presence at Smith’s Fort. If you are a descendant of Smith’s Fort or a member of the community and would like to share your family’s history or your knowledge of the African American history at Smith’s Fort, please contact us at smithsfort@preservationvirginia.org or 757.294.3872
