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Historic Sites Cornwallis' Cave

  • Address
    Historic Yorktown
    624 Water St.
    Yorktown, VA 23690
  • Phone
    757-890-3500
  • City
    Yorktown
    Locality
    York
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  • Visit Site

Down on Water Street sits a Yorktown mystery. Well, sort of. Legend has it that Cornwallis' Cave (hidden across from the bustling beach) is where the British General retreated to avoid bombardment during the Battle of Yorktown. The National Park Service has long since claimed research shows otherwise. 

In reality, the cave dates back to before the Revolution, and was likely used for potato storage during colonial times and later for storage of Confederate munitions during the American Civil War. Large, visible recesses were cut into the front wall by Confederate forces to install support beams for a plank roof and walls that were then covered with earth to protect the munitions from Union warships offshore. 

The gated cave has since fallen into disrepair as a result of the natural processes of weathering and erosion. The possibility of stone falling inside is one of the reasons it is blocked off to the public, but you can still drive or walk by its location on Water Street beside the Archer Cottage.

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Region

Coastal Virginia - Hampton Roads

Last Updated: 09/15/2020

What's Nearby

  • Yorktown Victory Monument
    Yorktown Victory Monument
    Historic Yorktown
    Yorktown, VA 23690
    0 MI
  • The Fifes and Drums of York Town
    The Fifes and Drums of York Town
    Historic Yorktown
    Yorktown, VA 23690
    0 MI
  • Yorktown Battlefield and Visitor Center Museum Store
    Yorktown Battlefield and Visitor Center Museum Store
    Historic Yorktown
    Yorktown, VA 23690
    0 MI
  • New Quarter Park
    New Quarter Park
    Historic Yorktown
    Yorktown, VA 23690
    0 MI
  • Yorktown Pub
    Yorktown Pub
    540 Water Street
    Yorktown, VA 23690
    0.12 MI

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