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Monday, January 27, 2014

A Visit to the Moore House - Yorktown, Virginia, by Carrie Fancett Pagels


Moore House Parlor - Arranged as For Surrender of Yorktown Negotiations

The Moore House is a site held by the National Parks and sits on a gorgeous bluff above the York River in Yorktown, Virginia.  Here, after the Yorktown Battle, the final major battle in the American Revolution, officers met to negotiate the terms of the surrender.

To visit this historic home, restored some decades ago, you must first go to the National Parks Building in Yorktown. The Yorktown Battlefield also sits on a bluff, with a grand view, a few miles further up river. Below is the majestic view from the Moore House, which you must drive to after registering at the National Parks site and obtaining a sticker.
View of the Yorktown River from the Moore House

Almost any time of year is good for a visit to coastal Virginia. We are most prone to having some type of snowfall in late January and early February, if we get any. This year we've had a few inches and we are anticipating another storm shortly, but such is unusual here in this mild climate.

In mid October, 1781, when the officers met to negotiate the terms of surrender, the weather may have been mild, especially for those accustomed to northern cold.


If you've ever wondered what historic fiction writers do when they have company in town, well here is an example--they take their family members to visit research sites! My brother obliged by posing for this picture!  I've seen pictures of the house, before it was restored, and it looked so sad.  But the National Parks did a lovely job fixing it, both inside and out.
Front of Moore House, Gary Lee Fancett


The interior is available for perusal and period pieces have been added. A National Parks employee will be on site to greet you and answer your questions.





The dining room is set up as if company was expected any moment. It is tempting to cross through the cordoned ropes and sit down for tea!  Would you care to join me?

Moore House Dining Room

22 comments:

  1. When Amber and I visited Jamestown. Williamsburg, and Yorktown five years ago we visited this house. We enjoyed out visit there!

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    1. Come back and visit again, Regina! Stay warm as this storm comes in!

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  2. Another gorgeous place I need to come and visit!

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  3. You visit so many fabulous and intriguing places. I need to hurry up and get well so I can come see you and we can go sightseeing!

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    1. Praying you fully recover and can do all kinds of trips, Diana!

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  4. A beautiful site, Carrie! Will add it to my TBS (to be seen) list. Love the river scene! I've eaten at some historical sites that had rooms equipped for dining, and the experience of dining in a historical room is indescribable! Thanks for the info!

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    1. Springtime is an awesome time to visit here! We'll probably do a Tea Party virtually set at the Moore House sometime in the future.

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  5. Carrie, I would love to visit places like this with you. GOD bless. Maxie

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    1. Would love for you to come see all these great places, Maxie! Hugs!

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  6. Hi, Carrie! I loved this visit to the Moore House! Thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures. The view of the Yorktown River from the Moore House is beautiful!

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  7. Beautiful I love seeing old houses and learning there history behind them. �� thanks for sharing.

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    1. Me, too!!! One of my fave books is a children's book about a little house, through the centuries!!!

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  8. You know, Carrie, I never fully realize just how jealous I am of someone like you who goes to all these reallllly cool houses until I see the pix and then I think -- gosh, I wish I could go there!! And I could, I know, if I just got my nose out of the computer for a weekend or two!

    LOVE the view of the river ... sigh!

    Hugs,
    Julie

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    1. Most of the CQ ladies get jealous because of all the colonial sites where I live. I am SO blessed! Yes, you need to go do some more research and have fun! Hugs to you, Julie!

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  9. Yorktown, with all its sights, is charming. We are blessed to live in the historic triangle.

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  10. Thanks for taking me here last year, Carrie. It was incredible to be standing in the same rooms that witnessed a turning point in American history with such awe-inspiring men.

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    1. Enjoyed our visit, Cynthia!!! Yes, it is so emotionally charged to stand there and be in the same rooms where the surrender was settled!!!

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  11. I didn't recognize the name but I then recognized the building and yard as soon as I saw it. I too, enjoyed stopping here on my tour through the historic triangle. Don't you wish you could just stay for a day or two and soak it all up? sitting at the table? looking out the upstairs windows?
    Thanks for sharing it with us, Carrie!

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    1. Yeah, I don't think they'd let me stay overnight (National Park service is funny like that lol!) But since it is only a few miles from my house I can visit often and pretend!

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