Elizabeth River Waterfront — Town Point Park

Town Point Park on the Elizabeth River waterfront occupies the geographic position where colonial Norfolk's commerce was conducted and where Lord Dunmore's warships anchored during 1775–76. The January 1, 1776 burning of Norfolk began when British ships shelled the waterfront and loyalist houses, a fire that spread to engulf most of the town. Standing at the waterfront today, visitors can see the Elizabeth River's width — narrow enough for ship cannon to reach downtown — that made Norfolk uniquely vulnerable to British naval power and explains why Dunmore could maintain a floating government here for months.