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A granite column topped by a figure of Liberty at Ballard and Main Streets in Yorktown, Virginia, commemorating the American and French victory of 1781. Congress ordered it in 1781 and it was built in the 1880s. The Park Service says it stands some 98 feet high.
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Yorktown Victory Monument
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Site-level location · 37.2378° N, 76.5083° W
FIELD GUIDE
The story
Congress resolved on 29 October 1781 that the United States would cause a marble column to be erected at Yorktown, Virginia, adorned with emblems of the alliance with France. According to the National Park Service, a study group was authorised by Congress in 1879 and positive action came a year later.
The Park Service says those commissioned by the Secretary of War included R. M. Hunt (Chairman) and J. Q. A. Ward of New York, and that Congress allowed as much as $100,000 to be spent. The Park Service says the shaft uses Hallowell, Maine, granite. The cornerstone was laid on 18 October 1881 as the opening of the Yorktown Centennial Celebration, and the Park Service gives 12 August 1884 as the date the crowning figure of Liberty was set.
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PRACTICAL
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WHAT TO EXPECT
A freestanding monument in Yorktown at the corner of Ballard and Main Streets. The Park Service place page lists it as wheelchair accessible.
ACCESS
Corner of Ballard Street and Main Street, Yorktown, Virginia, according to the National Park Service place page (updated August 2026), which lists it as wheelchair accessible. Hours are not stated.
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