With the arrival of the 4th of July this week, which is a yearly reminder of all of the rich Revolutionary War history here in Yorktown which resulted in our nation’s independence from England, I’d like to introduce you to The Freight Shed at Yorktown. I have so many memories of this special place from when we first moved to Virginia in 2002. Often, I would park under the Coleman Bridge, then walk with my very tiny kids at the time down the sidewalk and past the Freight Shed to get to the beach. Every time we walked by this historic building, which was closed at the time, I always wondered what its story was. It was evident that it was a very old building. Several years after Hurricane Isabel hit our area, which did a great deal of damage to the Yorktown Riverfront, the Freight Shed, along with the beautiful Riverwalk, were revitalized and built. Not long after the renovations were complete, I learned more about what made this building unique.Â
The Freight Shed was originally built in 1935 by the National Park service after a tropical storm destroyed a great deal of the waterfront. It was initially used as a terminal for Baltimore steamships until 1952. After that, it was remodeled and used as a post office. Although Hurricane Isabel damaged the waterfront in 2003, the renovation of the Freight Shed and the development of the Riverwalk Landing, completed in 2005, was a project 13 years in the making.
The Freight Shed, a wedding venue that can seat 130 people inside, now hosts many functions in addition to weddings such as parties, business meetings, and concerts to name a few. It is about 1,950 square feet in size and has a large brick plaza on the river side of the facility. A tent is available on the plaza to offer an outdoor option for your wedding ceremony or reception (April through October). The Freight shed also provides use of their tables inside the building, use of the kitchen area (in the building adjacent to the Freight Shed), and you may rent their white chairs for use outside in the tent.
One of my favorite things about The Freight Shed as a Yorktown, Virginia wedding venue is the beautiful couple portrait locations. The sunsets on the York River are gorgeous, and in combination with the Coleman Bridge, you have so many options for gorgeous and unique wedding imagery. The brick plaza and sidewalks surrounding this wedding venue offer a colonial feel and lead to other areas along the waterfront with the bridge and without the bridge in the background. Additionally, you can opt to do bridal party and couple portraits along main street in Yorktown where there are multiple locations with green space, historic buildings, brick walls, and gardens.
