In October 1781, American independence was achieved on the battlefields of Yorktown, Virginia—a glorious event that the Continental Congress determined was worthy of a monument. Moving at the speed of government, it took one hundred years to act on this resolution. In that time, Yorktown had to come to terms with its role as a site of preservation rather than a center of industry or commerce. The story of the development and preservation of The Monument to Alliance and Victory at Yorktown is a tangle of government, military, artists, historians and forces of nature. Local author Maria Hepner explores the story of this monument and the town that surrounds it.