An abandoned Civil War fort used by Confederate soldiers to block Union boats from sailing up the James River is being reborn as a historic park.

It's called Fort Huger. Some people pronounce it HU-gee U-ghay, u-GEE, or even Hugger.

However you say it, the new park in Isle of Wight County is scheduled to open Sunday. An opening ceremony will also celebrate the fort's addition to the Virginia Landmarks Register and its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

County officials have worked for more than a year to transform the earthen-walled, slave-built fort into a park.

The fort was built in 1861 to keep Union boats from reaching the Confederate capital, Richmond. It fell to Union forces in 1862.