This study was conducted for the U.S. Army Environmental Center (AEC) under Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request (MIPR) 0647; Work Unit GC7, "Historic Landscape Inventories and Master Plans for Army Installations." The technical monitor was David Guldenzopf, SFIM-AEC-ENC.
The work was performed by the Planning and Mission Impact Division (LL-P) of the Land Management Laboratory (LL), U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (USACERL). The USACERL Principal Investigator was Ms. Suzanne Loechl. Ms. Caroline Fisher, U.S. Army Environmental Center assisted in the technological review. Dr. Harold E. Balbach is Chief, CECER-LL-P, and Mr. John T. Bandy is Acting Operations Chief, CECER-LL.
COL James A. Walter is the Commander of USACERL, and Dr. Michael J. O'Connor is Director.
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4
INTRODUCTION 6
Location of Study Area 6
Methodology and Tasks 6
Special Circumstances of Fort Myer 8
Geology and Topography 12
Soils and Climate 12
Vegetation 13
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 17
MT. WASHINGTON AND THE ARLINGTON ESTATE 1802-1861 18
Establishment of Arlington Estate 18
Treatment of the Grounds 18
Landscape Summary 19
CIVIL WAR: FORTS CASS AND WHIPPLE 1861-1865 22
The Defense of Washington 22
Strengthening the Cordon 22
Fortification and Deforestation 24
Lincoln Visit 24
The Freedmen's Village and the Arlington Tract 24
Influence of the Civil War on the Landscape of Fort Myer 26
SIGNAL CORPS SCHOOL 1869-1887 32
Transition from War to Peace 32
The Signal Corps and the First "Permanent" Construction 32
Influence of the Signal Corps School Period on the Landscape of Fort Myer 35
Summary of Landscape Areas 35
CAVALRY SHOW PLACE 1887-1942 42
Fort Myer at the Time of Transition (1886-1890) 42
Rebuilding and Expanding (1891-1898) 44
Rebuilding and Expanding on the Upper Post (1899-1915) 45
The Lower Post and the Return of the Signal Corps (1899-1910) 45
Aviation at Fort Myer 46
Fort Myer (1920s-1940s) 47
Influence of the Cavalry Period on the Landscape of Fort Myer 48
Summary of Landscape Areas 49
HISTORIC DISTRICT BOUNDARY CONSIDERATIONS 60
BIBLIOGRAPHY 61
APPENDIX A: TREES AT FORT MYER 66