Fort Myer holds a central place in the history of the Army. Many important individuals, units, and events are associated with the post. As home of the Army Chief of Staff, many of the Nation's most famous Army Generals, including Douglas MacArthur, George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Omar Bradley, lived at Fort Myer during their service. Notable historical Army units include the Buffalo Soldiers of Troop K of the 9th Cavalry Regiment (1891-1894) and the Machine Gun Troop of the 10th Cavalry in the 1930s-1940s (African American segregated troops). More recently, the Army assigned the 3rd Infantry (Old Guard) and the U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) to Fort Myer. Important historical events closely associated with at Fort Myer include the protection of Washington, DC during the Civil War; the establishment of the Army Signal Corps; the establishment of the U.S. Weather Bureau; the Wright brothers' test flights that started Army aviation; the first aviation fatality in America (1908); and many aviation world records of endurance stemming from those flights.
Fort Myer is located in Arlington, Virginia across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. It is a crescent shaped installation that circumscribes the northern and western sides of Arlington Cemetery. During World War II, the Army expanded Fort Myer to include an area east and south of Arlington Cemetery and adjacent the Pentagon. The Army designated the area "South Post," but the current boundaries of Fort Myer no longer include that area. Today Fort Myer comprises approximately 250 acres, and is limited to the area of the original post. The study area for this report includes the central and northern portions of the installation (see Figure 1 and Figure 2).
The methodology used in this study is based on the publication Army Guidelines for Identifying and Evaluating the Historic Military Landscape (USACERL 1996). These guidelines call for an integrated archival and field research approach. The goal of the archival tasks is to develop a statement of historic context based on the installation's missions, primary activities, historical associations, and periods of development that will be used as a guide for determining the most important areas and landscape characteristics within the installation. The goal of the field research tasks is to identify, document, and evaluate the characteristics of the installation landscape. Researchers integrate the results of the archival and field research in order to make connections between the history of the installation and evolution of its landscape. The final step in the process involves the evaluation of the historic landscape to determine NRHP eligibility of the study area as a district or site. The study area is already designated a Historic District and the only discussion in this report involves the possible extension of portions of the boundary to include previously overlooked significant landscape areas.
Archival Research
The archival research involves several tasks. The first is the initial literature review. The second task is to identify and locate primary research materials.
Literature Review
In this task, researchers use secondary literature to familiarize themselves with the general history of the installation and the region, its natural history, and its geographical position. For Fort Myer this involved reading published material on the history of the Arlington Estate, the Civil War defense of Washington, and the natural history of the Potomac River Valley and Northern Virginia. To date, no single comprehensive history of Fort Myer has been written.
Research Material
This task involves locating primary research materials (verbal, visual, and oral) and additional secondary materials and establishing a strategy to best utilize these resources. This report is based on the collections of numerous archival resources including literature, photograph collections, maps, and even motion pictures found at the National Archives I & II, the Library of Congress, Washingtoniana Room of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Library, the Virginia Room of the Arlington Library. Other important sources at Fort Myer itself include the Third Infantry Museum, the Historian's Office, the Public Works Office, the Housing Office, and the post Library. The visual materials found in these locations provided access to the past landscape of Fort Myer.
Site Visits
The third task is to make site visits. These first visits are intended to familiarize the researchers with the installation and its landscape. During these trips, researchers collect archival information from the installation and make preliminary identification of historical landscape areas. At Fort Myer this involved arranging points of contact with the various offices at Fort Myer described above, touring the installation with a guide, and taking photographs of the grounds.
Analysis
The fourth task is the analysis of the information. Researchers outline the historical context for the installation, identify changes in military mission over time, identify important chronological periods, establish a geographical context, and identifying historical themes. The analysis of the information collected about Fort Myer resulted in a general outline of the history of the installation that is divided into four parts:
1. Mt. Washington and the Arlington Estate 1802-1861
2. Civil War: Forts Cass and Whipple 1861-1865
3. Signal Corps School 1869-1887
4. Cavalry Show Place 1887-1942
Field Research
The field research involves two general tasks. The first is a site visit that is accomplished in conjunction with the third archival task described above. The second task involves more rigorous fieldwork during follow-up visits.
Initial Visit
During this initial visit, the researchers perform a reconnaissance survey, or "windshield survey," of the installation. This is done by driving the roads of the installation in an effort to become familiar with the layout of the installation and to make a preliminary identification of areas of potential historical significance. At Fort Myer this involved a guided tour of the post, a start-up meeting, and several informal interviews.
Follow-up Visits
Researchers walk the grounds of the installation documenting through photography, sketching, and note taking the relationships among landscape components and landscape areas. An emphasis is placed on the identification of characteristics of the military landscape that relate to the different time periods and events identified in the archival tasks described above. For example, at Fort Myer the roads and gates to the post have been altered over time, but the general configuration of the posts dates to the 1870s. Field research identified the location of the former Tassin Gate and identified patterns concerning the relationship of officers' quarters and parade grounds, both current and historical.
Integrating Results
The methodology defined in the Guidelines integrates the archival and field information in a continual and dynamic way. As information is pulled from archival sources, researchers are guided to the relevant historical issues. As field research identifies specific landscape characteristics or relationships, researchers are prompted to refine their questions and look further in the archival records for answers. For example, archival information about the use of weather and observation balloons at Fort Myer prompted researchers to try to identify the location of the balloon shed. Conversely, the unconventional orientation of officers' quarters with regard to parade grounds noticed through field research prompted a search through archival information for an explanation and historical precedent.
The integration of archival and field methods necessitates an integration of visual, written, and oral sources in the final report. This document relies on maps and photographs to not only illustrate findings but also to provide evidence of the characteristics of the historical landscape areas inventories here.
Evaluation
The evaluation of the historic landscape of Fort Myer follows the guidelines for evaluating historic districts and sites for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as described in the Guidelines. Fort Myer is already designated a National Historic Landmark and contains a registered NRHP historic district. In a situation such as this, the Guidelines call for a re-evaluation of the boundaries of the NRHP historic district based on the new information made available through the holistic landscape approach described above. Recommendations for modifications are provided at the end of this report.
Special Circumstances of Fort Myer
Fort Myer is not a typical military installation. It does not have extensive training grounds, but it does provide quarters for large number of the highest-ranking officers, both commissioned and non-commissioned, in the services. Its missions today are primarily ceremonial with units of the Third Infantry and the Army Band serving the National Capital Area in a variety of capacities. For security reasons, access to certain historic portions of the installation is restricted. While it is an open post, obtaining the proper permissions for field research is especially important at Fort Myer.
The installation has been the site of a number of very important historical events, but Fort Myer still lacks thorough historical documentation. This makes the collection and processing of archival information a difficult, time-consuming, but important task. Furthermore, this author found the archival material relevant to this study to be sparse. Quartermaster records, Adjutant General's records, and Signal Corps records in the Fort Myer section at the National Archives lacked much of the usual correspondence that explains the decision making process and activities regarding modification of the landscape. It is possible that this information exists, but it may take some time to find its location. A thorough search of the archives was not feasible for the budget and time constraints of this study. There is a need for a comprehensive book to be written on the history of Fort Myer. In contrast, there is a large amount of visual material relating to the history of Fort Myer. This report is the result of extensive archival research of visual materials integrated with as much primary and secondary material as could be found.
Figure 1. Map showing location of Fort Myer in relation to Washington, DC. Study area is indicated in cross-hatching (based on general roadmap by Color Art, Inc. 1996).
N
Site of First Parade Ground
Stables Area
Whipple Field Officers' Quarters
Whipple Field
Lower Post Area
Wright Gate
Radar Clinic
NCO Quarters
Hatfield Gate
Commissary
Pasture/Picnic Area
Barracks
Henry Gate
Summerall Field
Lee Avenue Officers' Quarters
Jackson Avenue Quarters
Figure 2. Recent map of Fort Myer (based on general map of Fort Myer c.1985).
Natural History
An understanding of the natural history of a region helps explain the physical character of its landscape. The physical character of the landscape, in turn, informs the understanding of the process of human interaction with the landscape. For example, the geology and topography of the region in which Fort Myer is located helps explain the choice of location of Civil War Forts Cass and Whipple. The soils and climate of the region help explain the vegetation and land use decisions.
Fort Myer is situated in northern Virginia. The region is located between two physiographic regions: 1) the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and 2) the Piedmont Plateau. The convergence of these two provinces creates a transition zone with a topographic feature called the "Fall Line." Rivers and streams that traverse this transition zone tend to form waterfalls as they pour off the bedrock of the Piedmont (as at Great Falls on the Potomac river) and flow towards the Coastal Plain and the Atlantic Ocean (Friis 1971).
In northern Virginia, the tributaries of the Potomac River produce low, deeply dissected gorges and valleys in the easily eroded hills. Fort Myer is located atop a hill some 200 feet above the river with a number of small streams originating in, flowing through, and flowing around the installation. One of the larger tributaries, Rocky Run, historically flowed across the northwestern corner of the installation. However, Route 50, widened in the 1960s, rounds off the corner of the post and obscures the stream's original path. A second tributary to the Potomac River, historically called "Wampakin Branch" originates in Fort Myer (in the picnic area) and flows through Arlington Cemetery to the Potomac. A third tributary, a portion of Long Branch, today defines part of the southern boundary of Fort Myer (Mitchell (Map) 1971) (see Figure 3). The topographic relief that results from Rocky Run, Wampakin Branch and a number of smaller unnamed, intermittent streams influenced the choice of location for Civil War Forts Cass and Whipple, predecessors of Fort Myer. The general layout and shape of Fort Myer today can also be largely attributed to these issues of geology and topography.
The soils of Arlington County, being below the fall line in the transition area between the Piedmont Plateau and the Coastal Plain, are generally made up of unconsolidated gravels, sand, and clay (McMillen 1960) that are quite susceptible to erosion. Along the riverbanks and stream banks, periodic flooding has developed thicker layers of topsoil. The well-drained soils of Fort Myer are suitable for a wide range of plant species.
Fort Myer is located at the convergence of three "zones of hardiness" as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Dirr 1983) (see Figure 4). Zones 7 and 8 converge just south of the Washington, DC area with Zone 9 along the coast. The proximity of Fort Myer to the Atlantic Ocean provides a slight moderating effect in temperature. Occasional snowfalls are the norm in the winters, as are extreme temperatures and humidity for brief periods in the summers. However, adequate rainfall and a long growing season combine to permit a much wider range of plant species than inland regions at the same latitude.
The vegetation of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States is generally described as eastern deciduous forest with three basic divisions: 1) Maple-Beech; 2) Oak-Chestnut; and 3) Oak-Hickory. Maple-Beech forests are found in northern sections of the East Coast and not in the study area. In the transition region of Northern Virginia, the Oak-Chestnut climax forest of the Piedmont merges into the Coastal forest composed of Oak-Hickory mixed with pines. Therefore multiple plant associations characterize the native vegetation of the study area of Fort Myer.
Oak-Chestnut is a bit of a misnomer today because the American chestnut (Castanea americana) fell victim to a fungus introduced from Asia called chestnut blight that began killing this important eastern forest tree in the early 1900s. By 1950, nearly all of the American chestnut trees were gone (Brasier 1990). According to McMillen's (1960) study on the trees of Arlington Cemetery, the Oak-Chestnut forest typically consists of the following dominant tree species:
· Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana)
· Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea)
· Tuliptree (Liriodendron tuplipifera)
Frequent associates include:
· Red Oak (Quercus borealis maxima)
· White Oak (Quercus alba)
· Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
· Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)
The Oak-Hickory climax forest includes the following dominant tree species:
· Red Oak (Quercus borealis maxima)
· Black Oak (Quercus velutina)
· White Oak (Quercus alba)
· Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
· Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)
· Mockernut Hickory (Carya tomentosa)
Frequent associates include:
· Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea)
· Southern Red Oak (Quercus falcata)
· Pignut (Carya glabra)
· Post Oak (Quercus stellata) direr soils
· Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica) drier soils
Other associates of these two climax forests found in areas with more topsoil (i.e. river banks and floodplains) include:
· Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
· Ash (Fraxinus)
· American Elm (Ulmus americana)
· Silver Maple (Acer saccarinum)
· Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
· American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Understory trees common in the two climax forests described above include:
· Eastern Dogwood (Cornus florida)
· Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
Early successional growth in disturbed areas includes the following plants:
· Virginia Scrub Pine (Pinus virginiana)
· Black Locust (Robinia psudoacacia)
· Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
· Pawpaw (Asiminia triloba)
· Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
· False Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovalis)
· Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
· Wild Azaleas (Rhododendron sp.)
· Mountain Laurel ( Kalmia latifolia )
One of the earliest recorded eyewitness accounts of the climax forest along the Potomac river is quoted in Friis (1971). Father Andrew White wrote the following description in 1634:
This is the sweetest and greatest river I have seene, so that the Thames is but a little finger to it. There are noe marshes or swampes about it, but solid firme ground, with great variety of woode not choaked up with undershrubs, but commonly so farre distant from each other as a coach and fower horses may travel without molestation.
In general, the character of the vegetation in Arlington County, Virginia is thought to have been dense forests of hardwood trees interspersed with stands of red cedar and Virginia pine. According to Friis (1971),
In some places there were colonies of hemlock. Yellow poplar and other hardwoods grew near the Potomac. On drier sites inland oak and scattered Virginia pine were dominant. Chestnut trees were found on the higher terraces. Except for a very few small protected stands, this luxurious natural vegetation was destroyed by the ax and fire during the initial half century of agricultural settlement. This natural growth has been supplanted by red, white, pin, black, post, blackjack, and chestnut oaks, and hickory, beech, poplar, black locust, maple, dogwood, gum sassafras, and holly. Throughout much of the forest are scattered stands of Virginia pine.
It appears that the land that became the Arlington Estate at the beginning of the nineteenth century qualifies as one of the "small protected stands" (McMillen 1960).
Many of the species listed above can still be found in neighboring Arlington Cemetery and they are a good indication of the kinds of trees and shrubs that grew in the study area prior to the 1860s when the area was largely clear cut as described below in the Civil War section. Fort Myer today has an extensive variety of trees and shrubs, many more than are listed above. A general tree cover inventory of Fort Myer in June of 1991 indicated 82 different species of endemic, naturalized, and introduced species (See Appendix ). While many of the trees listed are endemic to the study area, the landscape of the installation has changed dramatically over the past 200 years. With the possible exception of an enormous oak on Whipple Field that may date to the early 1800s, the vegetation of Fort Myer is relatively young, mostly planted in the last 50 years.
Figure 3. Arlington County (then Fairfax County), Virginia in 1760. Note streams "Rocky Run," "Wampakin Branch," and "Long Branch" in the Fort Myer area, outlined with dashed line and shaded (Mitchell 1987).
Figure 4. USDA Hardiness Zones 7, 8, and 9 converge near Fort Myer (Dirr 1983).