An Act of Congress on August 4, 1886 called for the re-establishment of Fort Myer as a military station and called for the Signal Corps School to vacate the Fort, which it did on August 7, 1886. Two days later, Lt. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan of the Headquarters, Army of the United States formally requested the establishment of Fort Myer as a cavalry post in the following letter:
To the
Secretary of War,
Sir:
In consequence of a provision in the Sundry Civil Bill, Fort Myer, Virginia, reverts to the line of the Army as a military station, and believing it to be to the best interest of the service that there should be a detachment of cavalry in the vicinity of the Capital, I have the honor to request that I may be authorized to station at Fort Myer, Virginia, two troops of Cavalry, with Major James Biddle, Sixth U.S. Cavalry in Command.
Very Respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
[P.H. Sheridan]
Lieutenant General, Commanding
Nearly a year later, by authority of AGO General Order No. 42, dated 6 July 1887, Fort Myer became a cavalry post. On 15 July 1887, Troop "B" of the Sixth Cavalry arrived from Fort Lewis, Colorado followed on 21 July by Troop "B" of the Fourth Cavalry from Fort Hauchuca, Arizona. This change in mission required new buildings such as new stables, new troop barracks, and eventually a riding hall. A contemporary newspaper article in the Washington Star noted that,
The necessary changes and improvements in the buildings of Fort Myer have not been made yet, but it is expected that work will commence shortly. No inconvenience will result, however, as the cavalry troops can be comfortable in tents until cold weather.
Over the next three decades, Fort Myer transformed from a cantonment of aging frame structures into a cantonment of elegant brick buildings, many of which still stand today.
Fort Myer at the Time of Transition (1886-1890)
In April of 1886, the Adjutant General's Office conducted an inventory of Fort Myer improvements and resources. It found 33 buildings and 152 acres under various uses. The report noted the following:
· Fort Myer [cantonment] 38 acres
· Orchard [apples, peaches, pears, cherries, and grapes] 10 acres
· One pasture field with barb wire fence w/ 10 acre garden 50 acres
· One pasture field with barb wire fence 44 acres
The report goes on to note that "there is also a small greenhouse at the post which produces flowers, plants, and shrubbery [to] beautify the post."
The inventory of 33 buildings included the newly begun construction of Building No. 3, which stood between today's Quarters 6 and 7. Photographs show it as a very large ornate Victorian frame building that possibly served as a post headquarters (see Figure 17). With the exception of this building, most of the buildings standing in 1887 dated from the 1870s. By 1900, brick structures replaced nearly all of the frame buildings.
There are several sources of information that provide a sense of the landscape of Fort Myer at the time of transition. A newspaper account from 12 July 1888 describes the Fort in the following way (Evening Star 1888):
It would be impossible to imagine a more delightful home than on this high plateau commanding on every side views that are magnificent in their scope. The "Fort" is practically no fort at all but merely a collection of buildings enclosed by a fence, barbed wire maybe, with gates at intervals that are hospitably open.
It goes on to describe the entrance to Fort Myer as follows:
A rustic bridge leads the visitor to the eastern limit of the plain where the pretty quarters of the officers stand. They are shaded by handsome trees, and surrounded by neat lawns and flower beds. From here a striking view of the city is obtained....
The article also describes a number of the buildings including the "executive building," formerly the Signal Corps School "Observatory" or instruction building, and the view from its front porch. It notes that,
The flagstaff is in the near foreground; then back of it stretches a marvelous piece of turf of nearly two acres. It is almost level and as smooth as a floor. To the left stands the 6th Cavalry barracks -- the old Signal Service barracks -- and the mess-halls; in the background are the 4th Cavalry's quarters, a new building of a tasty design, and on the right the rest of the officers' quarters.
The area described is today the tennis court complex behind the Whipple Field Officers' Quarters as it was seen from the south end across Jackson Ave. The executive building stood behind and centered between Quarters 11 and 12 as they stand today (see Figure 20).
Even after Fort Myer became a cavalry post, enlisted men learned the signal service code as part of their training. As the Washington Evening Star (1888) relates, the training at Fort Myer involved the view from Whipple Field.
The signal drill is given to every man, and consists in practice in the signal service code with the flag. A man is sent across the river to the base of the [Washington] monument and there spells out by means of his flag messages to another on the bluff at the fort.
The view of Washington, DC from Whipple Field continued to influence the design and use of Fort Myer for years to come.
Another source of information about the condition of Fort Myer is an 1889 AGO inspection report (AGO 1889). The report comments extensively on the cavalry troops, their mounts, and weapons, but it also notes the general condition of the post. It states that "the post is in excellent sanitary condition and in good police and repair." It notes that "the supply of water is not quite so great as desired" and that "the great want of the post seems to be more troops and a riding hall." It explains that "the squadron is too small a garrison to keep up with all the routine duties of a military post, and still attain the highest perfection in military instruction and drill." Concerning the riding hall, the report states that "the peculiar soil of this section renders it almost impossible to accomplish any thing mounted in the open air during the winter and early spring." Within a few months of the inspection, many of the suggestions, including the riding hall, had received endorsements from the Army Headquarters and the War Department. Within a few years, Fort Myer experienced tremendous improvements.
The article form the Washington Evening Star (1888) indicates the cavalry troops stationed at Fort Myer represented troops that had experienced combat against the Indians of the Western frontier. It states that,
Fort Myer is now the garrison home of a couple of cavalry troops that have seen bitter fighting on the frontier, and have been placed in this, one of the pleasantest posts in the country, as a sort of reward for their hard knocks in their country's service.
Subsequent cavalry troops included a unit of Buffalo Soldiers, Troop "K" of the 9th Cavalry, from 1891 to 1894. Not only did Fort Myer constitute the only cavalry post east of the Mississippi River, the stationing of Troop "K" established the first post-Civil War troop of "colored" soldiers stationed east of the Mississippi River and near a large center of population (Myer n.d.).
Rebuilding and Expanding (1891-1898)
The 1890s saw many changes at Fort Myer. Today, buildings built between 1890 and 1900, account for 33 of the remaining 91 buildings in the current historic district and its proposed expansion. Many of the new buildings replaced earlier frame buildings with brick. This included four new stables, two in 1891 and two in 1896, NCO Quarters 45 and 45 in 1893, and Wainwright Hall in 1896. Other new building established new elements to the post layout that set a pattern for future development. For example, the new officers' quarters on Jackson Avenue (buildings 11 and 12), the officers' quarters on Lee Avenue (buildings 23-26), and the barracks on Sheridan Avenue (buildings 246 and 247), all set a precedent for future development. Other important buildings built during this time include the first Riding Hall (c.1893), a new hospital in 1896 (building 59), a headquarters building (Patton Hall), and a new guardhouse.
The Washington Evening Star (1894) noted the unusual layout of Fort Myer in the following way:
The post is so situated that no photographic bird's eye view of its entirety can well be taken. Owing to its gradual enlargement and diversion from original purposes, it is not laid out according to those orthodox plans which govern at most army posts, and there is no level view of the whole post. For example, the original line of officers' quarters adjoining the commander's house faces toward the city, extending along the ridge, which makes a rapid decline of 150 feet into a sandy hollow, while other officers' quarters of more recent construction flank the headquarters building at right angle to the main approach, and face the post parade, which at Fort Myer is in rear of the commander's house.
The spatial organization and pattern of use at Fort Myer developed in close relationship to existing natural features.
Other important changes during the 1890s include the building of a spur of the Washington Arlington & Falls Church Railway (1894) that included a station and the expansion of the southern boarder of the post. The rail line entered the post near today's Wright Gate, skirted the Arlington Cemetery wall following a path that today is essentially McNair Road, and arrived at the top of the hill at the station (see Figure 19). The station stood at what is now the intersection of McNair Road and Lee Avenue. The area of Fort Myer nearly doubled when, in 1895, the Army expanded the southern boundary of the Fort to include an additional 108 acres of the military reserve.
Photographs of Fort Myer during this period show evidence of Victorian landscaping around the Officers' quarters, open parade grounds, street improvements, and the general urban feeling of the Fort (see Figure 21). The removal of the Rustic Bridge in 1896 and the filling of the ravine it spanned foreshadowed major changes to the Whipple Field Officers' Quarters.
Rebuilding and Expanding on the Upper Post (1899-1915)
Another 31 of the remaining 91 historic buildings date from between 1899 and 1915. The Whipple Field Officers' Quarters experienced a complete rebuilding effort. Over the course of six years, four new brick quarters replaced the five frame buildings on Grant Avenue. Quarters 5 and 8 date to 1903. Quarters 6 dates to 1908 and Quarters 7 dates to 1909. The other new buildings constituted a continuation and expansion of the development pattern established in the previous time period. Quarters 13-16 on Jackson Avenue and Quarters 27 on Lee Avenue followed the pattern set down earlier by Quarters 11 and 12 on Jackson and Quarters 23-26 on Lee. Likewise, barracks 248, 249, and 250 followed the pattern established by buildings 246 and 247. The same is true for stables 224 and 227.
The orientation of the Whipple Field Officers' Quarters followed the precedent set by the original officers' quarters, facing the view of the city rather than the parade field behind them. In contrast, the Jackson Avenue Quarters does face the parade field in the more traditional manner. The most unusual break from traditional military post design is the orientation of the Lee Avenue Quarters. Rather than facing Summerall Field like the barracks, these officer quarters face the street. Unlike the Whipple Field Officers' Quarters, there is no dramatic city view to be had from these quarters, and the impetus for facing the street appears to have been the production of an urban setting. The urban nature of the post, with its street trees and sidewalks and its proximity to a large urban center influenced the layout of the post more than the military traditions of facing parade grounds.
The new construction during this period reflects late Victorian architecture and landscape architecture (see Figure 15). Consistent with trends in Victorian architecture, buildings are less ornate than their frame predecessors. Historic photographs show that landscape treatments included an increase in foundation plantings. The yards had grass lawns, shrubs, large shade trees in lawns, and in some cases, ornamental garden urns that accentuated the approaches to the quarters.
The Lower Post and the Return of the Signal Corps (1899-1910)
While changes were occurring in the main upper post area, the Army began to develop a separate cantonment for the Signal Corps. The area at the foot of the hill that is the site of Fort Whipple became known as the "Lower Post." By authority of General Order #193 of the Adjutant General's Office, construction began in 1899 and included a number of buildings. A list of Signal Corps buildings from 1900 provides the following information (National Archives 1900)
· 1 Barrack [now Building 305]
· 1 Double Officers' Quarters [now Quarters 2]
· 1 Commanding Officer's Quarters [now Quarters 1]
· 1 Storehouse [now Building 308]
· Temporary Signal Storehouse
· Wagon Shed
· Temporary Stable for 12 horses
· Balloon House
· Administration and Instruction building [now Building 317]
This list, along with maps from 1906 and 1911, shows that the buildings today known as Quarters 1 and Quarters 2 were originally part of the new Signal Corps cantonment of the lower post (see Figure 22). The Signal Corps Post had its own boundary that separated it (in an administrative sense) from the rest of Fort Myer. Today, nine of the original Signal Corps buildings survive: Quarters 1 and 2 on the upper post and buildings 305, 306, 307, 308, 316, 317, and 321. Buildings 309, 312, 313, 318, and 322 date from 1919 through the 1940s. Building 305 served as the barracks for the famous African American unit, the Machine Gun Troop of the 10th Cavalry, from October 1931 to the 1940s (see Figure 27). This troop reportedly used buildings 306 and 307 for its stables (Myer c.1993-1994), but maps and records suggest that 306 and 312 would more likely have served as a stables. Their duties included caring for the horses of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who rode at Fort Myer almost daily (Myer c.1993-1994).
The development of the lower post area had a lasting impact on the organization and orientation of Fort Myer. The main entrance to the post was through the Tassin Gate at the base of Washington Avenue. The Signal Corps Post established a cull-de-sac of sorts with the barrack building (305) facing the view of Washington. According to photographs from about 1900, the Washington Monument could be seen from what is today Fenton Circle. Today trees obscure the view. It appears that sometime after 1911, the Signal Corps again left Fort Myer and the lower post area became part of the main post.
In more recent years, the closure of Washington Avenue and the Tassin Gate and the opening of the Wright Gate below the lower post, drastically changed traffic patterns. Today, entering Fort Myer from the east brings visitors through what used to be the back of the lower post before reaching the upper post. McNair Road serves as a by-pass to the upper post that brings traffic up the historic path followed by electric trains from the 1890s through the 1920s.
Since the Civil War, the mission of the Signal Corps included the use of observation balloons in combat, including the Spanish-American War (1898), and it is not surprising to find a "Balloon House" on the Lower Post of Fort Myer. The Army organized a balloon detachment at Fort Myer in May 1902, but it was the purchase of a new balloon in 1907, Signal Corps Balloon No. 9, that led to increased activity (Tierney 1965). The building was unusual for its height. Several photographs from the National Archives indicate its function with one showing its location (see Figure 23 and Figure 24). According to aerial photographs, the Balloon House stood intact next to the WA & FC railway line as late as 1927.
The Signal Corps pursued other aviation technologies including the dirigible and the airplane in 1908. The dirigible passed its trials and became U.S. Army Dirigible Balloon No. 1 on 22 August 1908. The contractor, Thomas Scott Balwin, trained three Army lieutenants to fly the airship, Frank P. Lahm, Thomas E. Selfridge, and Benjamin D. Foulois. The Army made flights at Fort Myer only through 1909. In 1912 the Army condemned and sold the airship (Tierney 1965). The airplane, however, had more of an impact on Army aviation.
After a long period of disinterest and skepticism on the part of the War Department, the Army accepted the Wright Brothers' bid for the construction and testing of an airplane for military use. The tests began at Fort Myer in September 1908. Orville Wright made his first flight September 7. On subsequent days he continued the flights, occasionally taking passengers one at a time, and setting endurance records nearly every day but ending in the famous fatal crash. According to (Kelly 1950), the 1908 schedule went something like this:
Sept. 7 1) solo flight
Sept. 8 2) solo flight 11 min. 10 sec.
3) solo flight 7 min. 34 sec.
Sept. 9 4) solo flight 57 min. 25 sec. 57 "circles" of parade ground endurance record
5) solo flight 1 hr. 1 min. 15 sec. 55 "circles" of parade ground endurance record
6) w/Lt. Lahm 6 min. 24 sec. 6 1/2 "circles" end. rec. w/ passenger
1st serviceman to fly on a military airplane
Sept. 10 7) solo flight 1 hr. 5 min. 52 sec. 200 ft. altitude endurance record
Sept. 11 8) solo flight 1 hr. 10 min. 24 sec. 57 "circles" 2 figure eights endurance record
Sept. 12 9) w/Maj. Squier 9 min. 06 sec. end. rec. w/ passenger
10) solo flight 1 hr. 15 min. 300 ft. altitude, 71 "circles" endurance record
Sept. 17 11) w/Lt. Selfridge 3 min. 30 sec. 3 1/2 "circles" FATAL CRASH 1st aviation fatality
1st military aviation fatality
With the death of passenger Lt. Selfridge, the injuries to Orville Wright, and the damage to the airplane, testing of the Wright plane ended for the year. Orville returned the following year to complete the tests with a modified plane (see Figure 25). The highlight of the 1909 tests was a ten-mile cross-country flight that was to average a minimum of 40 miles per hour with a passenger. Lt. Foulois accompanied Wright, and they made the trip to Alexandria and back of just over 10 miles at an average speed of 43 miles per hour. The Army formally accepted the airplane on 2 August 1909 (Ball 1959). These historic events occurred on the original parade/drill field that included the south end of what is now Summerall Field a large open space stretching to the wall of Arlington National Cemetery south of the old hospital.
Only a few significant landscape changes occurred during the final years of Fort Myer as a Cavalry Post. These include a 1920s equestrian training facility for Olympic entrants that stood just east of building 597; the construction of a series of buildings in the 1930s; and the construction of Marshall Drive in the 1940s. Temporary housing built for the mobilization of troops during both World Wars is no longer in evidence.
Certain Olympic sports historically have attracted entrants from the Army. These include shooting, the modern pentathlon, and the equestrian events. In the 1920s, Fort Myer became the main training ground for Olympic equestrian entrants (see Figure 26). A 1924 description of Army posts described it in this way,
...equitation, after all, is the thing and it is primarily to Fort Myer that the Army looks for its Olympic entrants to put the United states to the fore in horsemanship and horse-mastership. Big civilian owners of blooded stock have been patriotic in striving to improve Army strains, and the American Remount Association has taken particular interest in efforts to provide adequate mounts for the approaching games at Paris. Fort Myer will be the center of equitation trials and training (Army 1924).
The equestrian training area at Fort Myer is no longer visible, but the continued commitment to cavalry training in the 1920s and 1930s kept the area south of today's Summerall Field an open and free of development.
The 1930s brought a government sponsored construction effort. Today, 26 buildings at Fort Myer date to the 1930s. These include Non-Commissioned Officers' quarters along Sheridan Avenue (Buildings 426-432, 435, 439); Conmy Hall (Building 241); the Old Chapel (Building 335); the Scout Building (Building 55); a series of Officers' Quarters along Lee Avenue (Buildings 19-22, 28); and two shops on the lower post (Buildings 311 and 312). The Army built a new riding hall in 1934 to replace the original building that was destroyed by fire.
In the 1940s, the general circulation pattern of the post changed dramatically with the construction of Marshall Drive. Traffic entering the post from the Wright Gate now had the option of driving up the hill of Whipple Field to the intersection of Grant and Jackson Avenues. With the construction of Memorial Bridge across the Potomac River, completed in 1932, traffic through this gate likely increased. It is unclear when the Army closed the Tassin Gate8 and Washington Avenue, but this action rendered Marshall Drive the main entrance to the historic portion of the post.
New Deal programs of the 1930s resulted in a construction boom on Army installations. Installations increased in size as training areas expanded. At Fort Myer, new officer housing resulted. The NCO housing on Sheridan Avenue represents the effort to improve installations nation-wide. The Georgian and Colonial Revival elements of these buildings are typical of the construction on Army installations during this era.
The significance of the landscape change during this period is the continuation of patterns established in earlier landscape decisions. The officers' quarters built on Lee Avenue mirror and complement earlier construction. The NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) quarters along Sheridan Avenue contribute to the urban aesthetic established through earlier construction. The Old Chapel provides a strong link with Arlington Cemetery, an integral part of Fort Myer's history and contemporary mission.
Influence of the Cavalry Period on the Landscape of Fort Myer
The main influences of the Cavalry Period on the landscape of Fort Myer can be summarized as follows:
· General Post Layout: construction during this period firmly established the general layout of the historic north area of the post as it exists today. The construction of the Lower Post, the establishment of the railway line, and the expansion to the south led to the general shape of the installation and some of its basic circulation patterns today. The construction of NCO housing in the 1930s extended the developed portion of the post south on Sheridan Avenue.
· Preservation of the City View: the reconstruction of the Whipple Field Officers' Quarters in an orientation facing the view of the City of Washington, DC reflects the importance of the topography to the design decision process as well as the importance of Fort Myer's proximity to the Capital City.
· Establishment of an Urban Aesthetic: The densely planted street trees, sidewalks, and street-facing officers' quarters along Grant Avenue, Jackson Avenue, and Lee Avenue give the post a decidedly urban feel.
· Victorian Architecture and Landscape Architecture Aesthetic: The new construction during this period reflects late Victorian architecture and landscape architecture (see Figure 15). Consistent with trends in Victorian architecture, buildings are less ornate than their frame predecessors. Historic photographs show that landscape treatments included an increase in foundation plantings. The yards had grass lawns, shrubs, large shade trees in lawns, and in some cases, ornamental garden urns that accentuated the approaches to the quarters.
· Georgian and Colonial Revival Architecture: New construction of NCO housing in the 1930s established elements of Georgian and Colonial Revival architectural styles at Fort Myer.
The legacy of the Cavalry Period and the return of the Signal Corps to Fort Myer are seen in several landscape areas (see Figure 28):
· The Lower Post Area: originally built as a Signal Corps cantonment between 1899 and 1910; site of a tall "Balloon House" for observation balloons; from 1931 to the 1940s became home to the Machine Gun Troop of the 10th Cavalry, a unit of black soldiers.
· Pasture/Picnic Area: used as an area to exercise horses; current road bed originally built and used by the Washington Arlington & Falls Church Railway, an electric passenger train service that operated from the late 1890s into the 1920s.
· Stables Area: site of civil War Fort Cass, built in 1861; stables built in the 1890s and 1900s after the Army designated Fort Myer a cavalry post.
· Summerall Field / Wright Brothers site: today represents the north end of what was a much larger historic training area; site of the 1908 and 1909 Wright Brothers airplane trials; currently used as a parade ground and ceremonial space.
· Lee Avenue Officers' Quarters: most of the buildings on the east side of the street date 1896, those on the east side to the 1930s; it is noteworthy that the 1896 buildings face the street and not the parade ground (Summerall Field), as is more common of Army installations of that time period; as a result, Lee Avenue possesses a more urban, residential character.
· Whipple Field Officers' Quarters: constructed of brick, Quarters 1 and 2 date to 1899 and were originally the commanding officer's quarters for the Signal Corps cantonment of the Lower Post. Quarters 5 and 8 date to 1903, Quarters 6 and 7 date to 1908 and 1909 respectively. When built, Quarters 5 through 8 replaced a row of five frame quarters, four of which had stood since 1876. In 1910, Quarters 1 became home to the Army Chief of Staff.
· Jackson Avenue Quarters: officer housing built directly on the site of Fort Whipple between 1892 and 1908; recreation area to the north occupies the site of Fort Whipple (1863), later the parade ground for the first Signal Corps cantonment (1868-1886).
· Barracks Area: the first two buildings to the north, 246 and 247, date to 1895, the nest two, 248 and 249 the date to 1903, buildings 250 dates to 1908 followed by building 251 which dates to 1934.
· NCO Housing Area: a continuation of the urban aesthetic along Sheridan Avenue. Sidewalks and street trees create a visual link with the barracks area. These buildings represent the 1930s New Deal construction boom on Army installations.
Figure 19. Railroad station with hospital in background c. 1896-1910 (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Daniel French Collection, Lot 12359-1, LC USZ62-48670).
Figure 20. Quarters 11 and 12 with the old Signal Corps School "Observatory" centered behind, 1876 (National Archives and Records Administration, Still Picture Branch, RG-92-F-45, Virginia-General, Drawer 45).
Figure 21. Example of Fort Myer streetscape c. 1910-1915, Grant Avenue (top), Lee Avenue (bottom) (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Daniel French Collection, Lot 12359-1, LC USZ62-48672-48692).
Quarters 2
Quarters 1
Figure 22. Map showing signal Corps Post and boundary in 1905. Note that Quarters 1 and 2 are part of the signal Corps Post (Army Chief of Staff 1905).
Figure 23. Signal Corps Balloon taking flight, almost certainly at Fort Myer, c. 1907-1908 (top); U.S. Army Dirigible No. 1 above Fort Myer, August 1908, Arlington Cemetery in background (both images reproduced in M. Marshall 1965).
Figure 24. View of Lower Post showing Balloon House on far right, 1918 (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Lot 8271, LC USZ62-43527).
Figure 25. Orville Wright at Fort Myer, 1909 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, Washington, DC, Washingtoniana Room).
Figure 26. Equestrian excellence at Fort Myer in the 1920s (U.S. Army Posts 1925).
Figure 27. The Machine Gun Troop of the Tenth Cavalry on Summerall Field, 1931 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, Washington, DC, Washingtoniana Room).
1888
1865
1900
1912
1935
Figure 28. Maps showing changes at Fort Myer over time (drawings by Professor Gary Kesler for USACERL based on information from several maps and photographic sources).
7 The site is currently occupied by the parking lots of the Old Post chapel and the Tri-Service Parking Lot.
8 It appears that the gate remained open into the 1970s. The National Register Historic District Nomination Form for Fort Myer includes the Tassin Gate and it is noted on a 1976 map. There is no trace of the Gate today, described in 1937 as "two brick entrance pillars surmounted with bronze eagles" (WPA 1937), but the bronze Eagles that today sit atop the Wright Gate maybe have been transferred from the Tassin Gate.