Fort Ward Project—Phase 1
Update October 1, 2010
Pamela Cressey, City Archaeologist
Office of Historic Alexandria
City of Alexandria
The historical project starting at Fort Ward Park is funded by the City of Alexandria to: 1) fill gaps in the land use history of the property and collect historical information gathered to date for use in the next phase of work; 2) conduct an archaeological investigation (discussed more fully in the document provided at the walk-through on September 28, 2010) to determine the accuracy of using ground penetrating radar technology to locate graves, to identify graves by removal of the soil in areas with the highest probability given written and oral history, and to identify cultural materials associated with all aspects of the property’s past, but most specifically, the African American neighborhood, The Fort; and 3) produce an Inventory of Cultural Resources using information compiled from tasks 1 and 2.
This is the first phase of a multi-year strategy proposed in 2009 that ultimately seeks to gather information about the people who lived at The Fort, tell their stories within the context of a larger American experience, identify and protect their graves, artifacts and places (as well as those associated with American Indians and others who may have occupied the land before and during the Civil War) still preserved underground, and to plan both the preservation/management of these cultural resources and interpretation of these stories as part of a larger park planning process. \
The Otttery Group will be conducting the archaeological investigations for The City of Alexandria in the eastern portion of the park during the October-November 2010 period. Archaeologists will answer questions if you visit, and Alexandria Archaeology/Office of Historic Alexandria will provide updates through emails to individuals associated with descendent families, civic associations, friends groups, commissions and committees associated with Fort Ward and The Fort community. If graves are located, there will be no excavations or damage of any kind and a representative of the Oakland Baptist Church and/or descendent family organization will be contacted so that proper rites can be given. All graves and cultural information identified through archaeological investigation will be recorded and mapped for future interpretive, educational, memorial and preservation planning.
Future phases of the work, if funding is approved by City Council, focus on the production of : 1) a history of the occupants and uses of the land within Fort Ward Park; 2) a manuscript written by a scholar of African American history that places The Fort into a larger regional and national context; 3) initial archaeological investigations in other parts of the park and, if warranted, more intensive investigations into important sites that have been discovered; 4) updates to the inventory based upon new information; 5)planning documents for resource protection and interpretation; 6) interpretive elements in the park and museum. Note that interpretation can be done during any of the phases, and a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation is currently funding a project to research, write, design, fabricate and install signs in the park about African American history based upon current research and descendent family history and images. This partnership grant brought a graduate student from Howard University into the process which expanded his appreciation for American history and provided many hours of energy to the sign project.
The contributions of the descendent families in shaping the total Fort Ward Project, sharing their history and accessing precious images and memories have fueled this project. They have worked for seemingly endless hours to produce text and images that met their goals for the interpretation on the signs over the summer, contacted relatives and edited countless drafts.
The research conducted by others in the History Working Group has provided a vital foundation from which the project can grow. Without this research (conducted within just the last two years or less), we would not know, just to name some topics: the names of the occupants, their jobs, their household composition, addresses, tax information, the school, the church, education, voting, work, connections with the Theological Seminary as well as the larger Seminary neighborhood and Oakland Baptist Church, and burials. The chain of title has been expanded and greater understanding of the contributions of individuals to the larger Seminary area has occurred through carful research. The very important history of the end of The Fort community and the beginning of the park has been chronicled. There are some possibilities and lines of inquiry to determine from where the first Fort African Americans came, their contributions during the Civil War and the connections between the historic individuals to families today.
The information and ideas provided by the family members and others in the work group have taken some basic deed information and oral histories in the Alexandria Archaeology Collection and given them life and greater meaning. Future phases of the project will provide lasting meaning by carrying through the dual mission of 1) writing and interpreting this history and 2) identifying, preserving and interpreting the surviving physical features—graves, artifacts, foundations, roads, landscapes--- which have been buried underground or have been deteriorating for a half century or more.
Contact Information: pamela.cressey@alexandriava.gov
Office: 703.746.4399 (Tuesday-Saturday)
Cell: 571.730.8965
Update October 1, 2010
Pamela Cressey, City Archaeologist
Office of Historic Alexandria
City of Alexandria
The historical project starting at Fort Ward Park is funded by the City of Alexandria to: 1) fill gaps in the land use history of the property and collect historical information gathered to date for use in the next phase of work; 2) conduct an archaeological investigation (discussed more fully in the document provided at the walk-through on September 28, 2010) to determine the accuracy of using ground penetrating radar technology to locate graves, to identify graves by removal of the soil in areas with the highest probability given written and oral history, and to identify cultural materials associated with all aspects of the property’s past, but most specifically, the African American neighborhood, The Fort; and 3) produce an Inventory of Cultural Resources using information compiled from tasks 1 and 2.
This is the first phase of a multi-year strategy proposed in 2009 that ultimately seeks to gather information about the people who lived at The Fort, tell their stories within the context of a larger American experience, identify and protect their graves, artifacts and places (as well as those associated with American Indians and others who may have occupied the land before and during the Civil War) still preserved underground, and to plan both the preservation/management of these cultural resources and interpretation of these stories as part of a larger park planning process. \
The Otttery Group will be conducting the archaeological investigations for The City of Alexandria in the eastern portion of the park during the October-November 2010 period. Archaeologists will answer questions if you visit, and Alexandria Archaeology/Office of Historic Alexandria will provide updates through emails to individuals associated with descendent families, civic associations, friends groups, commissions and committees associated with Fort Ward and The Fort community. If graves are located, there will be no excavations or damage of any kind and a representative of the Oakland Baptist Church and/or descendent family organization will be contacted so that proper rites can be given. All graves and cultural information identified through archaeological investigation will be recorded and mapped for future interpretive, educational, memorial and preservation planning.
Future phases of the work, if funding is approved by City Council, focus on the production of : 1) a history of the occupants and uses of the land within Fort Ward Park; 2) a manuscript written by a scholar of African American history that places The Fort into a larger regional and national context; 3) initial archaeological investigations in other parts of the park and, if warranted, more intensive investigations into important sites that have been discovered; 4) updates to the inventory based upon new information; 5)planning documents for resource protection and interpretation; 6) interpretive elements in the park and museum. Note that interpretation can be done during any of the phases, and a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation is currently funding a project to research, write, design, fabricate and install signs in the park about African American history based upon current research and descendent family history and images. This partnership grant brought a graduate student from Howard University into the process which expanded his appreciation for American history and provided many hours of energy to the sign project.
The contributions of the descendent families in shaping the total Fort Ward Project, sharing their history and accessing precious images and memories have fueled this project. They have worked for seemingly endless hours to produce text and images that met their goals for the interpretation on the signs over the summer, contacted relatives and edited countless drafts.
The research conducted by others in the History Working Group has provided a vital foundation from which the project can grow. Without this research (conducted within just the last two years or less), we would not know, just to name some topics: the names of the occupants, their jobs, their household composition, addresses, tax information, the school, the church, education, voting, work, connections with the Theological Seminary as well as the larger Seminary neighborhood and Oakland Baptist Church, and burials. The chain of title has been expanded and greater understanding of the contributions of individuals to the larger Seminary area has occurred through carful research. The very important history of the end of The Fort community and the beginning of the park has been chronicled. There are some possibilities and lines of inquiry to determine from where the first Fort African Americans came, their contributions during the Civil War and the connections between the historic individuals to families today.
The information and ideas provided by the family members and others in the work group have taken some basic deed information and oral histories in the Alexandria Archaeology Collection and given them life and greater meaning. Future phases of the project will provide lasting meaning by carrying through the dual mission of 1) writing and interpreting this history and 2) identifying, preserving and interpreting the surviving physical features—graves, artifacts, foundations, roads, landscapes--- which have been buried underground or have been deteriorating for a half century or more.
Contact Information: pamela.cressey@alexandriava.gov
Office: 703.746.4399 (Tuesday-Saturday)
Cell: 571.730.8965
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