Fort Ward HIstory Work Group Activities for 2012 and 2013

Fort Ward HIstory Work Group Activities for 2012 and 2013

November 5, 2013

Ongoing:

1. Outreach:

A. Fort Ward HIstory Work Group outreach through Fort Ward Observer; Fort Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society, Inc., Fort Ward Observer; e-mails; and media.

B. Media interviews: WAMU; Alexandria Gazette; Alexandria Times; Washington Times; W-NBC-4; and Washington Post.

C. Fort Ward History Information Access  for the work group, public, and Advisory Group through Facebook pages, Blog and e-mail, documents, with selected photos, made available to hundreds of persons.

E. Papers and presentations by Adrienne Terrell Washington, Mary Furlough; and Frances Colbert Terrell.

2. Research

A. Assisted Office of Historic Alexandria with Fort Ward Park interpretive signs.

B. Prepared a draft report on the Creation of Fort Ward Park.

C. Preparing a report on Fort Ward’s Lost Graves: Who Speaks for the Dead?  Due to be released in February 2014.

D. Conducting oral history interviews of descendant family members and former city staff.

E. Participation in the meetings of the Fort Ward Park & Museum Advisory Group

F. Regular monitoring of city and user activities within Fort Ward Park and surrounding area

3. Meetings and Selected Events:

May 5, 2012 Fort Ward HIstory Work Group Meeting

June 2, 2012 “We Are Still Here” Event at Fort Ward Park  ## participants

July 7, 2012 Fort Ward HIstory Work Group Meeting

August 28, 2012 Press release from Office of Historic Alexandria on the completion of archaeology research at Fort Ward Park. 

September 8, 2012 Fort Ward History Work Group Meeting

September 22, 2012  The Call of Freedom Forum, co-sponsored with the Oakland Baptist Church, Fort Ward and Seminary Descendants Society, Inc., with  speakers C. R. Gibbs, Bill Dickinson and Ron Chase.  

September 28, 2012 Meeting with John Taylor Chapman

October 20, 2012 DC Historic Studies Conference presentation by Adrienne Washington and Mary Furlough

October 2, 2012 Mayoral Debate and City Council Candidate Forum

October 6, 2012 Fort Ward History Work Group Meeting (postponed)

October 10, 2012  Oral history interview with Elizabeth Douglass and Frances Terrell

October 2012 Participation in the Video “Mayor Euille Today” on Fort Ward Park

November 3, 2012 Participation in the Office of Historic Alexandria open house on Fort Ward artifacts.

Note:  November 2012 to August 2013 Members were asked to participate in the private effort to save the American Legion Building/ Carver School.

February 6, 2013 Meeting with Councilman Justin Wilson.

February 2013 Rosenwald Forum (postponed by the Alexandria Historic Foundation).

March 8, 2013 Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery storm water meeting.

March 11, 2013  Meeting with Oakland Baptist Church leaders re: storm water runoff in the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery.

March 26, 2013 Meeting with Transportation & Environmental Services, Office of Historic Alexandria and the Oakland Baptist Church re: storm water runoff in the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery.

April 18, 2013 Meeting with Mayor, City Manager, Office of Historic Alexandria, Transportation & Environmental Services, Recreation  Department, Oakland Baptist Church, and others,  to discuss storm water in Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery.

September 2013 Fort Ward “Prayer Walk” to commemorate the lost graves of Fort Ward (postponed by the Oakland Baptist Church and the Descendants Society)

October 31, 2013 Office of Historic Alexandria announces a November 16, 2013 meeting to share a report “Finding The Fort: A History of an African American Neighborhood in Northern Virginia, 1860s - 1960s”.