Fort Ward’s Lost Graves: Roots of Unrest
The draft Fort Ward Park and Museum Management Plan is slowing moving through the City of Alexandria government toward the City Council members for review, comment and eventual approval. After the city-appointed Advisory Group members agreed to disagree about the contents and recommendation of the document, the draft plan was passed out of the to the Alexandria Recreation Department for presentation to the Council at a date, time and place that has yet to be announced.
The draft plan was prepared by Lardner/ Klein Landscape Architects, a consultant under contract with the Recreation Department. The park and recreation planning was supplement by the work of another consultant, Dr. Krystyn R. Moon, hired non-competitively under the cover of darkness by the Office of Historic Alexandria. Both consultants have prepared documents for the public to review meeting the city’s modest standards for civic engagement. Both of the documents, which are part of the larger draft management plan, are woefully short on background information about the creation of Fort Ward Historic Park and the community uprising that prompted City Council to call for the plan.
Lardner/ Klein’s perspective is that the reason the draft plan was prepared is that Fort Ward was, and is, being “loved to death”. Despite the public record and comments from community leaders no mention was made by the consultants of the illegal and immoral actions the city took within the park in violation of city and Commonwealth laws, regulations and ordinances.
Consultants, almost always, write draft plans like this one for the government agencies that they have a contract with. Try as they might to be objective they always strive first and foremost to please the client. The “spin” that Lardner has placed on the draft plan for Fort Ward ignores what actions have taken place in the creation and management of the park, why they occurred, and how the city will protect the park and the communities it serves from happening again. Unfortunately, as crafted the draft plan is a whitewash job Tom Sawyer would probably be proud of.
Dr. Moon’s view is more confusing in that she was hired to study the Fort Ward African American community that lived on the land that was acquired by the city for the park. Her background is academically impressive. However, her practical experience in researching, and working with, African Americans was, and is, very limited when compared to others that could have done this work. Where she did have experience studying African American history her work, “Forgotten Manuscripts: A Trip to Coontown”, was viewed by community leaders, and Advisory Group members, as disrespectful and inappropriate for an area with a complicated racial history. Not surprisingly her approach, endorsed by leaders of the Office of HIstoric Alexandria, was to prepare a draft history report without talking to the Advisory Group, any of those people who lived in the area, or family members of the residents.
Unfortunately these are two of the more recent actions the city has taken to shape the perception of Fort Ward Park and the recommendations that are coming to Council. As part of a report, “Fort Ward’s Lost Graves: Who Speaks for the Dead?” this information is the first of a series of articles on the “Roots of Unrest”. Using information gathered over the last eight years, as well as research dating back to the 1950’s, this series will attempt to give readers a glimpse of the city actions and attitudes that shaped the past, current and proposed use and management of the park. Hopefully this information, and meaningful discussion about the management and protection culture of Fort Ward, will lead to solutions to problems not addressed in the draft management plan.
J. Glenn Eugster
Fort Ward Observer
October 21, 2014
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