Search and Rescue Needed for Fort Ward’s Lost Graves Fort Ward Observer

Search and Rescue Needed for Fort Ward’s Lost Graves

Fort Ward Observer

October,21, 2012

In September noted historian and author C.R. Gibbs made a presentation to the members of the Fort Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society, Inc. at the Oakland Baptist Church.  His presentation, titled “The Call of Freedom” opened with a horrific 1861 painting by Richard Ansdell called 'The Hunted Slaves’.  The painting depicts the use of dogs to find people trying to escape from slavery.  Mr. Gibbs presentation led the audience on an emotional journey through the Underground Railroad including stops in Alexandria, VA.

The people in the audience have been on another journey to research, locate and properly recognize and protect their ancestors and others who lived and are buried within the land that is now Fort Ward Historic Park.  Although City of Alexandria elected officials and government agency managers and staff have been working diligently to locate the lost graves of Fort Ward some of their work with ground-penetrating-radar and test-pits has not been able to find many of the remaining graves in the park.  

In August, in a decision that suprised descendant family members as well as those serving the city on the Fort Ward Park & Museum Advisory Group and the Fort Ward History Work Group, Lance Mallamo, Director of the Office of Historic Alexandria announced a decision to end the search for additional graves.  Although the City of Alexandria’s press release, which was shared with the media rather than community partners, offered a variety of reasons for the about face, the fact remains that there are more lost graves in Fort Ward Historic Park and community leaders want the city to continue the search.

One alternative that may be a way to compliment the city’s archaeologists, and the family members assisting them, is the use of “search and resue dogs”. Attached is a link with more information on the use of dogs to help archaeologists locate graves.  Also included is the link with information on Ansdell’s painting.

[PDF] 

What Archaeologists Can Learn From SAR Dogs - Bay Area ...

www.bayarearecoverycanines.com/BARC/Articles_files/VAArch.pdf

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View

Archaeologists Can Learn From SAR Dogs. Canine SAR Background: .... •Find unmarked graves or cemeteries, including locating 'outliners' near cemeteries & ...

'The Hunted Slaves' 1861 - National Museums Liverpool

www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/collections/.../hunted_slaves.aspx

The Hunted Slaves' 1861 by Richard Ansdell. On display in the International Slavery Museum, Liverpool.

Steve Tompkins in 1979 Working for the City of Alexandria at Fort Ward Park

From: "eugster, glenn"
To: "Ziegler, Charles"
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 9:36:59 AM
Subject: Steve Tompkins in 1979 Working for the City of Alexandria at Fort Ward Park

Hi Chuck!  In case you haven't seen this article attached is a 1979 news clip about Fort Ward.  This was around the time when Mr. Tompkins mentioned at a meeting with other city leaders that he was directed to move grave stones and markers at Fort Ward.  The activity is a result of the 1978-79 Master Plan prepared for Fort Ward Park by the City's Dept. of Transportation & Environmental Services.  

The people that we identified for Mr. Mallamo for oral history interviews, including Mr. Tompkins and others who moved grave stones or filled graves, could give new insights about where additional graves were and are.  Combining the city worker information as well as that of the descendant family information will give the advisory group a much clearer idea of where the remaining graves are.  To ignore this situation and information available to us again would be a dis-service and an injustice.

We really need to follow-up on leads like this so that at some point we might let the people buried in the park, and their descendants, rest in peace.

Glenn

J. Glenn Eugster

Descendant Families and Community Leaders Wait for City Information on Gravestone Removals

Descendant Families and Community Leaders Wait for City Information on Gravestone Removals
J. Glenn Eugster
Fort Ward Observer.  September 9, 2014

Members of the Oakland Baptist Church, Seminary Civic Association and the Ft. Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society, Inc. continue to wait for City of Alexandria leaders to provide additional information on the location of the graves of African American families within Fort Ward Park.  Despite numerous requests and providing city leaders with information city officials have been steadfast in their resistance to search for and locate graves using information available from current and former employees.

In 2009 while doing research on Fort Ward Park I learned that past and current city employees were directed by city leaders to move gravestones and other markers from African American burial sites within the park.  The park was once home to a community of African American families who purchased land and built homes after the Civil War and before the City of Alexandria’s urban renewal efforts.  

Land for Fort Ward was assembled by the City of Alexandria in the 1950’s and 1960’s at a time when integration was being resisted by public and private interests.  Once the land was acquired by the city the homes were demolished and lands cleared for recreation use.  In many ways urban renewal programs of that time period were intended to stimulate new economic development while eradicating any evidence of the people who lived in the area before the project.  The urban renewal project that led to Fort Ward Park seems to have had that dual objective.

Written documents and discussions with past and current city employees indicate that staff from Alexandria’s Recreation Department were directed to remove gravestones and markers and fill-in grave sites that had begun to subside.  Some of this work was done on the backside of the Fort while other work was done within and around the park’s maintenance yard.   Both areas are known to be places where residents lived and had family burial grounds.

I made a request to discuss this information with the Director’s of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities and the Office of HIstoric Alexandria but these leaders were unwilling to meet.  Written requests for information were politely and professionally resisted.  Copies of certain documents, including informal interviews, were provided to the Office of Historic Alexandria in the hopes that the staff would research the leads and use the information to provide a more factual basis for archaeological work to identify graves within the park.

After nearly five-years neither the Office of Historic Alexandria or the Recreation Department have been willing to secure information from their past and current employees despite the statements made by some of these workers, some of who have ben identified by city leaders and researchers, that they did cover graves and remove grave markers.   Making the information available for input into the draft management plan for Fort Ward Park would help to identify and protect those buried in the park.  It would also help bring closure to the descendant family members who have waited for more than 50 years for the leaders of the City of Alexandria to correct the mistakes of the past.

View from Fort Ward: City Continues to Neglect Family Grave Areas at Fort Ward

City Continues to Neglect Family Grave Areas at Fort Ward

View from Fort Ward: City Continues to Neglect Family Grave Areas at Fort Ward
J. Glenn Eugster
July 19, 2013

After countless hours of meetings, hundreds of public written comments, dozens of newspaper, magazine, radio and television stories, years of study by City of Alexandria agencies and an advisory group, the city’s approach to protecting and maintaining family grave areas within Fort Ward Park has not changed. Identified and documented family grave areas continue to be unmarked and poorly maintained despite the pleas and urgings of the descendant family members of those buried in the park, as well as leaders of the Fort Ward History Work Group and the Fort Ward Park and Museum Advisory Group.

Alexandria has 128 parks. According to Jim Spengler, Director of the City’s Recreation Department, this is the only one which is “historic”. “We aren’t historic, not trained in historic maintenance and never will be. Maintenance workers don’t differentiate between different [types of] parks. Park crews mostly work on athletic fields and get [positive] feedback on their work”.

During discussions with the Advisory Group members Mr. Spengler has suggested that Fort Ward Park’s historic areas would be better managed by the City’s Office of Historic Alexandria(OHA) or a private contractor. Lance Malamo, Director of OHA, isn’t sure that he has the money or the expertise within his group to manage the park’s historic areas. When descendants and community leaders first expressed concern about the damage to and maintenance of the grave areas he referred them to the Recreation Department.

While Alexandria’s department heads work out their responsibilities, and the Advisory Group and the city’s consultant continue to prepare a management plan for the park, the family grave areas need to be respected, protected and maintained. The park’s history includes the Civil War and the families that lived in the area before the park was created. Continued neglect and disrespect of these sacred places, especially during the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, reflects badly on the City of Alexandria and its residents. Citizens have repeatedly asked for improved management at Fort Ward Park. It’s time the city made this park a priority.

J. Glenn Eugster is the Co-Chair of the Fort Ward HIstory Work Group and a member of the Steering Committee of the Fort Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society, Inc.

Fort Ward Park Graves Status Report, February 2014

Fort Ward Park Graves Status Report, February 2014

February 3, 2014

J. Glenn Eugster

Fort Ward Observer

What is the situation now?

1. The draft management plan and the most recent statements by City of Alexandria officials seem to indicate a return to status quo management of Fort Ward Park and Museum.  The graves and artifacts of the Fort Ward African American Community, that have not been found by the City’s Office of Historic Alexandria are to be researched on a case-by-case basis in the future in response to development proposals.  This approach is the same approach that was relied on when development was placed in the maintenance yard and nursery.  How will anything be different than it was before?
2. Based on comments made by consultants, city employees and other outside historic preservation experts it is clear that the technology that was used to search for graves was limited, flawed and not the most effective way to locate existing graves.  In fact,  consultants working for the city, as well as National Park Service staff with experience using this technique, indicated that Ground Penetrating Radar was not a very good way to find graves.  OHA staff has indicated that the “test-hole” technique used to search for graves was not an effective way to find burial areas.  Other OHA staff have indicated, late in the research process, that archaeological research was not done to find graves but rather collect historic and cultural information.
3. The Director of the Office of Historic Alexandria has reneged on statements and promises that he made to search for graves where there is evidence that they exist; remove the gravel in the maintenance yard to aid the search for graves;  use oral history interviews conducted by OHA which indicate that there are graves in certain areas of the park; conduct new oral history interviews of those who lived in what is now the park to help identify graves; conduct new oral history interviews of those current and past city employees who worked in, and with, the park and have knowledge of graves.   Copies of all of this information has been provided to OHA staff, their consultants, and Park & Museum Advisory Group members.  It appears that OHA staff have not made a good faith effort to follow-up on written leads or to talk with those who have first-hand knowledge of the land that is now a park.  Despite promises the leader of OHA has regularly use a lack of funds, a concern for trees, and the feelings of the Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, as excuses for not being able to do what was promised.
4. The OHA Director has purposely excluded the participation of the descendants of the Fort Ward community in the preparation of a report on the Fort Ward African American Community.  The report, which was funded by the City of Alexandria without public notice, was performed by a historian with minimal experience in African American history and culture.

What remains to be done?

1. Respond to public input from the Fort Ward Park public meeting the City of Alexandria held at T.C. Williams H.S. in 2008.   Locating graves in the park was the top priority identified at the public meetings.
2. Remove the gravel fill that was illegally placed in the park maintenance yard and nursery area so that further research to identify graves may continue.  Removal of the gravel was promised by Mr. Mallamo, Mr. Spengler and Mr. Baier.  It’s removal will also assist the effort to solve water runoff in that portion of the park.
3. Follow-up on leads provided to OHA by researching city correspondence to identify family and individuals graves.
4. Use the existing oral history interviews to spatially plot graves identified by Pat Knox and OHA staff.
5. Conduct oral history interviews of past and current city staff, and those who lived on the land that is know the park, to identify family and individual graves.
6. Conduct the previously mentioned tasks in a timely manner so that the results can be included in the decisions being made for the final Fort Ward Park & Museum Management Plan.

 

Water Continues to Damage the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery

Water Continues to Damage the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery

March 30, 2014

Over four years ago leaders from Marlboro Estates and the Oakland Baptist Church met with the then Vice Mayor of the City of Alexandria to share their concerns about water running off of Fort Ward Park lands onto the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery and residential properties.  Vice Mayor Donley, with assistance from Rich Baier the Director of the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services and former Councilwoman Hughes, arranged for city funds to address the problem.  Funds were provided for short-term solutions as well as a master plan for storm water management.

Although some short-term actions were taken by Mr. Baier’s staff recent rainfall continues to flow from parklands onto the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery.  This continuing problem was brought to the attention of the Mayor, CIty Manager and the four department heads, who share management of Fort Ward Park, in May 2013.  At that time church leaders expressed continuing concern about water runoff from the park maintenance yard and nursery area.  They also expressed concern that there did not seem to be a sense of urgency to solve the water problems which were, and are, eroding gravestones and causing burial areas to flood and subside.  

As the city’s consultant prepares a long-term plan for managing storm water within the park, recent rainfall continues to cause parkland to send water running into the cemetery.  Observations taken today indicate that there is increasing damage from park water runoff.  Some burial areas, flooded with runoff, are collapsing and some gravestones have toppled-over due to erosion from water flows.

The water runoff problems in the park are widespread.  However, the problems that are damaging graves and gravestones in the cemetery are a direct result of the changes that the city made to the land above the church’s burial area.  City decisions made without permits or public notice filled and compacted the upland area for use as a maintenance yard, nursery and solid waste disposal area.  Despite not following City of Alexandria laws, ordinances and regulations city staff has been resistant to taking further short-term actions to stop park water from flowing into the cemetery.

When the discussions first began in 2009 city staff was resistant to make this a priority project.  Eventually with the support of the Vice Mayor Donley and Councilwoman Hughes, as well as the rest of City Council, the Mayor and the City Manager, Mr. Baier’s team took the project on.  Unfortunately Mr. Donley and Ms. Hughes are no longer on CIty Council and there does not appear to be an elected advocate for solving this problem.  

As was the case nearly a year ago, there does not appear to be any urgency for solving water running into the cemetery.  The target date for completing the draft storm water plan for Fort Ward Park has been delayed and is uncertain.   The assurances that the City Manager made to church leaders last May lack follow-through.  Timer and time again problems like this one at Fort Ward Park demonstrate the need for City of Alexandria leaders to be good neighbors.  Additional short-term solutions are needed now while the long-term plans are completed, funded, designed and constructed.

Fort Ward’s Lost Graves: Who Speaks for the Dead? Roger Blakeley

Fort Ward’s Lost Graves: Who Speaks for the Dead?

Roger Blakeley

“This is no longer about the [maintenance] crews.  It is about the public’s desire to have us move off of the potential graves.  I need your help to keep things from getting out of hand”.

Correspondence from Roger Blakeley, Deputy Director,  City of Alexandria, Recreation Department to Lance Mallamo, Director, Office of Historic Alexandria.  March 22, 2009