Remarks on the Proposed Fort Ward Park and Museum Management Plan by Joseph Glenn Eugster January 24, 2015

Remarks on the Proposed Fort Ward Park and Museum Management Plan by Joseph Glenn Eugster

January 24, 2015

I am Joseph Glenn Eugster.  Thank you for your interest and support in Fort Ward Park.  I’m here to ask you for your help with the proposed Management Plan for Fort Ward Park and Museum.  

Make no mistake, everyone involved with the park and this effort believes that Fort Ward is one of the City of Alexandria’s assets.  Everyone believes that the activities that currently take place in the park should continue.   However, considerable concern exists about what future development might be proposed. 

The plan has several serious flaws that need to be quickly fixed before you act on it.  

Please give the plan a chance of succeeding so that the wounds created by past mistakes can be healed, divisions between public servants and the communities they serve can be removed, and we can as citizens of one city begin to implement this plan.

The key actions needed to repair the plan are:

1. Complete research on locating the bodies of those buried within the park. The map that will be used to guide ground-disturbing activities is fundamentally flawed.  It does not include spatial information on: 1) the graves that were identified by the city in the 1990’s through oral history interviews; 2) graves from any new oral history interviews; correspondence between and with city officials on graves in the park (i.e. Boothe letter).  Information from oral histories and fact-finding from city files and records must be included before the ground disturbance map is complete.

1. Redesign two of the storm water projects within the park.   The ravine and Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery projects are proposed within cemeteries and, or know burial areas.  The proposals developed by the city and your consultant were not guided by accurate research information.  They also did not include input from the descendants of the Fort Ward African American community and the Oakland Baptist Church.  City staff working collaboratively with these groups should jointly develop alternatives that will manage park runoff and protect important historic and cultural values.

1. Redesign the process for assessing new development on archaeology.  Future 

decision making relies on an “iterative process” for proposing development and then checking for archaeology.  Past actions, especially within and around the maintenance yard, have proven that the iterative approach doesn’t work.  Forcing or trying to fit projects into sacred and sensitive areas is a formula for more conflict between communities and the city.  Also, the “protocol for ground-disturbing activities” was developed by Office of Historic Alexandria managers unilaterally.  The intent of the advisory group was to have the President of the Descendants Society work with the Fort Ward Park liaison to develop procedures that make sense and everyone can agree on.  That did not happen and it needs to.

These tasks can be completed within 4 to 6 months provided that there is some urgency to do this work.  

Please do not approve the plan today but rather request the City Manager and department heads, in direct cooperation with the descendants of the Fort Ward community, to fix these flaws in the plan and re-present it to you.  Such action will demonstrate the city’s commitment to the park and the communities it serves.

What did Council members say to city department managers and staff about Fort Ward Park and the proposed management plan during the Public Hearing?

Alexandria, VA. City Council Public Hearing on the Fort Ward Park and Museum Proposed Management Plan.  

By J. Glenn Eugster

January 24, 2015

What did Council members say to city department managers and staff about Fort Ward Park and the proposed management plan during the Public Hearing?

Councilman Justin Wilson:  

Do you do research in advance of archaeology?

Is the current Memorandum of Agreement between city departments a form of the proposed Implementation Committee?

How do you notify the public [about projects]?

Are there alternatives to the storm water projects?

Are there other Fort Ward Park plans “floating around”?

We should extend the public notice period from 7 to 10 days, create a work group and have staff identify all the groups [to be involved]. 

I want to look at how to better align management responsibilities at Fort Ward Park.  

The opening paragraph to be added is irrelevant.

Councilman Timothy Lovain:  

I’m familiar with a highway project where the Department of Transportation wasted millions of dollars because oral histories weren’t done.  We need to aggressively interview elders.  Oral histories are cost-effective. Look at grant opportunities to do this work.

Councilman John Chapman:  

Can we make the advance public notice for ground disturbing activities time period 10 instead of 7 days?

Trust is an issue.  I definitely want a group to follow implementation to insure that things are being discussed with the descendants and the community.  We don’t want to fight an uphill battle because we haven’t communicated.

Citizens distrust words and want action.  

I don’t have a problem with with adding Allison’s sentence [to the opening paragraph].

Councilwoman Del Pepper:  

Oral histories are the only way to go [to find graves].  I’m excited about this information and the idea that we might find more graves.

I’d like to see an exhibit at the Fort Ward Museum on the community that lived in [what is now] the park.

We seem to be missing trees at Fort Ward Park. When do we plant more trees?

The plan calls for planting 24 trees each year.  That seems puny. What about the Friends of Fort Ward helping to plant trees?

What about the dog park?

Councilwoman Allison Silberberg:  

I agree with the need for an Implementation group.  It will help our process.  

I have more understanding of this since meeting with the residents.  It is important to get it right.  There are hard feelings and this park is part of that.  We have a chance to begin to heal.  I suggest that we add one sentence at the beginning of this detailed and long document plan. That one sentence will now read:

The City of Alexandria affirms that significant parts of Fort Ward Park are hallowed ground.

What would Mr. Day or Viola Lawson say about this?  Imagine what went on in the 1950-60‘s.  We were told about eminent domain, threats and intimidation.  The term “hallowed” goes a long way toward beginning to heal.  Words matter.  If the grave markers were discarded that is unfortunate.

The [Fort Ward] community was a living place.  The statement that the Acting City Manager proposed is legalese and by committee.  Mine is about feeling and healing.  Add the sentence to begin healing and offer the feeling of the plan.

We should move the garbage dumpster.  

The park can’t be an unleashed dog park.  

I heard others say that the [ground disturbance map] is incorrect.  We need to be open to making it correct.

Mayor William Euille:  

I want us to do a work session before we act.  It is important to get it right.

I embrace “Find the Graves”.  Build in and have protection of hallowed ground.  There should be more opportunities for oral history, revising the MOU and storm water management options.

I don’t want to accept Allison’s sentence on hallowed ground.

Have a Implementation Work Group to watch and observe; make certain that there is trust; and help with money, money, money.  I want us to do something in a respectful manner.

Councilman Paul Smedberg:  

Oral history work is important.  The bottom-line is to find the graves.  

We need to carefully frame the work session.  I heard concerns about future development.  What does this mean? Get all of the issues that need to be addressed on the list to organize the work session.

Alexandria, VA. City Council Summary

The Fort Ward Park and Museum Management Plan, along with the following actions, was unanimously approved.

1. The final plan is to include the City Manager’s opening paragraph adding Ms. Silberberg’s sentence on hallowed ground.

2.  City Manager to hold a working meeting before the city acts.

3.  City Manager to create an Implementation Group.

4.  Do oral histories to help find the graves in the park.

1. Expand the public notice period for ground disturbing activities from 7 to 10-days.

1. Identify and agree upon alternatives to the storm water projects in the management plan.

7.  Look at possible ways to better align management responsibilities at Fort Ward Park.

BENEATH BRADLEE CENTER by Dave Cavanaugh

BENEATH BRADLEE CENTER
by Dave Cavanaugh

There is renewed interest in the history of the Seminary Hill area, including the settlement of African Americans after the Civil War at the Fort (Fort Ward) and near what is now the Oakland Baptist Church. At the conclusion of the war, the Fairfax Seminary Hospital on the grounds of the Episcopal Seminary and the nearby forts were closed down. Recovery was slow, but freedmen and returning professors and property owners found ways to adjust to new economic hardships. Cassius Lee and his family witnessed the transition of the Seminary Hill area; in future, their story should become an integral part of the historic interpretation of the Seminary Hill area.

Menokin, the home of Cassius F. Lee and his wife AnnEliza, once stood on 125 acres now occupied by the Bradlee Shopping Center, Lee Braddock Apartments, Minnie Howard School, and Fairlington Towne.

Menokin was built in 1854 to accommodate the large and growing Lee family. Originally a summer home, it became a popular place for family gatherings and social calls with professors and friends associated with the nearby Episcopal Theological Seminary. The gate off Braddock Road opened to a tree-lined drive, which led to the two-story house with a large front porch. From the back of the home, visitors had a distant view of Washington, D.C.
Robert E. Lee was Cassius Lee’s first cousin. They grew up together and remained close lifelong friends. Cassius, unlike his cousin, did not leave the Alexandria area to join the Confederacy.

The day before Virginia secession took effect, Cassius dispatched a short letter to Robert E. Lee expressing his hope that civil war could be averted and that “God make you instrumental in saving our land from the dreadful strife.” Although Cassius was a slave owner, he opposed secession. However, over time he came to resent Union control, restrictions on his civil liberties, and the determination of Union forces to put down the insurrection.

With the beginning of the Civil War, Union troops marched into Virginia and fanned out, occupying the ridge lines overlooking Washington. Menokin faced the hastily constructed Fort Ward a short distance away, and white Union tents could be seen in every direction. In 1863, under fear of being arrested and jailed, Cassius and his family left Menokin. They went to New York and Massachusetts, visiting Ann’s relatives, and finally sought refuge in Canada. During their absence the house was used by Union officers and soldiers and was left in poor condition. Returning after the war in mid-1865 with little money, the family began the difficult task of repairing and restoring the property.

In October 1865, shortly after they returned, worried that Cassius might have to sell Menokin, Ann used her inheritance to pay Cassius for his interest in the property. In July 1870, Robert E. Lee stayed at Menokin. Ann died at Menokin in 1885 and Cassius later in 1890. Both are buried at the Christ Church Cemetery in Alexandria. Menokin was sold in 1908.

Source: Alexandria Archaeology Volunteer News -- Spring 2009

Fort Ward Observer: Soil Erosion Continues From Fort Ward Park Maintenance Yard

Soil Erosion Continues From Fort Ward Park Maintenance Yard

Fort Ward Observer.  June 8, 2015.  J. Glenn Eugster

Soil erosion continues at Fort Ward Park as a result of excavation for archaeology within the Fort Ward Park maintenance yard.

For more than seven years the park maintenance yard, which was created without public notice or city approvals, has neglected to consistently practice soil and water erosion control.

A recent examination of the maintenance yard and Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery revealed that large areas of soil have not been replanted and as a result topsoil has been carried downhill after rainstorms settling in front of the cemetery entrance.

Over the years water runoff from the maintenance yard has caused damage to burial areas within the adjacent Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery. Evidently discussions are underway between City and Oakland Baptist Church leaders to redesign the storm water project that the Alexandria City Council approved in February.

Redesign of the storm water project may turn out to be a good thing for the park, the church and the public. However, soil conservation practices should be taken before, during and after construction of the project. At a minimum city leaders should follow the same laws, regulations and ordinances that they require residents and developers to follow.

Fort Ward Observer: New stormwater project at the Fort may impact park burial area

New stormwater project at the Fort may impact park burial area
Fort Ward Observer
J. Glenn Eugster
June 10, 2015

City and Oakland Baptist Church leaders have been working quietly together behind the scenes to redesign a project to manage water runoff from Fort Ward Park. Water from the park’s maintenance yard has been flowing into the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery, as well as the Old Oakland Church Cemetery, for years causing soil erosion, gravestone damage and the subsidence of burial areas.

Last week, without public notice, city employees from the Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental Services began to place stakes along the route where the new project will be constructed. A recent examination of the area where the new project is proposed reveals that the route being considered will cross a burial area that was identified by the City Archaeologist, Dr. Pamela Cressey, while she worked for the city.

Dr. Cressey indicated verbally and in writing that the grave that she found during her investigation had been damaged when the City of Alexandria graded and paved the road leading to the park maintenance yard. She indicated to church leaders and members of the Fort Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society, Inc. that earth moving equipment used by the city had removed the top of the coffin. She was unable, at that time, to locate the body which may have also been removed during the road grading.

For a short-time the burial area, which is within the Old Oakland Church Graveyard of the park, was marked during archaeology work. Following that work Recreation Department park maintenance workers outlined what they thought the extent of the burial area was with stones they found nearby.

More recently J. Lance Mallamo, Director of the Office of HIstoric Alexandria, disputed Dr. Cressey’s archaeology work and cast blame for the destruction of the burial site and the coffin on the Ruffner family members who owned this part of what is now Fort Ward Park. SInce he arrived from New York Mr. Mallamo has been a reluctant advocate for the protection of sacred areas within the park and his recent opinion about this grave seemed to be more about his “sense of history” than Dr. Cressey’s factual archaeology work. As a result, the grave is not marked and vehicles using the maintenance yard have driven over the burial site.

Hopefully City of Alexandria leaders will make this most recent decision-making process public, and seek public input, before decisions are made final and the work goes forward. Legally and morally it is important for city leaders to protect known burial areas within Fort Ward Park.

Remarks for Cherry Tree Planting for Gentry Davis, National Park Service December 16, 2004

Remarks for Cherry Tree Planting for Gentry Davis, National Park Service

December 16, 2004

By Glenn Eugster

I came to NCR in January 1999 and one of the most fascinating aspects of working here was the opportunity to see the arrival of spring.  Not just the birds and the Cherry blossoms but the "story behind the scenery"--the men and women who work for the parks and the region preparing for the arrival of spring and the people that come to Washington to celebrate it.  Each and every day seemed to be a sort of time-lapse photography that showed changes to trees, srubs, turf and flowers, but also the increasing activity of park management.

In 1947 Louis Halle wrote "Spring in Washington" a book about the process of rebrith in Washington each spring.   In the book Halle wrote, "If you observe the progress of the seasons carefully you will find them all present the year around".  

Today we would like to recognize Gentry Davis's contributions to Washington's celebration of spring.  Gentry has helped create and sustain the NPS Cherry Tree Replacement Fund and the National Cherry Blossom Festival.  Day-in, day-out, he is a part of the story behind the scenery--one of the people that works all year long to sustain the Cherry tree grove that surrounds the Tidal Basin and within East and West Potomac Park for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Mr. Davis's endurance and encouragement have contributed to sustaining the quality of our national parks and the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Cherry tree donation from the Town of Ohno, Japan

July 13, 2006

Dear Ms. Mainella,

It is my honor to inform you that the Town of Ohno, with the support of Gifu prefecture, would like to donate [---insert number of trees----] Ibinido Cherry trees to the National Park Service to serve as a living symbol of the friendship between Japan and the United States.  It is a great pleasure for us, the people of Ohno, to continue the tradition of tree donation between our countries that was started in 1912, with additional donations from Japan in 1965 and 1999. We hope that this tradition will continue to stand as a symbol of friendship and goodwill between our countries.

The Ibinido is one of three species of cherry trees classified as Japan National Treasures.  They are unique because they blossom twice.  Once a bud has bloomed and withered away, the same bud produces another blossom.

Whether as a special grove, or interspersed among the existing trees around the Tidal Basin, or on other public parkland in the City, I think that the Ibinido trees would be a beautiful addition to the landscape so cherished by Festival participants.

We sincerely hope that you will work with us and the other organizations involved to continue this wonderful tradition of giving Cherry trees to sustain the friendship between our two countries. I look forward to your reply　so that we may proceed with arrangements for the donation, tree planting ceremony and public awareness campaign.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr./ Ms.           , a member of my staff. Thank you for your generous consideration. 

Sincerely,

Shigeru Sugiyama

Mayor for Town of Ohno

Ms. Fran Mainella

Director

National Park Service

1849 C. Street, NW

Washington, D.C.  20240-0001