In May of 1861, during the American Civil War, Federal troops took control of Arlington Heights. Initially, work was conducted on Forts Runyun, Corcoran, Albany, and Scott in order to try to bolster their defense of Washington, DC. Fort building increased after the Federal army was defeated at Bull Run in July of 1861, and work began on Forts Richardson and Ethan Allen, as well as a line of defense called the Arlington Line. For all the preparation that went into the fortifications, the Arlington Line was never attacked, along with Forts Ethan Allen and Richardson. Perhaps the only wartime action the Fort saw was a visit by President Abraham Lincoln.

Fort Ethan Allen remained where it was built, and as it was merely an earthen fort, it was subject to natural erosion. The land was left to itself, and in time, it was converted into the Fort Ethan Allen Park. After decades, the fort had largely degraded, and only a few portions of the fort remain, grown over by the local flora. On December 3rd, 2003, it was designated on the Virginia Landmark Register, and on February 11th, 2004, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

An overgrown portion of the remains of Fort Ethan Allen ((By Farragutful (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons))

The fort held about three dozen guns and could garrison as many as one thousand troops. 

Civil War defenses of Washington from the National Park Service

More Info

Washington's Civil War Defenses-Civil War Trust

Fort Ethan Allen was an earthen fort built by the Union Army to defend the approach to Washington. Constructed in 1861, the Arlington fort was part of the Union’s attempt to defend the capital from a potential Confederate attack during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln personally inspected the fortification which was named in honor of Ethan Allen, a militia leader in the American Revolution who captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British. On December 3rd, 2003, the remaining walls of the fort were added to the Virginia Landmark Register. The following year, the remaining portion of the fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can see the remains of the wall and interpretive signs at Fort Ethan Allen Park.

Fort Ethan Allen, Arlington VA

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This driving tour starts on the Virginia side of the Potomac with stops at Scott's Run Nature Preserve, Claude Moore Colonial Farm, Fort Ethan Allen, and several historic homes before crossing the Chain Bridge. The tour continues on the D.C. and Maryland side of the river with stops at more historic homes and landmarks such as Battery Kemble Park and Washington Aqueduct.

The Scott's Run creek area has long been known for its lush spring wildflowers, mature forest, and geological uniqueness. The park is part of the Potomac Gorge, where erosion and an ancient fault zone have shaped a landscape rife with rare or unusual plant and animal species. The unpredictable and changeable creek runs into the Potomac River. Edward B. Burling, Sr., a successful Washington, D. C., lawyer, bought the 336-acre tract of land in the 1920s and kept a cabin on the property as a personal and social retreat for Washington elite. Burling refused to sacrifice any trees for the installation of telephone lines. After Burling's death in 1966, his heirs tried selling the land for a park, then to a developer Miller &amp; Smith Associates. Miller &amp; Smith purchased the land for $2.4 million, planning to build 309 luxury homes on the site, each estimated at a value of $68,0000 to $100,000. Their plan, generally supported by the county government, was to preserve 52% of the land as open space. Elizabeth Miles Cook, an artist and Quaker, saw the county's notice of a public hearing before the Planning Commission and rallied residents against the development of the land. Public outcry ensued for over a year; residents confronted the plan peacefully through public meetings, petitions, and protests. Students went door-to-door to raise awareness and wrote protest songs. Although many organizations of government and citizens' groups stood on the side of development in the beginning, those opposed to the development continued to act. The New York Times covered the story, and several prominent figures -- a businessman and four U. S. Senators -- supported the environmental advocates. The citizens' engagement led to a referendum vote. The Dranesville district voted to raise its own taxes on July 14, 1970, in order to buy the land for $1.5 million, 3208 to 2758. Development almost began anyway, with bulldozers beginning to uproot trees two days later. About 75 protestors met them with signs and noise. Virginia Governor Lynwood Holton appealed to developers to halt the razing of the forest until the county produced the funding to buy the land. Scott's Run finally became public land in September 1970. A marker at the park commemorates the activism of the "Burling Defenders." The Farifax County Park Authority now maintains Scott's Run, with the help of volunteers and the Potomac Heritage Trail Association. Hiking trails, including the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, run through the park. The Park Authority holds educational and nature programs for the public at the site.

After landowner Edward B. Burling, Sr. died in 1966, developers sought to raze much of this forest along the Scott's Run creek in order to construct a community of luxury homes. Residents of the area peacefully protested for more than a year to protect the land from development. This early success of the fledgling environmental movement resulted in residents voting to raise their own taxes in order to buy the land for the county. Scott's Run is now public park land, a unique ecosystem preserved from destruction. Markers at the nature reserve celebrate the "Burling Defenders" whose activism ensured the conservation of this land.

Scott's Run Nature Reserve

The Claude Moore Colonial Farm dates back to 1972, when former President Richard Nixon’s Legacy-in-the-Parks program and the National Parks Service established the Turkey Run Farm. However, by 1980, federal budget cuts threatened the closure of the farm. The local community rallied behind Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf and Senator John Warner in an attempt to save the educational resource. The citizen’s group became incorporated as The Friends of Turkey Run Farm and established a 30-year, no-fee lease for the park.1 Following an endowment gift from Dr. Claude Moore of Loudoun County, the
 park changed its name to the Claude Moore Colonial Farm. Through a 
large construction grant from Congress, the Farm was also able to 
restore and expand its facilities. As such, the Friends of The Claude 
Moore Colonial Farm, the non-profit behind the farm’s operations, have 
successfully managed the farm as the only privately funded and operated 
park in the National Park system. The park has served more
 than two million visitors owing to its reputation for outstanding 
educational programming, which provides an authentic representation of 
colonial agricultural history.2 The Colonial Farm’s central mission is to educate the public about American life on a Virginia tenant farm in colonial America. To accomplish this, the farm is a living history museum where the in-costume interpretive staff demonstrates the activities typical of 1771 tenant farmers, many of whom grew tobacco.3 The farm also produces heirloom crops (such as tobacco, wheat, rye, corn, and apples)4 and breeds livestock to accurately portray life in colonial times.5 The major events of the year at the farm include the Market Fair, which includes the essentials of an 18th-century market, such as a Blacksmith, cabinet maker, herb and flower seller, chicken roasting, puppet theater, and more. Visitors are also invited to experience the Dairy Day, Salting Fish, Herbal Remedies, Wheat Harvest, Tobacco 
Harvest, Pickling Produce, Spinning, and Dyeing 
Day events, as well as an 18th-century wedding. Educational programs at the farm include the Farm Skills Program, Colonial Living Experience, a popular Environmental Living Experience, and a myriad of educational resources.6

Claude Moore Colonial Farm is a part of the National Park Service, operated with the support of the Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm at Turkey Run Inc., a privately funded foundation. Visitors are able to tour the site and witness reenactments of life on a small tenant farm in the years leading up to the American Revolution. The Colonial Farm staff dress in 18th-century clothing and conduct many activities of the time, such as field work, crop growing, livestock raising, crafts, and more. Visitors can go on self-guided tours and participate in educational programs, including the Farm Skills Program, Colonial Living Experience, and the Environmental Living Experience.

Claude Moore Colonial Farm

<h4>History and Collections at the Museum</h4>
The CIA Museum dates back to 1972, when then Executive Director of the CIA, William E. Colby, sought a need to create a museum that featured&nbsp;“a very selective accumulation of truly unique items." When the CIA added another building to its campus in the 1980s, it included enough space to designate for the museum as well as the office of the museum Curator. Soon after Colby called for artifacts and collections regarding the history of intelligence services, many CIA agency offices and officers began contributing to the collection with a large number of artifacts. Many of these artifacts came from personal collections gathered over the years from places around the world.
Because the CIA museum is located within the CIA headquarters, it is not open for public tours. However, the museum’s staff does work with Presidential libraries and major museums to help display their collection in public exhibitions. In total, the museum has collected about 3,500 artifacts of covert intelligence history, such as previously classified documents, uniforms, and weapons. As an example, some items found in the museum include hollow coins used for secret messages, cameras built on militarized pigeons, the famous World War II encryption machine, and even Osama Bin Laden’s AK-47.&nbsp;
In addition to the actual museum, the CIA Museum also has a 3,200 square-foot storage facility, which is home to about another 18,000 artifacts.1

The CIA Museum is an archive and collection of declassified artifacts, weapons, and other items related to the work and history of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The mission of the museum is to provide visitors with a deeper insight into the CIA and its contributions to national security, while also providing enthusiasts with more background material and educational resources regarding declassified secret missions and initiatives. 

Through exhibits such as the Cold War Gallery and the galleries on the war on terrorism, the various galleries in the museum contain about 3,500 objects throughout the 14,000-square-foot facility. The museum also features artifacts, stories, and exhibits about the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), foreign intelligence agencies, and more. Located within the CIA building, the museum is not open for public tours but does offer some of its digitized items online. 

CIA Museum (Closed to Public)

Thomas Lee (1690-1750) acquired over 2800 acres of land known as “Langley Tract” in 1719, and his descendants resided there for many years. One such owner was Revolutionary War leader Major-General Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee III, who eventually served as the Virginia governor and a congressman and who was the father of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. The brick house at the Salona property was built between 1790 and 1810; a plaque placed in 1970 estimates the year as 1802. Rising two and a half stories, the house exhibits characteristics of the Federal and Georgian styles. During the August 1814 British bombardment of Washington, D. C. in the War of 1812, President James Madison and First Lady Dolley Madison sought refuge at this house from its then-resident, Rev. William Maffitt. They escaped separately, with President Madison staying a night at Salona and Mrs. Madison staying at nearby Rokeby before they reunited farther west. Rev. Maffitt died in 1823, and Chapman Lee of Connecticut purchased Salona, later selling it to Elisha Sherman. James G. Smoot purchased 208 acres of the land from the Salona estate in 1845. The Union Army established a headquarters at Salona under General William “Baldy” Smith, calling it Camp Griffin, in the winter of 1861-1862. The Smoot family fled the property with their slaves. General George McLellan may also have used the camp. After the war, Smoot and his son William worked to restore the farm, seeking reimbursement from the U. S. government for damages to the property during the war. This reimbursement was denied when it became known that Smoot had signed the Ordinance of Secession in 1861. In commemoration of the bicentennial of George Washington’s birthday in 1932, Salona opened for a public viewing. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) documented the house a few years later in 1936, with a report by H. C. McMullan and aerial photographs showing the late nineteenth-century agricultural buildings. The Carper family leased Salone for pasture after World War II, and portions of the land were sold for residential development and to two churches. An antiques dealer and McLean Summer Theatre also occupied the building for some time, the latter leaving it in dilapidated condition. Clive and Susan DuVal bought the Salona house and its remaining 52 acres in stages from the heirs of Calder Gillian Smoot in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The DuVals maintained and made improvements to the property, such as moving the driveway from Dolley Madison Highway to Buchanan Road. Woodland began to take over the agricultural fields. The DuVals also added a tennis court to the property, and in 1971 placed a conservation easement on some of the property. Their heirs added another easement to protect an additional 41.5 acres in 2005. The house remains private property, though the National Register of Historic Places listed it in 1973. The Fairfax County History Commission placed a historical marker at the site in 2010. The Fairfax County Park Authority established a task force and has sought to develop plans to develop a park at the site.

Originally established by the Lee family in the late seventeenth century, Salona exhibits evidence from hundreds of years of American history. The brick homestead and the surrounding land has ties to several American wars, a president, and several generals. For most of its existence, the property has been used as a farm, and there are multiple barns and other agricultural outbuildings still scattered on the property. The size of the property has decreased as the town of McLean has grown more suburban, but the house and 50 acres of the remaining estate are protected with a conservation easement. The house remains private, but Fairfax County Park Authority may establish a public park on the conserved property in the future.

Salona and the Langley Tract

The Saegmuller Mansion brings the look of a German Medieval city to Arlington. The house was built from 1894 to 1903 by George N. Saegmuller who had immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1870. Saegmuller was a trained engineer and soon found work in American at a manufacturer of scientific instruments in Washington, D.C. The William Wurdeman firm made geodetic and astronomical devices. Saegmuller later worked for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. While living in a boarding house, Saegmuller met and married Maria Jane Vandenburgh. The couple settled on 240 acres in Arlington on Reserve Hill, the estate of Maria's father. They lived in a pre-Civil War, two-story wood frame home that burned to the ground in 1892. Saegmuller rebuilt at the same location and took inspiration from his childhood in Germany when designing the new house. Bluestone was quarried on the estate for the massive mansion, with over 3,700 square feet of living space in its 21 rooms. The mansion includes 10 fireplaces and became the first home in Arlington County with telephone service, installed in 1894. A stone water tower built in 1896 supplied running water to the gas-lit home, powering a shower in one of the house's four bathrooms. The tower was designed to replicate the walls of the city of Nuremburg, Germany. The estate was a working farm, with grain crops, livestock, a vineyard, and orchard. A 1900 local map by the Virginia Title Company shows that George N. Saegmuller's property encompassed about 190 acres on contiguous land tracts. An adjacent 50-acre tract to the east was owned by M. Saegmuller by 1900; this may be a brother of George N. who may have been living at the other end of that first telephone line. Saegmuller's three sons ran a successful dairy farm on the property until 1939, adding new barns and outbuildings in the 1930s. They had one sister who did not live past her teens. Used as the family's summer home until Saegmuller retired in 1926, Saegmuller descendants refer to the manor house as the "Big House." One of Saegmuller's patented inventions is a device for telescope sights for the Navy. His company merged with Bausch and Lomb of Rochester, New York in the early 1900s. Besides his scientific enterprises, Saegmuller served as the Chairman of the Alexandria County Board of Supervisors (Arlington was formed as a separate county in 1920). He donated funds for a new school in 1890 that is no longer standing and helped choose the site for the county's first courthouse in 1898. The county school system still has ties to Bausch and Lomb in the form of an annual scholarship. Check out the linked video for a local history lesson by the school system, visiting the Saegmuller mansion in their series exploring the stories behind Arlington's historical markers. Saegmuller passed away in the home on his 87th birthday in 1934. The house remained privately-owned until 1951. The mansion was purchased by the Columbus Club of Clarendon. The structure still serves as the headquarters of the Columbus Club of Arlington, the Knights of Columbus, and is not open to the public.

This Arlington estate was constructed by a German immigrant, George N. Saegmuller, from 1894 to 1903. Saegmuller married a daughter of the landowner and settled into an existing house on the 240-acre estate. After the original house was destroyed by a fire in 1892, plans began for the construction of this mansion. The home was constructed of local stone with a stone water tower modeled after the city wall of Nuremberg, Germany. Saegmuller was an engineer and inventor who worked for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. He also created a scientific optical instruments company that later merged with Bausch and Lomb. The mansion boasted the first private telephone in the county and served as a summer home or center of a dairy farm operated by Saegmuller's three sons until 1940. The property was purchased by the Columbus Club of Clarendon and still serves as the local headquarters of the Knights of Columbus. 

Saegmuller Mansion; Knights of Columbus

John Leonard Saegmuller was the eldest son of George N. Saegmuller; George N. owned the nearby Saegmuller Mansion that he constructed near the turn of the 20th century. John L. built this home for himself on part of his father's 240-acre farm, Reserve Hill, around 1925. John L. was born at Reserve Hill in 1875. The John Saegmuller house is notable as one of the only extant examples of the Prairie style of domestic architecture in Arlington County and is in an excellent state of interior and exterior preservation. Set on a concrete block foundation, the 2-1/2 story John Saegmuller house is wood frame construction covered in stucco, with a pyramidal roof pierced by dormer windows. The front facade faces east with the original front porch having large piers and columns under a central gable roof. Attached to the rear of the main block of the house is a two-story sunroom. Wood decoration on the exterior consists of half-timbering, a belt course, and trim. The interior retains a central-hall plan with preserved wood flooring, plasterwork, built-in cabinetry, pocket doors, decorative wood molding, and wood staircase. A servant's stairwell leads from the kitchen down to a full finished basement or up to servant's quarters. The second story contains five bedrooms and three full bathrooms. The attic space above the house's main block is a finished recreation room and above the sunroof is storage space. A shed-roof garage that stood on the lot in 1985 is no longer extant. Little else has changed except for the addition of central air conditioning and gas heating, The house is set back from Little Falls Road on a lot reduced now to only one-third acre. The land immediately surrounding the house was subdivided in 2000 and developed with modern housing as Falls Court; two infill houses are placed between Little Falls Road and the John Saegmuller house. The house was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places in 2003. While the house has been called one of the most stylized early-20th century dwellings in Arlington, it is said to demonstrate the practical simplicity of rural architecture. Like his father, John L. worked as an optical engineer, designing scientific instruments in his father's company, Fauth &amp; Company. The firm merged with Bausch &amp; Lomb in 1905; John L. managed the Washington branch of the firm from 1917 to 1926. When John L. married in 1905, he was a resdent of Rochester, New York, where Bausch &amp; Lomb is headquartered. He and his brothers Frederick B. and George M. managed the family's successful dairy farm on Reserve Hill. Upon his father's death in 1934, Frederick B. inherited 27 acres of the farm, since his two brothers already had houses on the farm. In 1943, John L. sold the 2.3-acre lot including the John Saegmuller house to Edith A. Dunning. The house continues to be privately owned. John L. died in 1961 at age 86 and was survived by his widow, Virginia, and children, George N. and Louisa. At the time of his death, his permanent residence was at 3021 N. Edison Street in Arlington.

The John Saegmuller House is notable as an example of Prairie-style architecture and has survived since its circa 1925 construction with little modification to the exterior and interior. Still in use as a private residence, the surrounding property has been subdivided and filled with modern houses. The house faces east, towards Little Falls Court, and features a stuccoed exterior with a central gable porch, half-timbering and other wooden details, and a two-story sunroom to the rear of the main block. Mr. Saegmuller was an optical engineer and a member of a locally prominent family. He was born at the family's summer home, the nearby Saegmuller Mansion, in 1875. The home was placed on the Virginia Landmarks and National Registers in 2003.

John Saegmuller House

A log cabin rebuilt by its new owners in 1936 with the original logs, Birchwood was the home of Richard Wallace, the valet of Rear Admiral Presley Marion Rixey. Rixey served as the White House physician during the presidential eras of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Rixey became a fried of President Roosevelt and the pair went horseback riding on the Birchwood property. Wallace, an African American who worked as a White House chauffeur, was hired by Rixey to clear land that Rixey had donated for a country club. Wallace was foreman of a crew of four African American men who prepared the land and may have discovered the long-abandoned, overgrown cabin. Wallace recalled Mr. Roosevelt visiting the cabin a number of times until his death in 1919; Roosevelt especially enjoyed eating ice cream during the visits. Rixey (born in 1852) served as Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy from 1902 to 1910. Rixey either moved the planned location of the tenth green of the country club's golf course to protect the cabin or moved the cabin during construction of the golf course. Rixey deeded the cabin to Wallace who planted apple trees nearby. Rixey built a grand mansion on the property which is now on Marymount University property. He and his wife resided in the Roslyn neighborhood of Arlington; he died in 1928. The original cabin was constructed by a farmer and constable named Caleb Birch around 1800; Lord Fairfax had granted the land to Caleb's grandfather, James Robertson, in 1724. After the original cabin burned in the 1830s it was rebuilt with chestnut logs; a second cabin was added in the 1840s. The two cabins are separate structures with a common roof in the "dog trot" style. Schoolteachers bought the house in 1936 and did the restoration. A private kindergarten, the Birchwood School, operated from the cabin from the 1950s to 1970s. The house is privately owned by a real estate agent who rents out the cabin and claims it is haunted by a playful ghost.

A log cabin rebuilt in 1936 with original logs, Birchwood was the home of Richard Wallace, the valet of Rear Admiral Presley Marion Rixey. Rixey served as the White House physician during the presidential era of his friend, Theodore Roosevelt. Rixey and President Roosevelt went horseback riding on the property; he and Roosevelt would then stop into the cabin for ice cream. The original cabin was constructed by Caleb Birch around 1800 but burned and was rebuilt in the 1830s. A second cabin was added in the 1840s. The two cabins are separate structures with a common roof in the "dog trot" style. 


Birchwood

Glenmore is perched on a bluff overlooking the Potomac River. The single-family home was built around 1906 by William Florian Roberts as a retreat from life in Washington, D.C. where he worked as a printer. This part of Arlington was a rural natural area in the early 20th century. In the early days, the Roberts family would arrive by boat and climb up to the clifftop to access the house. Designed by a D.C. architect named Appleton P. Clark, the house was on a 44-acre tract but is now down to about 37,000 square feet. Parts of the surroundings literally went into the house - logs made from forest trees for walls and stone quarried from the bluff for the foundation and chimney. The logs were covered in shingle siding but the shingles were later hidden by a stucco layer. Hints of the log structure are visible as rafters in the eaves of the gable roof. The home is made of two sections in a rectangular plan joined at right angles; each section has a gable roofs but one roof is taller than the other. By the early 1930s the Construction of the George Washington Memorial Parkway paralleling the river cut off the house from easy access to the cliff edge. The Roberts family still enjoyed their weekend retreat even with cars passing so close to the home. In 1945 Glenmore was purchased by Rear Admiral Chester Ward, the Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1960. Ward was a Conservative author who authored or co-authored several books with Phyllis Schaffly focused on the Cold War. Ward undertook major remodeling, including the stucco; he had glass windows installed including a large picture window on the river-facing side of the house. His new garage was built from glass and flagstone. Ward rented out the home to a succession of military bachelors who threw many pool-side parties If these walls could talk, they would have plenty to say. Glenmore was the site of many weekend celebrations since the Roberts era. Glenmore was the site of an engagement party for first daughter Lynda Byrd Johnson and her military beau and future Virginia Governor Chuck Robb. Another first daughter, Tricia Nixon, also partied here. The same couple has owned Glenmore since the 1980s and renovated the house as their home. They hosted a reunion party in 2006 for 35 bachelors who rented the house, asking each to bring a memory of their time in the glass party house. The houses's land tract is now at the end of a cul-de-sac with modern single-family homes as close neighbors in the River Estates subdivision. Glenmore was designated a local historic district by Arlington County in 1986 due to its association with Clark, the local architect, and for its representation of rural, undeveloped Arlington as a retreat for wealthy Washingtonians in the early 20th century.

From turn-of-the-century country retreat to the location of lavish parties and events venue, Glenmore has been the center of activity for generations of influential Washingtonians looking for an escape from the stress of urban and political life. Perched on a cliff overlooking the Potomac River, the house was reached in the early days by boat. The home was constructed in 1906 with materials from its surroundings - logs from the forest and stone from the cliffs. Glenmore's first owner, William F. Roberts, was a Washington printer. Rear Admiral Chester Ward, a U.S. Navy JAG, owned the home from 1945 to 1971. Ward covered the shingled log exterior in stucco but added lots of windows to take advantage of the view. Arlington County designated Glenmore a local historic district in 1986 due to its association with a local architect and for representing Arlington as a rural, undeveloped locale for wealthy Washingtonians to retreat at the turn of the 20th century.

Glenmore

In the late 1800s, plans were being considered for development in a space of land running along the Potomac River in Washington, DC. The space came to be known as the Palisades, and a group for development in the area called the Palisades of the Potomac Land Improvement Company was formed and incorporated in 1890. John Hurst, one of the proponents of the Palisades development, began to build his own home called Glen Hurst in 1892. Records seem to indicate that the home was completed that same year. During the initial years of Palisades development, there were five houses built in total, and they were relatively similar in style. Most of the other houses were darker in color, but the Glen Hurst incorporated a light sandstone finish to parts of the home, and as a result, the Glen Hurst stood out among the rest of the houses in the neighborhood.

Hurst only lived in the home for a few years, as troubles soon fell upon the Palisades Land Improvement Company and himself. The company was sued in 1897 by the Imperial Bank of Canada, Toronto, because Hurst had lapsed in paying back a loan he had secured from the bank in 1891. In 1897, the company folded, and Hurst’s wife died, as well. After 1898, Hurst appears to drop off any records in Washington, DC, and it is unknown where he traveled to following that year. Following Hurst’s departure, the Glen Hurst changed hands a number of times in the following decades. On June 1st of 2005, the Glen Hurst was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Some time after its registration, it was acquired by DC Living Real Estate, LLC, and since has served as its office location.

Glen Hurst is a historic home located in the Palisades neighborhood of Washington, DC. Built in 1892, it is notable for being one of the five founding houses in the Palisades neighborhood. On June 1st of 2005, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its historical contribution to the Palisades neighborhood. Today, Glen Hurst has been converted by DC Living Real Estate, LLC, to serve as its office location.

Glen Hurst

Located in Washington D.C., Battery Kemble Park is owned and operated by the U.S. National Park Service. Fort Battery Kemble stood in defense of Washington D.C. on the NW quadrant
 of the city. The Potomac River delineated 
the border to the south, and the State of Maryland bordered the fort on the north. Constructed in 1861 as a Union Army fort, Battery Kemble was part of the Fort Circle, a ring of Forts which encircled Washington D.C. Fort Circle was designed to stop advancing Confederate soldiers marching against the capitol. Other nearby fortifications included Battery Cameron, Battery Parrot, Battery Vermont, and Battery Martin Scott. Battery Kemble was named after Gouverneur Kemble of Cold Spring, New York. Kemble, the former 
superintendent of West Point Foundry, had supervised the manufacture of 
most of the heavy weaponry used by the Union Army and Navy during 
the Civil War. The Battery consisted of two 100 lb parrot rifles placed on the highest point of Ridge Road (now Nebraska Avenue). Union soldiers chose this location such that the rifles would be in a position to sweep Chain Bridge, Aqueduct Bridge, and Virginia. Chain Bridge, a heavily trafficked bridge crossing the Potomac River, represented a unique defensive challenge to the Union army and required constant monitoring. The Aqueduct Bridge, built between Georgetown, D.C. and Alexandria VA, allowed the movement of cargo ships from the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal into the Potomac River and Alexandria. Neither could be closed or destroyed. These two Bridges were vital to the supply of goods and services to Washington D.C., and to the nation during the Civil War. Today, the park is a popular location for outdoor recreational activities, such as running, dog walking, nature walks, and sledding. The park is populated with pine trees, features a bamboo grove, and is home to many species of birds. A tributary of the Potomac River, Maddox Branch, flows through the park. The parapet and gun positions have been replaced with a public road and are no longer visible.

Battery Kemble park is owned and operated by the U.S. National Park Service. Located in the northwest section of Washington D.C., this National Historic site formerly served as a defensive site for the Union Army. In 1861, Battery Kemble was part of the Civil War Defense of Washington, also known as the Fort Circle. The Fort Circle, a series of forts which encircled Washington D.C., stood as the line of defense against Confederate troops marching on the capital. This park is a popular location for running, nature walks, and sledding. 

Battery Kemble Park 

Franklin
Edward Kameny, known as Frank Kameny, was born May 21st, 1925 and died October
11th, 2011. Known as "America's First Gay Activist," 86 year old
Kameny left a legacy for not only the LGBT community, he left a legacy for the
world. In the midst of the Civil Rights Movement,&nbsp;Kameny fought for equality in
many walks of life, including the fight for equality among Gay America. 

Kameny
was a federal employee in the 1950s. As a child, he dreamed of becoming an
astronomer. This dream became a reality as he pursued an education and obtained
a Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard.1&nbsp;&nbsp;Kameny
held a position as Astronomer and was employed by the United States Army. This
dream came to an end in 1957 because of Kameny's sexuality. Kameny was dismissed from the United States Army as a homosexual. Although dismissed,
he made history when he fought back. Through his life work of Gay Rights activism,
he transformed "gay" in the eyes of the people, which helped to
remove labels of illness. “Gay is good!” (Kameny) He "personally
petitioned the United States Supreme Court" contesting his dismissal from
the Army based on his sexuality. (&nbsp;2010 BrowseBiography.com, Frank Kameny)
Although known as a quiet man, he did anything but remain silent. 

Dr.
Franklin E. Kameny (Frank), known as the “father of gay activism,” 3
lived in a quaint, two-story house which was built in 1955. It is a landmark
with the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, due to its connection with
the Gay Civil Rights Movement, in which it was the headquarters. 4&nbsp; Kameny
was the co-founder of the Mattachine Society. (founded in 1950) 5 The
house became a meeting place after it became his residence in 1962. He lived
there nearly 40 years. His Gay Rights activism helped to change the definition
of gay and brought liberation to the gay community. In 2009, the home became a
D.C. Historical Landmark even though he still occupied the home. 

After
his death, the home has had an uncertain future. Although it is registered a
U.S. Historic Place, the house was sold to a private buyer.6 
Located at 5020 Cathedral Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20016, the house was sold
for $725,000. There has been some controversy regarding the sale however, those
who love Kameny profess his simple lifestyle and lack of assets; not begrudging
the sale and distribution of the money to his partner.7 

A
man of honor, strength, and a leader in American Gay Activism, Frank Kameny
broke through social, cultural, and legal barriers on behalf of gay liberation,
freedom, and equality. After his death, he was cremated and his ashes were
divided into two urns, one which was to be buried in the D.C. congressional
Cemetery, where his grave marker can be found. Although his burial was
scheduled for March 3rd 2012, there was a delay due to issues
regarding his estate between an heir and a gay social group that contributed to the
purchase of his gravesite.8&nbsp;&nbsp; His ashes are currently being stored at “Capitol Hill’s
Congressional Cemetery.” (washingtoncitypaper.com) 

Although
this iconic activist’s home and gravesite are in transitional situations of either new
private ownership or estate battles, the impact of Kameny’s work as an
activist resonates to this day. You will find the location of Kameny’s home here
on Clio and a link is provided for you to visit the historical Congressional
Cemetery in D.C. and see where his headstone marks his burial place at an
undetermined date in America’s future.

Franklin Edward Kameny, known as Frank Kameny, was born May 21st 1925 and died October 11th 2011. Known as "America's First Gay Activist," 86 year old Kameny left a legacy for not only the LGBT community, he left a legacy for the world. In the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, people fought for equality in many walks of life, including the fight for equality among Gay America. 



Frank Kameny House and Grave Site

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The centerpiece of the Aqueduct is a 12 mile pipeline which connects the systems damn at Great Falls with Dalecarlia Reservoir on the border with Montgomery County, Maryland. The pipeline runs along what is now MacArthur Boulevard, traversing some of the higher cliffs along the Potomac River. The Union Arch Bridge carries the pipeline and MacArthur Boulevard over cabin John Creek and the Cabin John Parkway near the community of cabin John, Maryland. This bridge was the longest masonry bridge in the world for 40 years after its completion. This is listed as a National Historic Landmark, and the Union Arch Bridge within the system is listed as Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The Dalecarlia Reservoir serves as a primary sedimentation basin. A portion of the water from the reservoir is treated as the nearby Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant and distributed to municipal water mains. The remainder of the water from the reservoir flows to the Georgetown Reservoir in Georgetown. This facility serves as an additional sedimentation basin. The water flows through the Washington City Tunnell to the treatment facility at the McMillan Reservoir, after which it is pumped through the city mains.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The system originally used a single pipe for water delivery, and did not have any water purification plants, relying instead on the reservoirs to act as settling basins. By the turn of the 20th century, however, Washington's growth and the high amount of sediment in the Potomac's water kept the reservoirs from doing their jobs well, and so the first treatment plant, a massive slow sand filter bed system, was installed at McMillian Reservoir, and was completed in 1905. The regular use of chlorine as a disinfectant began in 1923 at the McMillan plant. The McMillan plant was not replaced until 1985, when a rapid sand filter plant was opened adjacent to it. Efforts are under way to redevelop the land the slow sand plant used, while maintaining some of the plant's sand silos for historical purposes.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;In the 1920s, the Aqueduct was upgraded with the addition of a second pipe from Great Falls to Dalecarlia, along with several new reservoirs and a pumping station. This is a rapid sand filter plant that was built at Dalecarlia Reservoir, which went online in 1927. The Dalecarlia plant is the larger of the two plants in the system, having been upgraded in the 1950s, and is the plant that serves the Virginia communities that use the Aqueduct. The Corps built an additional intale and pumping station at Little Falls in 1959.&nbsp;

The Washington Aqueduct in an aqueduct that provides the public water supply system serving Washington, D.C., and parts of its suburbs. One of the first major aqueduct projects in the United States, the Aqueduct was commissioned by Congress in 1852. The construction began in 1853 under the supervision of Montgomery C. Meigs and the US Army Corps of Engineers which still owns and operates the system. Portions of the Aqueduct went online on January 3, 1859, and full pipeline begain operating in 1864. The system has been in continuous use ever since. 

Washington Aqueduct

The vision of the C&amp;O Canal has changed and adapted over the course of its history. The canal’s roots begin with George Washington’s dream of a waterway trade route connecting east and west. After its closure in 1924, a second chance came to the canal in the form of another dream, that of Supreme Court Justice William Douglas. Douglas sought to protect this land as an outdoor sanctuary for public recreation. Set in the 1950s of Justice Douglas’ famous hike to preserve the canal, Lockhouse 6 is furnished with objects reminiscent of the mid-Twentieth Century.Lockhouse 6, surrounded by mature sycamores, is a fully modern stone house with a covered porch and nearby parking. It provides ready access to Georgetown, the feeder canal, and the Capital Crescent Trail. The Canal Quarters program was conceived in 2007 by the C&amp;O National Historic Park and the C&amp;O Canal Trust as a way to creatively utilize historic lockhouses in the Park so they wouldn't fall victim to the elements, vandalism, or neglect. Additionally, the program met the groups' goal of providing visitors with a completely immersive, self-guided interpretive and educational experience.



Six lockhouses were selected for the program. Each represents a unique interpretive theme and time period which are reflected in panels, pictures, books as well as period furnishings to make the lockhouses comfortable for visitors overnight stays.&nbsp;

Canal Quarters' Lockhouse 6 is a fully rehabilitated historic dwelling located in the C&O Canal National Historical Park at towpath mile 5.4 near Georgetown and the Capital Crescent Trail. Decorated in mid-twentieth century furnishings, this stone house tells the story of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas' famous hike to preserve the Canal. The award-winning Canal Quarters program allows you to spend the night at Lockhouse 6 and step back in time to live life as a lockkeeper along the historic C&O Canal.

Lockhouse 6 - Canal Quarters

Edwin and Edward Baltzley were twin brothers in the 19th century. Edwin patented a new design for an egg beater which led to a small fortune. The brothers developed a plan for the ideal suburb outside of the nation's capital they hoped would be not only profitable but full of art and culture. Their suburb included a cafe-resort area that they called Glen Echo. They also partnered with the Chautauqua Assembly to create a place for a summer institute for learning which included an amphitheater and other buildings.  During this time period, the railway connecting Glen Echo to Washington D.C. was also built. The institute was only running for one year when rumors spread the death of a professor had been due to malaria. The reputation of Glen Echo suffered leading to its closure and sale in 1903. In 1903 the area was home to a small amusement park which expanded in 1907 thanks to manager William Shaw who brought in more and larger rides. The park remained under his management until 1911.  In 1911, the Washington Railway and Electric Company wanted to increase riders on the Glen Echo portion of their railway. The company bought the park and created a much larger amusement park that would be the premier place of summer entertainment for many D.C. area families. However, from opening day until the "Summer of Change" in 1960, the park was only open to whites.  As schools began to desegregate in the 1950s, the suburb remained mostly white and the small number of Black children could not use any of the neighborhood pools. Glen Echo Amusement Park was home to the Crystal Pool which was only open to whites. Area residents who opposed segregation pointed out that the pool was financed with public funds. With help from Howard University students, residents participated in protests and vowed to not stop picketing the park until it was open to all. Protesters in the 1960 "Summer of Change" included Gwendolyn T. Britt who would later become a Maryland State Senator.  The park suffered declining patronage and was not well-maintained in the mid-1960s. A combination of a riot and safety concerns led to the park's closure in 1968. The land was later sold and eventually was acquired by the National Park Service and is home to a variety of arts and cultural organizations.

Glen Echo Park's history begins with the creation of an exclusive Washington D.C. suburb in 1888. The suburban development included areas dedicated to art and culture, but reports of a malaria outbreak tarnished the area's reputation and the development stalled until the early 1900s. Thanks to the local railway, the former development opened as the Glen Echo Amusement Park in 1911. The park was segregated until 1961 due to the efforts of activists who protested segregation the previous summer. In that summer, African Americans joined with progressive whites to call for an end to the exclusion of people of color from the amusement park and crystal pool. The former park is now owned by the National Park Service and the site includes the 1921 Dentzel Carousel which was at the center of one of the 1960 civil rights demonstrations. The National Park Service now owns the property which is home to numerous arts organizations, studios, educational programs, and a children's theater program. 

Glen Echo Park

Clara Barton is a one of the most famous and influential people&nbsp;in American history. She was a teacher for much of her early life before her service as a nurse during the&nbsp;Civil War led her to become a national leader and expert about the needs of wounded&nbsp;soldiers. Barton&nbsp;began her work locally,&nbsp;collecting items for the wounded while also helping them write letters to loved ones. She also&nbsp;read to the wounded and even prayed with them. Her efforts as a nurse and activist led to her&nbsp;nickname, "Angel of the Battlefield". After the war,&nbsp;Barton worked with others to&nbsp;create the American Red Cross. During the Civil War, Burton was one of the first women who served in a position similar to modern combat medics, administering to wounded&nbsp;soldiers on the battlefield. Barton also&nbsp;served as a nurse in makeshift hospitals during the Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Cedar Mountain.&nbsp; The Clara Barton House is where Clara Barton spent the last fifteen years of her life. The 38-room home is now sparsely furnished with period furniture. Daily tours are lead through the property to give a better understanding of the way that Barton led her life. During the Civil War these rooms would have been filled with the supplies that she sent off to soldiers. The home also includes a small exhibit to explain Barton's work with the American Red Cross.&nbsp;

Located along the Potomac River in Glen Echo, Maryland, the Clara Barton House and Historic Site is the best place to learn about Barton's lifetime of activism including her role in the founding of the American Red Cross. Visitors to the home and historic site will find many artifacts and exhibits related to her many causes and the early history of the American Red Cross. The Museum was founded in 1974 and has offered free daily tours from that time to the present. 

Clara Barton House and Historic Site

One of the design priorities of the International Style is that every element of the design has a specific function. The property is one of two collaborations between Breuer and Dan Kiley (1912-2004) in Maryland, but the pair worked on five properties together in the United States. It is the only single-family home designed by Breuer in the county. He designed four residential buildings in total in Maryland. Standing one story, the house is steel-framed with coursed brick walls, painted white. It has a flat fascia board roof. Pine and Leyland cypress trees screen the view of the house from the road. For both the exterior and interior of the house, Breuer utilized indigenous materials, including bluestone floors and terraces, field stone foundation, American Black walnut ceilings. In the interior, the public areas of the house -- the living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. -- are open, with bedrooms and private spaces separated. Seymour Krieger (1913-1960), for whom the house was constructed, was a member of the United States Prosecution Staff at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, prosecuting war crimes after World War II, and a communications lawyer. After working in Nuremberg, he worked for the Federal Communications Commission and opened his own firm, Krieger and Jorgenson, in 1946. In 1954 he was appointed general counsel for  Greater Washington Educational Television Association, Inc. He died in 1960, not long after moving into the house, and his family lived there until 1964. His widow Rita F. Krieger subdivided the property before selling the house to Stephen Jackson and Vera Jackson and Janko Jackson. Stephen Jackson's contributions to the property include setting stone wells around maturing trees to support their weight on the sloping grounds as well as a low stone well in keeping with Breuer's designs. The house is also known as Katinas house after subsequent owner John Katinas. Renovations to the house have been minimal and it retains integrity to Breuer and Kiley's vision. After his death in 1985, Janko Jackson sold the house to George J. Katinas, who had lived on the neighboring property since 1959, and his son John G. Katinas. The neighborhood of Bannockburn was developed in the 1950s by the Group Housing Cooperative. The goal of the cooperative was to establish a neighborhood with a community center as a social and visual hub. The location of the residential area is the former Bannockburn Golf Club. Brigadoon Drive and Selkirk Drive are among the other Scottish cultural references in the place names. Other houses in the neighborhood follow the Modern architectural movement.

This International Style house was built by renowned architect Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) in 1958. Landscape architect Dan Kiley (1913-2004) designed the grounds of this triangular lot overlooking Brigadoon Drive. The house is one of five collaborations between Breuer and Kile, and was built for Seymour Krieger, a member of the International Military Tribunal prosecution staff in Nuremberg, Germany and later communications lawyer who worked for the Federal Communications Commission. Very few changes have altered the house from its original appearance, and it remains an accurate specimen of the International Style. The house is part of a planned residential community, Bannockburn, designed with the goal of being focused around a community center.

George Washington Parkway to Clara Barton Parkway

Fort Ethan Allen, Arlington VA

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information