Archaeology and History at Fort Ward Park

• The Fort Heritage Trail
• First Investigations
• Current Investigations
• First Person Memories
• Additional Resources

The Office of Historic Alexandria is committed to studying and preserving the historic resources of Fort Ward Park. The first archaeological excavation in Alexandria was conducted in June–July 1961 at Fort Ward. Thirty years later, in 1991, Alexandria Archaeology conducted a second dig. Beginning in 2009, a third investigation, including a ground-penetrating radar survey, took place. City Council granted an additional appropriation in 2011 to produce a history report and complete a second stage of archaeological study. 2011 marks 50 years of archaeology in the City and the 50th anniversary of archaeological work at Fort Ward. Oral history interviews with long-time residents of “The Fort” bring the history to life and the efforts of the Ft. Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society keep it alive.

The Fort Heritage Trail

• Brochure: Read The Fort Heritage Trail Brochure, or request a printed copy by contacting the Alexandria Archaeology Museum.
• Historic Signs: See a preview of The Fort Heritage Trail signage, or visit the sites in Fort Ward Park at 4301 W. Braddock Road.
• From Civil War to Civil Rights. A timeline of the African American community, "The Fort," established here from after the Civil War and continuing into the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s.
• African Americans and the Civil War. Fleeing, fighting and working for freedom.
• Within Its Walls -- A Foundation for Education and Opportunity. The community's children were educated in the one-room "Colored School Building at Seminary, and later at the Seminary School for African Americans.
• The Oakland Baptist Church. Several members of The Fort were founders of the Oakland Baptist Church.
• The Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery. Originally a small family cemetery, the land was conveyed to the Oakland Baptist Church in 1939.
• The Jackson Cemetery. In 1884, James F. Jackson purchased the largest parcel in The Fort.  The Jacksons later established a cemetery on part of the land. 

First Investigations

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the start of the Civil War in 1961, the City of Alexandria sponsored its first archaeological investigation. This first excavation was conducted on the northwest bastion of Fort Ward with the aim of recovering and recording enough information to reconstruct the Civil War fortification. A community passion for history led to the preservation of the historically significant fort by City Council, the creation of an historical park, and the establishment of the Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site. Thirty years later, in 1991, Alexandria Archaeology conducted a second dig. Additional Civil War features were discovered along with domestic artifacts post-dating the Civil War. Research turned up deeds and other records confirming that these artifacts once belonged to African Americans who lived at "The Fort" for nearly 100 years.

• 1991 Excavations at Fort Ward. Francine Bromberg, 1991. Alexandria Archaeology Abstracts, No. 1.
• Archaeology in Alexandria: Fort Ward Revisited. Francine Bromberg, Alexandria Archaeology, 1991. Historic Alexandria Antiques Show Catalogue. (Courtesy of Historic Alexandria Foundation) *Also includes “History of Fort Ward” by Wanda S. Dowell.
• Fort Ward, Alexandria, Virginia: Exploratory Excavation of the Northwest Bastion. Edward McM. Larrabee, 1961. 
  

Current Investigations

Contemporary interest in the historical significance of Fort Ward Park as a whole and its African American history, as well as a desire to preserve its cultural resources, led to a third archaeological investigation, beginning in 2009. First the City carried out a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey to identify unmarked graves and then fieldwork, completed in January 2011—fifty years after the first study—confirmed the presence of many burials. Additional research and family memories chronicle how the Fort neighborhood was lost in the process of the City’s efforts to purchase the land and create the historical park. The 2011 archaeological study documented 22 graves, 19 of which were unmarked, in the Jackson Cemetery on the west side of the fort, the Old Grave Yard adjoining the Oakland Baptist Cemetery, and in the eastern portion of the Park (Adams’ graves). Also discovered were foundations and artifacts associated with one of the earliest households at The Fort—Burr and Harriet Shorts—and an African American school. A cultural resource inventory is also a part of Stage 1.

The City Council approved funding for 2011–2012 Stage 2 to generate a history report, conduct test excavations across the Park to identify sensitive resource areas, and update the cultural resource inventory in preparation for planning activities. Learn more about the latest excavations below.

• Draft Inventory of Historical Resources: Fort Ward Park, City of Alexandria, September 10, 2009
• Report on Ground-Penetrating Radar Surveys: Possible Cemeteries Within Fort Ward Historical Park, Alexandria, Virginia. Sarah Lowry, October 19-20, 2009
• Fort Ward Processes and Timelines, Letter from City of Alexandria to Ad Hoc Stakeholders Advisory Group, December 22, 2010
• Fort Ward Documentary Study and Archeological Investigation, Alexandria Archaeology, Status Update, December 8, 2010
• Initial Recommendations for Archaeology and History at Fort Ward Park, Alexandria Archaeology, January 2011
• Recommendations for the Management of Fort Ward Historical Park. Ad Hoc Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Ad Hoc Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Stakeholders Advisory Group for the City of Alexandria, Virginia, January 2011.
• Archeological Investigations at Fort Ward Historical Park, Alexandria, Virginia, 2010–2011, PowerPoint Presentation, Tom Bodor, The Ottery Group, February 5, 2011
• Archaeological Investigation of Fort Ward/"The Fort" 1961-2011, PowerPoint Presentation, Alexandria Archaeology, October 12, 2011
• Fort Ward Stage 1 Archaeology Survey and Stage 2A Archaeology related to Interim Drainage Project, Alexandria Archaeology, March 2012
• Fort Ward Stage 2 Archaeology Update, Alexandria Archaeology, April 4, 2012
• Update on Stage 2 Archaeological Survey of Fort Ward Park, Alexandria Archaeology, April 24, 2012
• Fort Ward Stage 2 Progress Report, May 8, 2012
• Archeology Work - August 24, 2012
• Fort Ward Stage 2 Progress Report – September 11, 2012
• Fort Ward Preliminary Shovel Test Map - September 12, 2012
• Fort Ward Preliminary Civil War Archeology Resource Map - September 11, 2012
• Fort Ward Stage I and IIA Excavations for Grave Identification
  

First Person Memories 

Oral history interviews with long-time residents give vivid portraits of black life and the cultural landscape at The Fort and larger Seminary community. These interviews started in the early 1990s and are continuing. Read transcriptions of these first person memories. 

• Maydell Casey Belk
• Julia Bradby
• Keating Karig Carrier 
• Elizabeth Douglas
• Mary Crozet Wood Johnson
• Charles McKnight
• Edmonia Smith McKnight 
• Joseph John Moraski
• Dorothy Hall Smith and Barbara Ashby Gordon
• Sgt. Lee Thomas Young 
   

Additional Resources

• Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site
• Ad Hoc Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Stakeholder Advisory Group 
• Facebook page for the Ft. Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society  
• Archaeological Study Reveals Significant Finds At Fort Ward, Haley Crum, AlexandriaNews.org, February 6, 2011
• "The Fort" Heritage Tail brochure about the area's post-Civil War African American community