As the seat of the Union at the intersection of the North and the South, Washington D.C. played a pivotal role in the Civil War. Throughout the progression of the conflict, D.C. constructed numerous fort sites around the city center to protect the Union capital. By the end of the war, this extensive 37-mile defense system included 68 enclosed forts and batteries, 20-miles of trenches, and 93 unarmed batteries. The Civil War Forts Sites include Batteries Kemble and Ricketts; and Forts Bayard, Bunker Hill, Carroll, Chaplin, Davis, DeRussy, Dupont, Greble, Lincoln, Mahan, Reno, Slocum, Stanton, Stevens, and Totten. In the 1890s, during a national era of parkway construction, a “Fort to Fort Drive” was proposed. As the city was growing in all directions into these former fort sites, the 1902 Senate Park Commission Plan (McMillan Commission) proposed that 17 of the sites be converted into open parkland, with two portions of Fort Drive (one west of the Anacostia River and another east of the Anacostia) connecting most of the sites. However, despite these grand plans, Congress failed to comprehensively act. Action finally took place following the establishment of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission (NCPPC) – now the National Capital Planning Commission – in 1926. By the early 1930s, a majority of the historic sites and the land needed for Fort Drive had been purchased by NCPPC. However, because of eventual funding issues, surface streets had to suffice for portions of the “parkway” – as opposed to a formal, newly-constructed Fort Drive parkway. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed some sections of Fort Drive. The CCC also established picnic areas at some of the new parks – at former fort sites – and even constructed an amphitheater at Fort Bunker Hill Park. Most notably, the CCC reconstructed Fort Stevens – the site of DC’s only Civil War battle and, today, the most famous of the fortifications. Despite not being fully realized, the planning resulted in various open spaces across the District – from Battery Kemble in Northwest to Fort Circle Park in Southeast. Additionally, portions of the parkway can be seen, for instance in Southeast (Fort Davis Drive, Fort Dupont Drive, and Fort Drive), Northeast (Fort Totten to Barnard Hill Park), and Northwest (Fort Drive near Fort Reno Park). Most importantly, residents can now enjoy the outdoors in numerous parks and witness history at the reconstructed fortifications at Fort Stevens. The properties are currently administered by the National Park Service and are utilized as educational and historical resources.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
(Amended June 19, 1973)
National Register: July 15, 1974 (Documentation revised September 13, 1978)
]]>Built in 1811 as the original distillery building for Isaac Peirce's homestead and plantation, this still house remains visually linked to the context in which it was built, since the original mill and stone barn can still be observed to the east, and to the west is the stone springhouse originally belonging to the same property. The two-centuries-old Still House features a number of additions to the northwest, that date from its conversion to a residence in 1924.
The Still House is significant as a representative example of a stone structure originally formed as part a working mill and homestead of the early 1800s. its exterior is a rare and almost intact example of a farm building that was built to be a distillery and later—until its early-20th-century conversion to a residence—was used as a barn. Along with the related buildings that surround it, the Still House reflects the rural character of this locale in the early 19th century.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: September 6, 1990
]]>Built in 1829 by slaveholder Isaac Peirce, the Peirce Mill on Rock Creek ground corn, wheat, and rye until 1897, when its turbine's shaft finally broke. The mill was situated on a 960-acre plantation, where the Peirce family relied on enslaved people to provide most of the labor. In 1890, the mill, along with 350 acres of the larger property, were incorporated into Rock Creek Park by an Act of Congress.
Park managers undertook the project of improving the former plantation site at the turn of the century, converting the former mill into a tearoom in the 1920s. When New Deal legislation transferred Rock Creek Park to the National Park Service in 1933, the NPS worked to restore the mill and the surrounding property to their historic layout. The historical data on which these changes were based have been lost, so it is unclear what information was used to restore the mill or the rest of the old plantation site.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: March 24, 1969
This site is included in the Capital City Slavery Tour for its role as a plantation run by enslaved labor. For further information on slavery in the District, view DC Preservation League's Capital City Slavery Digital Exhibit.
]]>The National Zoological Park was established by an Act of Congress in 1889. By 1900, the Zoo's size had increased significantly due to three successive additions, which were followed by additional land acquisitions in 1921 and 1923, as well as a slight decrease in size with the construction of Beach Drive in 1966.
The present site of the National Zoo was chosen due to its picturesque character, its rugged terrain with numerous hills, and its location in Rock Creek Valley. While many structures that impinge upon the landscape were constructed throughout the 20th century, the area still retains its rugged, green magnificence, and the alternating views from the valleys and hills provide great visual excitement. The exhibition area is located in the northern half of the park, and the southern portion is lightly built upon.
The site includes about 15 historic buildings, constructed between 1892 and 1940.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964(Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: April 11, 1973
]]>The Joaquin Miller Cabin is located within Rock Creek Park, sited at the north end of a large meadow-like picnic grove. Historic photographs indicate that Miller (1837-1913), a famous American poet, erected his house on a log foundation with log walls. Seeking a peaceful place to "find his muse," Miller built his cabin while in Washington to pursue politics; he stayed there periodically between 1883 and 1885.
As development around present-day Meridian Hill (Malcolm X) Park threatened the cabin in 1911, it was disassembled and moved from its original location to a new site in Rock Creek Park, where it was dedicated on June 2, 1912. Newspaper coverage of the building's move and reconstruction indicate that great care was taken in dismantling the building and replicating its appearance. Original building fabric was lost in the move, but Miller's cabin was reconstructed with a high degree of visual accuracy in terms of its design, materials, and workmanship.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
]]>Linnaean Hill, built in 1823 by Joshua Pierce, was named in honor of the Swedish botanist Karl Van Linnaeus as the surrounding area was so conducive to the raising and growing of shrubs and flowers. The Pierces were extremely interested in horticulture and, shortly after establishing their home at Linnaean Hill, developed it into one of the most beautiful garden spots in the city. Joshua Pierce introduced box gardens to Washington, supplying the first ornamental plantings for the White House, the Capitol, and other government buildings and parks. Pierce also maintained the first general nursery in Washington. Linnaean Hill also became a gathering place for several major figures in Washington society, notably Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, and Henry Clay.
The three story, ten-room Pennsylvania Dutch farmhouse style structure was built of blue and grey granite. The stonework remains in good condition and, except for superficial touches, it remains as built.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: October 10, 1973
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