Our next campground was Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park, MD and we arrived on 04/17/2013. We Visited Fort Marcy in McLean, VA and Fort Ethan Allen in Arlington, VA on 04/21/2013. At the end of the Civil War in 1865, the system of fortification (now known as (Fort Circle Parks) which surrounded Washington DC were dismantled. The lumber and other materials were sold at auctions and the land returned to pre-war owners. Fort Marcy is approximately 1/2 mile south of the Potomac River on the south side of the Chain Bridge Road leading from Chain Bridge to Langley and McLean VA. The perimeter of the fort is 338 feet (103 m). When completed, the fort mounted 18 guns, a 10-inch (25 cm) mortar and two 24-pound (10 kg) Coehorn mortars. The batteries were aimed toward the south and west. The picture is of Fort Marcy Earthworks and Cannon.
The Union Army built Fort Ethan Allen in September 1861, shortly after the Army’s rout at the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) in late July of that year. The fortification was a large bastion- style fort that was located in the County’s highlands near the Potomac River. Before the Army constructed the fort, farmland and forests filled the area. To allow for clear lines of sight toward other fortifications and approaches to Washington DC, the Army removed trees and other vegetation that were near the site. Picture is of Fort Ethan Allen Earthworks.
Then on 05/05/2013, we visited Fort McHenry, Fort McHenry Channel Range Front Light, Lazaretto Point Lighthouse (Replica), and Federal Hill Park in Baltimore, MD. Fort McHenry was constructed between 1799 and 1802. It was in the shape of a five-pointed star, which was a popular design during the period. Each point of the star was visible from the point on either side and every area of land surrounding the fort could be covered with as few as five men. The walls of Fort McHenry and the buildings within were constructed of brick. There were four barracks to house the garrison consisting of the Commanding Officer’s Quarters, Junior Officers’ Quarters and two buildings for the enlisted men. A guardhouse stood next to the Commanding Officer’s Quarters. Here, soldiers of the Fort McHenry Guard lived and worked, sometimes unruly soldiers were confined in the guardrooms. The Powder Magazine, where the gunpowder was stored, stood between the Commanding Officer’s Quarters and the Junior Officers’ Quarters. The magazine was of solid enough construction to protect the gunpowder from sparks, fire and explosion. The picture is of Fort Sally Port.
The picture is of Abigail on a Rodman Cannon from Civil War at Fort McHenry.
The Fort McHenry Range is a tandem of lights at different elevations that assist ships entering the port by aligning them one-over-the-other, reassuring the ship’s captain and pilots their vessel is in mid-channel and in safe water for their entrance to the city. The lower of the two lights in the system is the front light; the higher is the rear light. In the case of the Fort McHenry Range, the front light was originally constructed on the fort at a height of 41 feet in 1913, 99 years following the renowned nautical battle at the fort. The current structure was built in 1934, again at a height of 41 feet. Picture is of the Fort McHenry Channel Range Front Light.
On March 3, 1831, Congress provided $2,500 “for erecting a beacon light on Lazaretto Point, at the entrance of the harbor of Baltimore, or on the point of land upon which Fort McHenry is situated.” Lazaretto Point was selected as the site for the light, and by the time John Donahoo was commissioned to build the lighthouse later that year, the quarantine hospital had already been shut down. The government still owned five acres of land at the site, however, so it was a natural choice for the thirty-foot tower made of whitewashed bricks and an accompanying dwelling, whose first resident was Keeper William Shaw. Although the original Lazaretto Lighthouse disappeared years ago, a replica was built thanks to the wishes of a noted historian and Baltimore waterfront enthusiast, Norman Rukert, Sr. Since 1921, the Rukert family has owned Rukert Terminals Corporation, a Baltimore firm that offloads, warehouses, and distributes cargo. Norman Rukert thought that recreating the lighthouse would be a fantastic way to help preserve history. In August 1985, just over one year after Rukert had passed away, his family built the replica in his honor. According to George Nixon, Norman’s nephew and president of the company, original blueprints were obtained from the National Archives so that an accurate replica could be made. The lighthouse, which was constructed on the company’s property, is believed to be located in the general proximity of where the original tower stood. The picture is of the Lazaretto Point Lighthouse (Replica).
