At the start of the Civil War, only one, outdated fort stood guard over the nation's capital. Twelve miles south of the city, Fort Washington was the city's sole fortification until the First Battle of Manassas shocked the Union forces into taking the Confederate Army seriously.

Fort Washington was built on the foundation of Fort Warburton, which burned in the War of 1812. Pierre Charles L'Enfant, D.C.'s designer, built a new brick fort that served as the city's only coastal defense during the Civil War.  In 1872, engineers retrofitted the fort to withstand the new armored warships; rapid-fire guns were added during the Spanish-American War.  Used as a garrison in both world wars, the fort was turned into a park in 1946. Although it has never fired a shot in war, Fort Washington is a standing testament to the changing demands of strategy and   technology.

We followed the instructions from the Cheslights Website and found the entrance to Old Fort Washington without any problem.  There was no guard at the gate though, and with the exception of a crazy guy playing his guitar in the parking lot, there were no other cars besides us.  It was only after we hiked the half-mile or so down to the river that we realized there was another parking lot closer.  But some earth moving equipment that was being used to fix the road blocked its entrance.  The old fort was awesome, as large as Fort Pulaski right here near Tybee, but it was completely locked up.  There were quite a few other buildings located on the grounds, like this one, which could have been a keeper's house. What was so amazing about the place was the complete absence of PEOPLE.  There was not a soul around.  There wasn't even any evidence of anyone being around, except that the place was perfectly maintained and pristinely clean.

The light station itself was established in 1857 and at first was nothing more than a light on an 18-foot pole.  It was hoisted to the top at each night.  By 1869 there were so many complaints about the light that the Lighthouse Board ordered a new tower constructed in February of 1870.   In 1882 the present bell tower was erected.  In 1883 permission was granted to build a keeper's house closer to the lighthouse at the base of the fort.  The house was finally completed in 1885.  By 1900, the Army had built so much stuff along the shore that the view of the light from the water was blocked.  That year, the lighthouse board asked for $1600 to build a new structure.  No money was ever appropriated.  In 1901 the tower was modified to support the additional weight of the lens, and the light was moved to the top, just as it is today.   The light is 28 feet above the water, and looks more like a lighted buoy than a lighthouse.   By the way, there is nothing else on the shoreline today.  It must have all been torn down.

     Old Fort Washington
     13551 Fort Washington Rd
     Fort Washington, MD 20744
     (301) 763-4600