Fortifications

The overgrown parapets of Fort Stanton on Erie St. SE occupy one of the finest panoramic views of Washington City. Named for Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, construction on the fort began immediately after the First Battle of Bull Run.

Problems beset the fort from the beginning. Chief Engineer John G. Barnard reported "the sites of Fort Stanton and others were entirely wooded, which, in conjunction with the broken character of the ground, has made the selection of sites frequently very embarrassing and the labor of preparing them very great." In 1864, Brigadier General Albion P. Howe, Inspector-General of Artillery, reported that Fort Stanton was well-equipped, but its garrison was poorly trained.

After the war, the fort was abandoned and quickly became overgrown. In 1873, journalist George Alfred Townsend wrote "I climbed the high hills one day on the other side, and pushing up by-paths through bramble and laurel, gained the ramparts of old Fort Stanton. How old already seem those fortresses…” In 1926, the National Capital Parks Commission bought most of the site of Fort Stanton for $56,000 for use as a public park. In 1920, however, 11 acres of the land, owned by local Dr. J.C. Norwood, were bought by African American Catholics to build Our Lady of Perpetual Help church which still stands today.