MNCA Hot Topics: November 2020

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Sallie

Begin forwarded message:

From: Mount Vernon Regional Historical Society <tmannarino@earthlink.net>
Subject: MVRHS Presents: "Fort Hunt: Farm, Coastal Defense Fort and Park" - Sat Nov 7th
Date: November 1, 2020 at 1:31:08 PM EST
To: Sallie Lyons <lyonshare@cox.net>
Reply-To: Mount Vernon Regional Historical Society <tmannarino@earthlink.net>

Mount Vernon Regional Historical Society Newsletter
Mount Vernon Regional History Fans!
It was wonderful to see many of you masked history buffs at our Fort Willard outing. Thank you for making our first in-person event since February a success. You may have noticed that our tour garnered some press coveragefrom Glenda Booth and the Mount Vernon Gazette! We really appreciate the efforts of our presenter, Glenn Fatzinger, who gave his talk in 4 installments in order to keep our gathering small. We heard from many attendees you all would appreciate more opportunities to get together during this unusual time. Keep reading....we have 2 upcoming events that might interest you!
Our next adventure takes us to...... Fort Hunt Park. We'll be meeting there on November 7th from 2 - 4pm for a socially distanced tour. You may know it as a scenic recreation area, but Fort Hunt has a long and fascinating history. Habitation of the land began more than 8,000 years ago as Native American hunter-gatherers lived along the Potomac River. As colonial settlers moved into the area in the 17th and 18th Century, the land was used by tenant farmers. George Washington purchased the land in 1760 and named it River Farm.
In 1890, there was a recognized need for a Coastal Artillery Battery at what was then called Sheridan Point. On April 13, 1899, President William McKinley named the post under construction "Fort Hunt" for Major General Henry Jackson Hunt, a field artillerist with distinguished service in the Mexican-American and Civil Wars. Over the years, Fort Hunt served as a site for Bonus Marchers, a CCC camp, and a World War II Military Intelligence operation known as "PO Box 1142."
Owen Hammett, a retired Army Officer and a National Park Service volunteer, will provide a brief overview of the park and its history as part of an outdoor tour. Again, these will be offered in 4 half hour installments. We ask that attendees make timed reservations to ensure social distancing. Please sign up using this link.

The second upcoming event has been organized by the Fairfax County History Commission. Their Annual Conference this year is being offered in a virtual format with multiple sessions from 10am-4:15pm on November 14th. This year's theme is "Votes for Women!" "The Rest of OUR Story" - The Passage of the 19th Amendment. There are 11 different speakers on a variety of topics including "The Turning Point Memorial- Suffragists Stories," "The African American Suffragist" and a reenactment of Suffragist Mrs. Robert Walker. The conference will be livestreamed on-line and on Fairfax Cable Channel 16. See the History Commission website for a full schedule, and links to more information. We hope you'll attend!
We are looking forward to seeing you at Fort Hunt Park on November 7th. Sign up now to reserve your spot. If you are uncomfortable or simply unable to attend at this time, we encourage you to visit the park on your own. Also, we hope you'll join us virtually at the History Commission Conference on November 14th.

Wishing you all the best!

Mount Vernon Regional Historical Society

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