Fort Ward Park

Built to protect Washington, D.C. during the Civil War, Fort Ward stands as the best-preserved site in the capital's Union defense network. Roughly 90% of the original earthwork walls remain, anchored by a restored Northwest Bastion that illustrates period military engineering. On-site museum exhibits delve into Alexandria’s reality as an occupied military crossroads and recount the daily routines of soldiers and civilians, supplemented by living history activities, lectures, and interpretive tours across the park grounds.