By Erica Rigoroso
A weak breeze sweeps over the Potomac River, creating gentle ripples across its surface. The sun rises higher in the sky, radiating a pleasant warmth in the cool morning air. A murder of crows squawks noisily above, spreading their wings and clumsily bundling together. On the shore, chunks of concrete act as wave breakers against the lapping tide, reaching to wisps of dry grass and brittle, dead branches. The stone is weathered and worn, rounded in every corner, covered in sea-green lichens and moss crawling on its surface.
In the distance, large, luxurious homes with oversized rectangular windows glimmer in the morning sun. The private docks and boat launches reach out toward the open water, standing still as the breeze picks up. Opposite these impressive homes, a stone and brick fort atop an eternally spring-green hill guards the Potomac.
At Fort Washington Park, several volunteers walk along the rocky shore hauling yellow plastic trash bags, highly visible against the blend of brown, gray, and green of rocks and earth. A National Park Ranger stands alone to the side, overseeing the event.
An event organizer wearing colorful rain boots and dark sunglasses welcomes an older Hispanic man and his teenage son to the clean-up, explaining which forms need to be signed and thanking them for their time.
“Are these gloves for everyone?” a volunteer inquires.
Park visitors and volunteers alike spread along a small stretch of sand, examining the smooth stones on the ground, spotting decaying fish, or picking up sea glass. An older man with a heavy dark brown work coat quietly makes his way toward a line of bags in the grass. He drops his bags off in the pile, then plops on the ground to rest. A woman with a denim baseball cap, donning green rubber kitchen gloves, asks a few younger volunteers, “have you seen any big bundles of fishing line stuck in the rocks?”
This park, where elderly folks walk in the mornings, children ride their bikes, and teens practice their driving skills, was once an important component in the military defense of Washington, D.C. During the Mexican War and Civil War, Fort Warburton defended the river approach to the nation’s capital.
The fort is over 200 years old, originally built with brick and stone, then reinforced with steel in the 1840s. From the War of 1812 to World War II, the fort’s space was used in defense training.
Shortly after WWII ended, the park shifted from military to civilian uses. In 1946, Fort Washington Park was taken over by the National Park Service. Now, the historical area welcomes visitors to bike along its various trails, picnic, fish, or just relax on its boundless stretches of soft, green grass.
Erica Rigoroso 