Amended 12/16/23, Ordinance 5514
Please refer to Notes 1, 2, and 3 on title page
Ward during the Civil War, the dwelling survived intothe 20th century. "Huckross" was the home of Colonel Arthur Herbert, an officer in the Confederate Army. "Cameron" was the estate of General Samuel Cooper, who was the Adjutant General of the United States Army before he joined the Confederacy. The "Vauxcleuse" estate was owned by Francis Peyton and was located near the current Alexandria Hospital. The house was destroyed in 1861, rebuilt in 1901 and then demolished in 1972, to provide parking space for Alexandria Hospital.
Transportation arteries are an important feature of this area. Duke Street was a country road leading west from Alexandria in the 18th century. By 1806, the road was improved and became the Little River Turnpike, running from Hooff's Run to the Little River in Aldie, Virginia. It served as a toll road from 1806 to1896, and was 50 feet wide with crushed stone down the center (see Landmark/Van Dorn Small Area Plan). The Alexandria Leesburg Turnpike (King Street) was begun in 1818 and forms the northeast border of this area. Quaker Lane connected these two roads, and the area northwest of the intersection of Duke and Quaker was referred to as Quaker Hill. Two other early roads, seminary Road and Braddock Road, connected the town of Alexandria with the land to the west. In the 1850s, the laying of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad tracks parallel to Cameron Run further connected Alexandria to the west. Two train stations at the foot of South Quaker Lane and South Street serviced the area in the 19th century.
The Civil War had a major impact on the entire town of Alexandria and particularly on this area. From 1861 to 1865, the Cameron Run Valley was scattered with semi-permanent troop encampments that essentially destroyed local agricultural production and decimated the woodlands. In addition to Alexandria's role as a supply depot, staging area, and rest and recovery area, a strong ring of defensive works surrounded the town as part of the defenses of the Capitol. The sites of three major forts and ten batteries are included in this planning area, along with miles ofentrenchments.
Fort Williams was situated west of Quaker Lane and north of Duke Street. It was built in 1863, on the site of the Cameron estate. The fort had 13 gun emplacements and included two barracks, two mess halls, officer's quarters and a powder magazine. A post hospital was established in a large house nearby. Two batteries of 15 guns were positioned just to the south of the fort. Two additional batteries were situated between the fort and the Virginia Theological Seminary. Fort Worth, built in 1861, was located within the bounds of present-day Fort Worth Avenue. The remains of this fort existed until 1970, when it was destroyed by development. It had 25 gun emplacements, barracks, officer's quarters, mess houses and two powder magazines. Two batteries of four guns were located to the west of this fort. Fort Worth was built on the site of "Huckross." The owner, Colonel Herbert, C.S.A., rebuilt his house after the war on the masonry walls of the south powder magazine. Fort Worth was connected to Fort Ward, to the north on Braddock Road, by a line of entrenchments and three batteries armed with 24 guns.
Construction On Fort Ward began in 1861, and improvements were made over the next four years. It had 24 gun emplacements and included large bombproofs and magazines. Nearby, there were three barracks, officer's quarters, mess houses and stables. A battery of six guns was located to the northwest of this fort, and a line of entrenchments extended northeast from Fort