In partnership with the National Park Service, APCWDW will be hosting a "history hike" at Fort Marcy in Arlington, Virginia on Saturday, February 26th from 10am to 12 noon.  Located off the west-bound lane of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, Fort Marcy was one of over 22 Civil War forts built in Arlington to defend Washington. The fort was initially built to protect Chain Bridge and Leesburg Pike. 

The earth and log fort was completed in the fall of 1862.  Today, much of the original fort is still standing and visitors can also see rifle trenches that supported the defenses.  The two hour history hike will be led by Civil War reenactors providing an overview of the Defenses of Washington, the soldiers that built the fort, and military activity in the northern Virginia area.  In addition, in honor of Black History Month, reenactors will discuss the role of USCT troops after the war, and the decommissioning of the Defenses of Washington.

Hikers will gather at the Fort Marcy parking lot at 9:45am, and after some brief welcoming remarks from NPS rangers, the tour of the installation will start at 10am.  The degree of difficulty of the hike is moderate, due to some steep climbs and underbrush.  The hike and historical interpretation is only expected to take two hours.  Please note that there are no public bathrooms at the site.