Fort Lincoln (Washington, D.C.)



Fort Lincoln is a neighborhood located in northeastern Washington, D.C. It is bounded by Bladensburg Road to the northwest, Eastern Avenue to the northeast, New York Avenue NE to the south, and South Dakota Avenue NE to the southwest. The town of Colmar Manor, Maryland, is across Eastern Avenue from the Fort Lincoln neighborhood, as is the Fort Lincoln Cemetery.

The name Fort Lincoln was originally used for a Civil War Fort in adjacent Prince George's County, Maryland, across the D.C. line from the Washington neighborhood bearing its name.

Civil war site and cemetery
The Fort Lincoln area includes a Civil War-era fort (Fort Lincoln) that was constructed for the defense of Washington. The fort was built in the summer of 1861 along the District line in adjacent Prince George's County, Maryland, directly along the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad between Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington.

The fort, built to serve as an outer defense of the City of Washington, was named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln by general order #10 AOO in September 1861. The Brigade of General Joseph Hooker was first to occupy this area. In immediate command of the fort was Captain T.S. Paddock. The artillery guns were placed by the Department of Defense to commemorate this occasion.

The fort is now part of Fort Lincoln Cemetery, and open for public visitation. The original earthworks are a portion of the original fortifications which make up Battery Jameson of Fort Lincoln. The fort still has the Colors standing proud, with three tarnished artillery guns protecting it. The battery looks out over the scenic grounds of the cemetery and beyond. All original buildings are all gone except the old Spring House. Many of the larger trees within the cemetery may have been there during the Civil War.

Neighborhood
This northeast Washington neighborhood is home to the Fort Lincoln new town development constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. This neighborhood is currently the home of Cathy Lanier, Chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police. In 2011 another 42 acres of the wetland forest park was sold to make a shopping center.