Picturesque Fort Washington sits on high ground overlooking the Potomac River and offers a grand view of Washington and the Virginia shoreline. Today, only one silent gun stands behind the masonry wall-the last armament of the powerful fort that once guarded the water approach from the Chesapeake Bay to our Nation's Capital. When ocean-going warships had wood sides and carried smoothbore cannons, no enemy would attempt to ascend the river before destroying the fort.
Changing technology eventually made the fort useless, but the army adapted the site to other uses, leaving a rich history of service to our country and the Nation's Capital.
Today, the 341 acre park, a unit of the National Park System, preserves the original fort and a lighthouse and offers an assortment of recreational opportunities - picnicing, hiking, biking, a playground, and chances to view wildlife along the Potomac.
