History and American Studies

On October 2, Krystyn Moon, Professor of History and American Studies Program Director, was awarded the 2019 Brennan Archaeology Award as a member of the Fort Ward Interpretive Committee (together with Frank Cooling, Mary Furlong Minkoff, Carol Johnson, Frances Terrell, Adrienne Washington, and Charles Ziegler.)

The Alexandria Archaeological Commission announced the award, which was presented by Mayor Wilson and Councilmember Redella “Del” Pepper. Dr. Moon has volunteered for the past few years doing history research as part of the Fort Ward Interpretive Committee to provide an integrated narrative of the Fort Ward City Park, which was the site of a Union fort and an African American neighborhood from the 1860s through the 1960s. Dr. Moon has shared her work as both a professional historian and a city resident.

The Fort Ward Interpretive Committee was celebrated at the event”for their stalwart devotion to the ongoing interpretation of history at Fort Ward Park; for their leadership in guiding and directing the implementation of a new interpretive experience for visitors to the park, as a Civil War fort and then the center of an African American community; for their pursuit of and vision for a new and updated park history based on the theme, Bastions of Freedom, which charts the arc of history at the park from Civil War to Civil Rights; and for immeasurably enhancing the interpretation of the park with their knowledge, foresight, and dedication to one of Alexandria’s most treasured historical sites.”

For more, see Professor Moon’s own report on the history of Fort Ward City Park, entitled “Finding the Fort: A History of an African American Neighborhood in Northern Virginia, 1860s-1960s.”