Black Pride

Since the mid-2000s, Fort Dupont has been a home for DC Black Pride’s, the longest continually running Black Pride in the United States and world. The first DC Black Pride took place across from Howard University at Banneker Field in 1991 on the Memorial Day Sunday, and was attended by over 800 people attended, raising more than $3,000.

Fort Dupont

Fort Dupont was commenced between Ocotober and December of 1861 and "completed" in the spring on 1862. It was named for Flag Officer Samuel F. Dupont, who commanded the naval victory at Port Royal, South Carolina, in November 1861.

• (513 words)<br />Fort Dupont is located along the north side of Alabama avenue, SE in Southeast Washington, D.C. The park is bordered by Massachusetts avenue to the west and Burns street to the east. <br />From the intersection of Alabama avenue and Massachusetts avenue, travel about eight hundred thirty feet. Turn left into the park entrance. A brown sign will be on the right with white letters that read:<br />Fort Circle Park<br />Picnic Area<br />Park Closed at Dark<br />Proceed to the left along an asphalt-paved path that loops around in a circle in the park, passing through a parking lot. At the north end of the parking lot, the path continues. Proceed about one hundred fifty yards along the path. On your right about ten feet off the path in a grassy knoll at the edge of the forest line is a four by three-foot yellow wayside. Titled across the top in brown letters it reads:<br />Fort DuPont<br />Earthworks of Fort Dupont are visible, follow path to the entrance of fort.<br />Below across a blue border is written in white letters:<br />Civil War Defenses of Washington<br />1861-1865<br />Below to the left is a diagram titled "Fort Dupont." It features a rectangular building surrounded by three hexagonal walls. Text below reads:<br />Fort DuPont from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers drawing.<br />Fort DuPont was named after Rear Admiral Samuel Francis DuPont, a Union naval hero of the early years of the Civil War.<br />To the right is a map of Washington and the edge of Virginia at the bottom. The map indicates Civil War fort locations along this section of Washington. They are, from left to right Fort Marcy, Battery Kemble, Fort Bayard, Fort Reno, Fort De Russy, Fort Stevenson, Fort Slocum, Fort Totten, Fort Bunker Hill, Fort Mahan, Fort Chaplin, Fort Dupont, Fort Davis, Fort Stanton, Battery Rickets, Fort Carrol, and Fort Greble.<br />Text below reads: "Other Civil War fort locations administered by the National Park Service.<br />The bottom third of the sign shows a black and white photograph of Civil War soldiers standing in a fort around an eight-foot long cannon on a rotating platform, aimed to the left. The fort sits atop a tall hill with a vast view in the background of open spaces and rolling hills.<br />The caption below reads: <br />During the Civil War, Washington's forts overlooked the land.<br />About forty feet to the left of the wayside, also set along the tree line, is a four-foot-tall, four-foot-wide, and two-foot-tall rock with a bronze plaque set on its face. The plaque is about one by two feet, and engraved to read:<br />The Civil War Defenses of Washington<br />Fort DuPont<br />This small work was one of the defenses begun in Fall of 1861 on the ridge east of the Anacostia River. It was named after Admiral Samuel F. DuPont, a commander of the South Atlantic Blockage Squadron. Eight guns and one mortar comprised its armament.<br />United States Department of the Interior<br />National Park Service, National Capital Parks<br />Presented by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America<br />In the District of Columbia<br />1955<br />END OF DESCRIPTION<br />

Fort Dupont Community Gardens

One of the largest community gardens in Washington, DC, the Fort Dupont Community Gardens increases the accessibility and exposure of fruits and vegetables as well as providing education on nutrition and sustainable agriculture for urban residents. The Community Gardens of Fort DuPont provide education through shared knowledge and agricultural practices by empowering the community to grow its own healthy food.

• A large community garden filled with different plants and vegetables.

Fort Dupont Historic Earthwork picnic area

Picnic amid history at the site of Fort Dupont's historic earthworks.<br /><br />Picnickers may <a href="https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/250017">reserve sites through Recreation.gov</a> .

• Two picnic tables in front of a small brick building.

Fort Dupont Randle Circle picnic area

The picnic grove at Fort Dupont offers a number of recreational opportunities. In addition to picnicking, visitors can hike the nearby trails that link the various Civil War-era forts that protected the capital.<br /><br />Picnickers may reserve sites through <a href="https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/250017">Recreation.gov</a> .

• Seven picnic tables sit in a wooded area in front of a playground.

Fort Dupont Ridge picnic area

• A picnic table surrounded by trees

Fort Dupont Summer Theater

Since the late 1960s, the Fort Dupont theater has been a popular venue for outdoor concerts in the summer.

• A large stage with musicians playing various instruments playing in front of a large crowd of people.

Fort Foote Park

Fort Foote was constructed in 1863 atop Rozier's Bluff to strengthen the ring of fortifications that encircled Washington, DC. Two of the Guns that protected Washington are still there along with the remains of the fort's earthworks.

Information Panel: Animal Homes

The forest provides a home for many types of animals. While walking on the trail look closely for these homes nests made of materials such as grasses, twigs or leaves, holes in the ground, in trees, or fallen logs.

• A small information panel sits low to the ground surrounded by green leaves and branches. A tree trunk sits to the back right of the panel.

Information Panel: Basement Dwellers

This log is a home and feeding ground for many insects and small animals such as termites, bark beetles, and carpenter ants.

• A small information panel sits low to the ground, seemingly encompassed by many green leaves, as if the panel is coming out of the leaves. Thick tree roots are seen in the background to the right.

Information Panel: Giants of the Forest

Trees dominate the forest. By controlling the amount of sunlight that reaches the forest floor, they influence all woodland plants and animals.

• A small information panel sits low to the ground surrounded by leaves and green plants.

Information Panel: Preserving A Community

Each plant and creature occupies a special place within it the forest community and plays a vital role in keeping it in balance.

• A sign is positioned low to the ground. It's surrounded by plants, leaves, and branches on the ground.

InformationPanel: Two Types of Trees

There are two basic kinds of trees: evergreens, like spruces or pines, and deciduous, like oaks or maples.

• A small information panel sits low to the ground surrounded by green leaves and dirt.

• Picnic at Fort Dupont
• Enjoy a relaxing picnic at Fort Dupont Park. There are three picnic shelters that can be reserved through recreation.gov. Individual picnic tables and benches are also available without reservations. Come relax and get away from the stresses of everyday life. You may also bring a blanket and sit out in an open field and enjoy the sunshine.   Trash and recycling cans are available for your refuse. Alcohol is not allowed in the park. Dogs are permitted on a leash.  

• Mountain Bike Fort Dupont!
• Mountain bike in metropolitan D.C.! Approximately 10 miles of easy to moderate biking trails meander through the Anacostia area of Washington D.C. The trails traverse through the Civil War defensive sites used to protect the city in the early 1860s. Some of the hills are challenging and bikes with wide tires are recommended. A bicycle helmet and water for hydration are strongly recommend.

• Birding at Fort Dupont
• Enjoy peaceful birding right in the heart of the Anacostia area of Washington D.C. 157 species of birds have been sighted at Fort Dupont in the last year. Come engage your senses as you look and listen for birds while walking in a dense forest.