Fort Totten is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

located in Ward 5 of

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Fort Totten is located between Riggs Road N.E. to the north, Bates Rd N.E., Allison Street N.E., and the southern end of Fort Totten Park to the south, the

Washington Metro The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...

Red Line tracks to the east, and North Capitol Street NW to the west. The

's Green Line tracks also go through the Fort Totten neighborhood through a tunnel that goes through Fort Totten Park when traveling between the Fort Totten and Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro Stations. Fort Totten borders the adjacent neighborhood of Riggs Park in Ward 4 of Northeast Washington D.C., Queens Chapel and Michigan Park in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington D.C., Brightwood Park and

Petworth Petworth is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Chichester (district), Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 road, A272 east–west road from Heathfield, East Sussex, Heat ...

in Ward 4 of Northwest Washington D.C. Fort Totten is close to the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

, Providence Hospital, Armed Forces Retirement Home,

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

, President Lincoln's Cottage, and Soldiers' Home Cemetery. The Fort Totten neighborhood of Washington, D.C. is named after a

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

-era

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

built by

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Joseph Gilbert Totten, the Chief Engineer of the

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. Residents of Fort Totten not only have access to Fort Totten Park, but also to the Washington Metropolitan Branch Trail which runs all the way from the Silver Spring Metro Station to

Washington Union Station Washington Union Station, known locally as Union Station, is a major train station, transportation hub, and leisure destination in Washington, D.C. Designed by Daniel Burnham and opened in 1907, it is Amtrak's second-busiest station and North ...

in the

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill is a neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in both the Northeast, Washington, D.C., Northeast and Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast quadrants. It is bounded by 14th Street SE & NE, F S ...

neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Residents who live in the Fort Totten neighborhood have access to the Fort Totten Metro Station, which has primarily been served by the Red Line since the station first opened on February 6, 1978, as well as the Green Line which has been serving the station since December 11, 1993, and the Yellow Line, which has been serving the station since May, 2006. In addition to these Metrorail Lines, residents of Fort Totten are also served by many Metrobus routes as well. Fort Totten DC

Civil War Fort

The neighborhood takes its name from the Civil War fort located at the top of the hill. It was built in 1861 and completed in 1863 to provide protection to the capital during the civil war. The fort is named for Joseph Gilbert Totten, a general in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

.Hannings, p. 634 The earthworks of the main fort are still clearly visible today, including the surrounding ditch, ramparts, and the walls of the two magazines within the fort. The smaller Totten Battery, which lies 1000 feet to the north, and the connecting rifle trenches can be easily seen as well. The modern-day park is home to a number of picnic benches as well as a Civil War centennial plaque marking the main entrance to the remains of the fort.

Citations

Bibliography

* {{Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. Neighborhoods in Northeast (Washington, D.C.) Totten Totten Totten 1861 establishments in Washington, D.C.