The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Fort Lincoln project needed to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. To assist HUD and their project partners, we conducted extensive cultural resource investigations on the 42-acre Fort Lincoln property in northeast Washington, D.C.—a multifaceted site containing the remains of historic farming, a Civil War-era fortification, a postbellum boys school, and 1960s urban renewal efforts.
Our team prepared the project initiation letter and identification of a project area of potential effects (APE) to begin coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Work also involved the acquisition of an Archeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) permit. Technical studies were conducted to identify and evaluate National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)-eligible archaeological sites and built resources within the APE. One archaeological site was identified and determined eligible for the NRHP representing a portion of what was once the National Training School for Boys (1871–1950s). Execution of a Memorandum of Agreement and subsequent mitigation concluded Section 106 compliance. Cultural resource study information was incorporated into the National Environmental Policy Act Environmental Impact Statement.
This project required intensive public outreach, including oral histories, artifact displays, public talks in the Fort Lincoln neighborhood, production of a booklet, and development of interpretive kiosks.
