National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

George Washington Memorial Parkway

Virginia/Maryland

George Washington Memorial Parkway

Long-Range Interpretive Plan
George Washington Memorial

Parkway

Long-Range Interpretive Plan

Prepared by the Department of Interpretive Planning

Harpers Ferry Center

and 

George Washington Memorial Parkway

November 2005

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior
Contents

Part 1: Introduction 1

Background 3

Planning Context 4

Parkway Meanings 5

Part 2: Parkway-Wide Plan 11

Mission 13

Purpose 13

Significance 13

Primary Interpretive Themes 13

Visitor Experience Goals 14

Existing Conditions 15

Visitation and Visitor Use 17

Recommendations 17

Part 3: Individual Site Plans 31

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial 33

Purpose 35

Significance 35

Interpretive Themes 35

Visitor Experience Goals 36

Existing Conditions 36

Visitation and Visitor Use 39

Recommendations 40

Arlington Ridge Park: The Netherlands Carillon 47

Purpose 49

Significance 49

Interpretive Themes 49

Visitor Experience Goals 49

Existing Conditions 50

Visitation and Visitor Use 50

Recommendations 52

Arlington Ridge Park: United States Marine Corps War Memorial 53

Purpose 55

Significance 55

Interpretive Themes 55

Visitor Experience Goals 55

Existing Conditions 56

Visitation and Visitor Use 56

Recommendations 57

Clara Barton National Historic Site 59

Mission 61

Purpose 61

Significance 61

Interpretive Themes 61

Visitor Experience Goals 62

Existing Conditions 62
Visitation and Visitor Use 64

Recommendations 64

Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve 69

Purpose 71

Significance 71

Interpretive Themes 71

Visitor Experience Goals 72

Existing Conditions 72

Visitation and Visitor Use 73

Recommendations 74

Fort Hunt Park 75

Purpose 77

Significance 77

Interpretive Themes 77

Visitor Experience Goals 78

Existing Conditions 78

Visitation and Visitor Use 78

Recommendations 79

Fort Marcy 81

Purpose 83

Significance 83

Interpretive Themes 83

Visitor Experience Goals 83

Existing Conditions 84

Visitation and Visitor Use 84

Recommendations 84

Glen Echo Park 87

Mission 89

Purpose 89

Significance 89

Interpretive Themes 90

Visitor Experience Goals 90

Existing Conditions 91

Visitation and Visitor Use 93

Recommendations 95

Great Falls Park 99

Mission 101

Purpose 101

Significance 101

Interpretive Themes 102

Visitor Experience Goals 104

Existing Conditions 104

Visitation and Visitor Use 106

Recommendations 108

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove 113

Purpose 115

Significance 115

Interpretive Themes 115
Visitor Experience Goals 115

Existing Conditions 116

Visitation and Visitor Use 116

Recommendations 117

Theodore Roosevelt Island 119

Purpose 121

Significance 121

Interpretive Themes 121

Visitor Experience Goals 122

Existing Conditions 122

Visitation and Visitor Use 123

Recommendations 124

Turkey Run Park 127

Purpose 129

Significance 129

Interpretive Themes 129

Visitor Experience Goals 129

Existing Conditions 130

Visitation and Visitor Use 130

Recommendations 131

Recommendations for Future Interpretive Plans 132

Jones Point Park 132

Memorial Avenue 132

Part 4: Summary Data 133

Summary of Products and Actions 135

Staffing 140

Implementation Plan 147

Planning Team and Consultants 149

Part 5: Appendicies 151

Appendix A: Maps 153

Appendix B: Legislative Summary 169

Appendix C: Programmatic Accessibility Guidelines for Interpretive Media 173
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND

Few figures in United States history

are more revered than George

Washington-Revolutionary commander-in-chief, founding father,

and first President. Henry Lee's

1799 eulogy to Washington still rings

true: "First in war, first in peace,

and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Two centuries later,

Washington lives on through innumerable places of tribute and

through countless national and

popular icons. The sites in and

around his namesake city can claim

special significance, though, for this

is where he lived, worked, worshiped, and planned for the future

of the nation. 

Even during Washington's lifetime,

his home at Mount Vernon attracted sightseers, increasing in popularity with each generation. In 1932, the

bicentennial of Washington's birth,

the Mount Vernon Memorial

Highway opened from Arlington

Memorial Bridge to the estate. This

16-mile road not only improved

automobile access through Virginia,

but ushered in a new era of road

building. Constructed by the

Department of Agriculture's Bureau

of Public Roads, it was proclaimed

"America's Most Modern

Motorway."

While the highway was under construction, Congress renamed it

George Washington Memorial

Parkway and greatly expanded its

length and mission. Under the

Capper-Cramton Act of 1930, the

Federal Government acquired land

along the Potomac River from Great

Falls, Virginia, to Mount Vernon to

protect the shoreline and palisades,

preserve historic features, and

provide public recreation areas. In

1939 and in the 1960s, the parkway

was again extended northward.

Traversing more difficult terrain

than the southern leg, this section

displays the latest road engineering

methods for its time-a wide, gently

curving road with a grassy median,

low stone guardrails, and soaring

steel-and-concrete arched bridges.

By 1970, an additional 6.8 miles of

road in Maryland was completed;

that section was later named in

honor of Clara Barton in 1989. 

Today, George Washington

Memorial Parkway is a 7,600-acre

national park protecting the landscape, historic sites, and native

habitat of the Potomac shoreline.

Within the park, people can visit

more than 25 sites associated with

George Washington's life, and the

nation he helped establish.

A legislative summary for the establishment of the parkway and its

major units can be found in

Appendix B. 

In 2005, the U.S. Department of

Transportation (DOT) designated

George Washington Memorial

Parkway as an All-American Road

in the National Scenic Byways

Program (NSBP). This program recognizes selected roadways throughout the U.S., based on their archeological, cultural, historic, natural,

recreational, and scenic intrinsic

qualities and seeks to protect them.

To receive an All-American Road

designation, a road must possess

multiple intrinsic qualities that are

nationally significant, and contain

one-of-a-kind features that do not

exist elsewhere. 

The designation recognizes George

Washington Memorial Parkway as

one of 27 roadways in the Nation

that offer visitors a gateway to an

experience like no other. It demonstrates that the parkway continues

to inspire and excite both local and

national communities and is worthy

of the mission of the NSBP to preserve, protect, interpret, and

promote the park’s intrinsic qualities. The NSBP mission dovetails

3

“More than a road;

more than a collection of

sites and monuments”
nicely with the mission created by

the enabling legislation for George

Washington Memorial Parkway.

The number and variety of sites

included within George Washington

Memorial Parkway are shown on

the parkway map in Appendix A. In

addition to addressing interpretation of the parkway in general, the

following sites are specifically

addressed in this long-range interpretive plan:

• Arlington House, The Robert E.

Lee Memorial

• Arlington Ridge Park (Including

the U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial and Netherlands

Carillon)

• Clara Barton National Historic

Site

• Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve

• Fort Hunt Park

• Fort Marcy

• Glen Echo Park

• Great Falls Park

• Theodore Roosevelt Island

• Turkey Run Park

• Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial

Grove

In addition, many parkway sites are

physically and thematically linked to

other NPS affiliated areas and programs throughout the Washington,

D.C. Metropolitan Area. 

PLANNING CONTEXT

George Washington Memorial

Parkway does not have a General

Management Plan (GMP) or a

Long-Range Interpretive Plan

(LRIP); however, an Interpretive

Prospectus for Great Falls Park was

completed in 1988, and for

Arlington House in 1972. A GMP is

underway for the Great Falls Park

unit, and a preferred management

alternative has been developed.

Other relevant management documents include: Statement for

Management (1992), Education Plan

(1995), Glen Echo Management 

Plan (2001), and a Strategic Plan

(updated annually). 

The first workshop for this LRIP

was held in February 2002 and was

facilitated by Interpretive Planner

Tom Tankersley of Harpers Ferry

Center. Following Tom's untimely

death, the project languished for

almost two years; however, much of

the foundation material developed

by the planning team under Tom's

leadership is reflected in this document.

A major objective of this plan is to

provide continuity for the implementation and future development

of the parkway's interpretive programming. While each park unit

will retain its unique and independent qualities, the LRIP will identify

ways for specific visitor experiences

to be presented in unified and compelling ways throughout the entire

parkway. 

Another objective of this plan is to

foster better staff and public realization that George Washington

Memorial Parkway connects

numerous sites that represent

important elements of the collective

memories and sentiments of the

American people. Throughout the

parkway, people can learn about the

values of caring for and giving to

others, country, duty, equality,

freedom, honor, justice, service,

resource preservation, and more.

These and other values are embodied in the landscapes, monuments,

roads, viewsheds, historic structures, and natural areas protected

and interpreted at parkway sites.

The structure of the document

presents parkway-wide recommendations, followed by site-specific

proposals. The individual site recommendations recognize the operational and resource sovereignty of

each unit, but place these within the

overreaching objective of demon4

Interpretive planning

falls within a spectrum

from general management planning through

facility and media design.

A plan should emphasize

whicever parts of that

spectrum it needs to.
strating how each unit contributes

to the parkway as a whole.

The LRIP will provide long-term

direction and focus for the interpretive program for George

Washington Memorial Parkway.

Together with the park-produced

annual implementation plan and the

interpretive database, it will form a

comprehensive interpretive plan as

specified by National Park Service

Director's Order-6. The LRIP will

describe the park's primary interpretive themes and visitor experiences, and recommend ways to

facilitate those experiences through

facility design, interpretive/informational media, personal services programs, and partnership endeavors.

This plan is not an end in itself, but

rather establishes the overall framework for the next phases of the

process: program planning, and

media planning, design, and production over the next 10+ years. 

This plan is written primarily for

park and regional office staff, park

partners, and those who will be

contracted to implement specific

recommendations. Some will need

to read the entire document, while

others will want to focus only on

certain areas. For this reason some

text elements are repeated throughout the plan. Also, since some users

of this document will not know the

parkway's administrative structure,

the individual sites in Part 3 are presented in alphabetical order.

PARKWAY MEANINGS

The George Washington Memorial

Parkway is many things to many

people. A number of people with

close ties to the parkway were

asked, "What is George Washington

Memorial Parkway to you?" The

responses illustrate the complexity,

diversity, and challenges for interpreting the parkway as a whole and

its individual sites.

“Developed as a memorial to George

Washington, the parkway connects

historical, natural and recreational

sites from Mount Vernon, through the

nation's capital, to Great Falls. Its

scenic route offers respite from the

urban pressures of metropolitan

Washington, D.C. and also protects

the Potomac River shoreline and

watershed. This group of sites provides a variety of experiences for

local, regional and national visitors.

As part of the park and playground

system of the nation's capital, the

GWMP, and the sites along it, rival

that of any national park in the

National Park System. It is a great

place to be introduced to the values

that make a park worthy of national

park status. Many of the local and

regional visitors may never visit a

national park outside of the metropolitan area, but their commitment to

park values begins here. It is an

honor to be keeper and teacher of this

great resource.”

Audrey Calhoun, GWMP

Superintendent

"The George Washington Memorial

Parkway is a microcosm of the entire

National Park System. The scenic

roadways, historic residences,

natural wonders, memorials and the

remaining historical traces of our

nation's past, all serve millions of visitors each year. The park abounds

with special places and compelling

stories. A visit to this Parkway may

just be the best drive you have made

in a long time."

Joseph Lawler, Regional Director,

National Capital Region

"Parkway People Have Great Drive"

Corky Mayo, NPS Program

Manager, Interpretation and

Education

"The George Washington Memorial

Parkway contains the best of both

natural and cultural history within

its boundaries. While some think of

the parkway as just a road beside a

river, it affords hundreds of thousands of commuters a day the wonderment of viewing the park in all its

5
seasonal glories. Even when the

parkway is backed up with traffic, it

sometimes offers a driver the only

solace in a very hectic work day. I

know, as I drive the parkway every

day and never tire of exploring it

from my front seat."

Pam West, Director, Museum

Resource Center

"The first portion of the George

Washington Memorial Parkway was

dedicated as the Mount Vernon

Memorial Highway for the

Bicentennial of Washington's birth in

1932. The 1930 Capper-Cramton Act

called for a highway on both sides of

the Potomac. The Parkway was

extended to the American Legion

Bridge in the early 1960s. The

Maryland side was renamed Clara

Barton Parkway in recent years to

avoid confusion. Technically the

GWMP extends from Mount Vernon

to the American Legion Bridge.

Administratively it contains other

areas such as Fort Hunt, the

Arlington House, Glen Echo, etc."

Gary Scott, Regional Chief

Historian

"The George Washington Memorial

Parkway of the National Park

Service is the guardian, on the

Virginia side, of the historic past and

natural beauty of the stretch of our

national river, the Potomac, as it

sweeps by our Nation's capital. Long

acquaintanceship with the Dyke

Marsh Wildlife Preserve just south of

Alexandria has made me particularly

enamored of that haven for birds and

other wildlife, one of the park's environmental treasures."

Jeb Byrne, Friends of Dyke Marsh

"The George Washington Parkway is

one of the most beautiful roadways in

our country; I enjoy traveling the

Parkway on a Sunday afternoon for

a peaceful and relaxing drive."

John C. Metzler, Jr.,

Superintendent, Arlington 

National Cemetery

"The George Washington Memorial

Parkway was originally constructed

with one goal in mind -- to transport

Americans in a memorable fashion to

the home of our greatest hero. In our

estimation some 70 million people

have taken this special gateway to

Mount Vernon, and in most people's

minds, the journey and the destination are inseparable experiences.

Gradually, one can leave the 21st

century behind, and in just a few

short minutes, escape the noise and

bustle of the inner city. Along the

way, travelers can contemplate the

legacies of George Washington and

the other founders who sacrificed so

much to create this great nation. The

word memorial should not be taken

lightly, because the parkway continues to remind Americans that George

Washington deserves our respect, our

admiration, and our appreciation."

James C. Rees, Executive Director,

Mount Vernon

"The George Washington Memorial

Parkway provides a scenic and relaxing way to enjoy the out-of-doors by

car, it protects nearby nationally

important historic and natural sites,

provides hiking and biking trails

along the Potomac River, and

enhances the values of Mount Vernon

and the Potomac River valley in the

nation's capital."

John Byrne, Past GWMP

Superintendent

"George Washington Memorial

Parkway as a roadway is like a chain

that connects the past and present to

many obvious and not so obvious

(even secret) areas and events that

have contributed to the history of our

nation and its capital area. To learn

about them is an educational and historical treat."

Kitty Roberts, Past GWMP

Superintendent, (1990-1993)

"From the profoundness of Arlington

Cemetery, to the quietness of

Theodore Roosevelt Island, George

6
Washington Memorial Parkway is a

unique collection of parks circling our

nation's capital. Each of the 14 sites

offers unique experiences and all are

connected by a physical Parkway

providing a scenic view of the

Potomac River and our nation's

capital. From a visitor's perspective, I

think they see the sites as individual

areas, not recognizing the administrative management of the sites. And

maybe that's ok."

Chesley Moroz, Eastern National

"The George Washington Memorial

Parkway, carefully planned and

landscaped by the federal government beginning in the 1920s, was a

forerunner of the scenic parkways

intended for pleasure driving that

became popular in the following

decade. The memorial parkway's

design and landscaping- and its

absence of billboards and other

clutter- set a high aesthetic standard

for automobile travel routes that

reflects what so many American highways could have become, but, unfortunately, did not."

Richard W. Sellars, National Park

Service Historian

"The George Washington Memorial

Parkway is a ride through history.

The U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial is a moment of history and

heroism forever frozen in time."

Larry Ward, US Marine Corps

Veteran

"I have hosted many visitors - official

and personal- in the 50+ years I have

resided in this area. When I have to

'one-up' someone, I brag about 'our

George Washington Memorial

Parkway' and the history it encompasses from Mount Vernon to the

American Legion Bridge and beyond.

I settled in Arlington the same year

the U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial was dedicated. My early

visits were rare - the memories of

friends and colleagues who didn't

return home, as I had, were just too

painful. When I am asked today what

I think of the new World War II

Memorial, I have to say in all

candor: We Marines have had 'our'

memorial for over 50 years."

Tom Miller, US Marine Corps

Veteran, WWII (Iwo Jima)

"The U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial is a magnificent monument which freezes for all time a

remarkable instant in our Nation's

history. While it honors all the brave

Americans who fought and died in a

bloody battle on a remote island

many years ago, it symbolizes and

pays homage to all Marines who

have sacrificed themselves for the

cause of freedom since our Nation

was founded."

Dan Crawford, U.S. Marine Corps

History and Museums Division

"The George Washington Memorial

Parkway is the fastest north-south

automobile route for travel inside the

beltway connecting northern Virginia

suburbs along the Potomac with

Washington DC, Route 395 and

Alexandria. Along the northern

portion of the Parkway is the

Potomac Heritage Trail (PHT), an

urban trail that contains almost

every hiking experience within its 10-

mile length: stream boulder crossings;

rock scrambles; climbs (Gulf Branch

stairs); descents (down to CIA Run

and "roller-coaster" from Fort Marcy

to end of Crest Lane); historic locations (Civil War fort, dueling site,

former quarry operations;

Declaration of Independence hiding

place in 1814; Aqueduct Bridge

remains, Native American sites);

wildlife (beaver, fox, bald eagle, wintering water fowl) and wildflowers

(Virginia Bluebells, Virginia malo);

fishing (chad, small-mouth bass);

scenic views (Washington Monument,

Chain Bridge and Little Falls,

Potomac River and its palisades);

and seclusion (Turkey Run Park to

Dead Run)."

Bruce Glendenning, Potomac

Applachian Trail Club

7
"The Parkway is a reminder that the

Potomac River corridor was once a

significant transportation route. For

those who like to explore, the park

today provides outstanding access to

the River and opportunities for

boating, hiking and bicycling."

Don Briggs, Superintendent,

Potomac Heritage National Scenic

Trail

"The George Washington Memorial

Parkway provides visitors with a

variety of opportunities, including

interaction with the natural beauty of

the Potomac River, learning about

our region's history, and participating in programs that enrich their

lives."

Katey Boerner, Executive Director,

Glen Echo Park 

Partnership for Arts & Culture, Inc.

"Viewed from my car window,

George Washington Memorial

Parkway is a beautiful, inspiring

green corridor into the nation's

capital. Looking as an ecologist, I see

it as an important refuge for native

species that depend on the regionally

significant habitats and natural communities within its borders. From a

conservation perspective, GWMP is

an essential component of a larger

Potomac River landscape, one with

unique and irreplaceable natural,

cultural, historic and aesthetic

values."

Doug Samson, Director of the

Science and Stewardship,

Maryland / District of Columbia

Chapter of The Nature

Conservancy

"As a resource manager and

Parkway commuter, I am blessed

with a daily reminder of the Park's

natural resources and their immense

value to the thousands who enjoy

their obvious and subtle aspects. I am

also reminded of my responsibility for

their preservation and protection." 

Jim Sherald, Chief, Natural

Resources and Science, National

Capital Region

"Thanks to the George Washington

Memorial Parkway our approach to

the Nation's Capital is not the industrial river corridor that characterizes

so many eastern cities. Our native

rivers and forests and marshes buffer

America's capital and provide a

place of rejuvenation in a historic

setting for those who come here. This

was my personal experience when I

drove to Washington in 1978, the first

time I was ever East of the Mississippi

and caught that glimpse of the

Washington Monument through those

beautiful forests. What a welcome

surprise.

There still are trees in this park that

are over 200 years old and shared the

same fresh air as George Washington,

Thomas Jefferson, Dolly Madison,

Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman,

Clara Barton and Fredrick Douglas.

And the marshes, streams, islands

and forests they saw, we can see too.

When you look at older aerial photos

of the George Washington Memorial

Parkway, especially the northern

parkway, the roadway appears as the

mark of people in an otherwise extensive forest canopy. Today the

parkway preserves a native forested

green space amidst increasing suburban development. This role is surely

much greater than the authors of the

bill to create the parks could have

envisioned."

Dan Sealy, Deputy Chief, Natural

Resources and Science, National

Capital Region

"The George Washington Memorial

Parkway is an oasis in the midst of a

busy urban area. It has the distinction

of leading people to the homes of the

first and current President while providing the ultimate in vistas and

unsurpassed areas for recreation."

Jeanne O'Toole, Captain, United

States Park Police

"We've always been proud to be a

member of the family of memorials

8
and historic sites along the George

Washington Memorial Parkway. The

Parkway, with its well maintained

roads and landscapes and its beautiful scenery, is a great compliment to

the activities along its route. We consider it a real bonus for the Women's

Memorial to be a part of this historic

roadway."

Wilma L. Vaught, Brigadier General,

USAF, Retired &

President, Women In Military

Service For America Memorial

Foundation, Inc.

"A beautiful and pristine safe-haven

of green, Theodore Roosevelt Island

comprises a fitting memorial to our

great conservationist president. Here

TR's spirit lingers amid things forever

wild. In communing with nature as

found on Theodore Roosevelt Island,

visitors can also commune with the

most elemental part of TR himself."

Edward J. Renehan Jr., Executive

Director, Theodore Roosevelt

Association

"Combining the majesty of our

national forests, the superiority of

our nation's greatest highways, and

the scenery of America's rural

country roads, the George

Washington Parkway is a spectacular

greenway leading visitors to the home

of our nation's founding father. It is a

vibrant, and fitting tribute to the

American hero from who it bears its

name. Like Washington himself, it is a

great national treasure."

John G. Staudt, Associate Director,

Theodore Roosevelt Association

"As a child growing up in the City of

Alexandria, the George Washington

Memorial Parkway was first "that

scenic road that would take me and

my family to Mount Vernon." As a

young adult, I learned to sail near

Belle Haven and marveled at the

natural resources of Dyke Marsh

with only the sounds of the water

against the hull. As an adult with a

professional interest in the American

Civil War, the Parkway gives us an

opportunity to walk in the footsteps

of the soldiers that were stationed in

our region at Fort Marcy, and nearby

Fort Ethan Allen and the earthworks

hidden in the urban landscape. The

Parkway is a great deal more than a

road. It is a great linear park with

exciting human stories to discover

and recreational trails to link those

stories together."

Walton H. Owen, Assistant

Director/Curator, Fort Ward

Museum & Historic Site

"Several of my fondest memories are

of visits to the LBJ Grove with my

mother and my young children. Two

of my little children participated in

the Grove's Groundbreaking. I have

photos of them holding President

Ford's hand."

Lynda Robb (daughter of President

Lyndon Baines Johnson & Lady

Bird Johnson)

"George Washington Memorial

Parkway...not just another pretty

place...to be stuck in traffic, but a

Highway to History."

Vincent L. Santucci, Chief Ranger,

George Washington Memorial

Parkway

9
PART 2: PARKWAY-WIDE PLAN
MISSION

Based on enabling legislation, the

mission of George Washington

Memorial Parkway is to:

• Develop, manage and preserve the

park, parkway, and playground

system of the National Capital

area;

• Protect and preserve a wide

variety of individual cultural,

natural, recreational, and scenic

resources throughout the

parkway;

• Promote opportunities for the

public to learn about and experience parkway resources.

PURPOSE

The purpose of George Washington

Memorial Parkway is:

• To honor the memory of George

Washington by preserving the

memorial character of the

parkway through maintaining a

scenic gateway and greenway into

the Nation's Capital and Mount

Vernon;

• To provide opportunities to

remember and honor the people,

movements, events and places

associated with the prehistory and

history of the region and the formation, continued development,

and protection of the country;

• To foster public stewardship

through interpretive, educational,

and recreational experiences;

• To protect and manage the natural,

cultural, and recreational

resources and scenic values of

George Washington Memorial

Parkway in light of its use as a

major commuter route;

• To protect the biodiversity of

George Washington Memorial

Parkway from pollution, development, and other threats and contribute to the health of the

Chesapeake Bay watershed.

SIGNIFICANCE

The significance of George

Washington Memorial Parkway is

that:

• At the time of its construction, the

George Washington Memorial

Parkway was the first federally

funded parkway project in the

nation and a prototype demonstration of the principles of

modern highway design;

• George Washington Memorial

Parkway is a gateway to and a

defining element in the landscape

and character of the Nation's

Capital;

• George Washington Memorial

Parkway protects and provides

access to natural, cultural, recreational, and scenic resources

within the shadow of a large

urban setting;

• George Washington Memorial

Parkway is a globally significant

natural area for the preservation

of biodiversity;

• The collective resources of George

Washington Memorial Parkway

preserve national symbols and

memorials that reflect significant

natural and cultural values, ideas,

and events. 

PRIMARY INTERPRETIVE

THEMES

Primary interpretive themes are

ideas/concepts about George

Washington Memorial Parkway that

are key to helping visitors gain an

understanding of the park's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the park's

mission, purpose, and resource significance, provide the foundation

for all interpretive media and programs in the park. The themes do

not include everything that may be

interpreted, but they do address

those ideas that are critical to

understanding and appreciating the

park's importance. All interpretive

efforts (through both personal and

13

Planning begins by

understanding why a

park was established.

Significance statements

describe the importance

or distinctiveness of the

resources of an area.
non-personal services) should relate

to one or more themes, and each

theme should be addressed by some

part of the overall interpretive

program. Effective interpretation is

achieved when visitors are able to

connect the concepts with the

resources and derive something

meaningful from their experience.

The following theme statements will

provide the basis for interpretation

at the parkway (the numbers do not

denote any prioritization):

Theme 1 - Natural Resources

In a world of diminishing biological

diversity and threatened natural

resources, George Washington

Memorial Parkway represents

islands of refuge in an urban environment, and provides opportunities for the public to foster awareness about the importance of

species preservation, biological

diversity, natural systems and

processes, and the value of natural

open space.

Theme 2 - Cultural Resources

People of different cultures have

lived here for thousands of years,

and their lifestyles, material cultures, and history have contributed

to the preserved landscapes.

George Washington Memorial

Parkway contains a rich collection

of historic sites, architecture, archeological sites, artifacts, and cultural

landscapes.

Theme 3 - Recreation

George Washington Memorial

Parkway provides diverse recreational opportunities for park visitors, although specific recreational

activities have changed over time.

Recreational opportunities on park

lands allow an urban population to

connect or reconnect with nature.

Theme 4 - Scenic Values

George Washington Memorial

Parkway includes some of the most

scenic and recognizable vistas in the

world. The park's river shores, cliffs,

woodlands, wetlands, open spaces,

views of the Potomac River, the

approach to Mount Vernon, and

vistas of the Nation's Capital offer

dramatic backgrounds and spectacular viewing areas for millions of

visitors annually. 

Themes 5 - Public Education and

Stewardship

Adjoining a large urban area and

populace, the sites of George

Washington Memorial Parkway are

laboratories for public education,

experience, and involvement in

diverse cultural, natural, recreational, and scenic resources and issues.

Theme 6 - George Washington

George Washington Memorial

Parkway serves to commemorate

the accomplishments of our first

United States President by preserving a scenic corridor between his

Mount Vernon home and

Washington, D.C. The parkway

highlights important sites associated

with his life and times, and the

nation he helped to establish.

Theme 7 - George Washington

Memorial Parkway

The George Washington Memorial

Parkway, originally known as the

Mount Vernon Memorial Highway,

is a nationally significant landmark

that was the first federally constructed parkway in the nation.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

The following defines the desired

parkway-wide visitor experience

goals that would be achieved with

the implementation of this longrange interpretive plan. The statements describe conditions that

would exist, rather than specific

actions to achieve the objective. 

Visitors to George Washington

Memorial Parkway will have the

opportunity to:

14

Primary themes should

be few enough in

number to provide focus

for the interpretive

program, but numerous

enough to represent the

full range of park significance. There are many

ways to prepare interpretive themes, and there

is little evidence that

favors one technique

over another.
• Learn something about each of

the primary interpretive themes.

• Easily find the George Washington

Memorial Parkway and its sites,

and feel a sense of arrival.

• Discover connections among

parkway sites and their relationships.

• Experience solitude in an urban

area.

• Find a place to get together with

family and friends.

• Obtain information and interpretation geared to their interests and

backgrounds. 

• Learn about and participate in the

parkway's volunteer and education programs and discover how

to get involved.

• Express their feelings about the

resources through a variety of creative/artistic means.

• Purchase or receive appropriate

theme-related items/souvenirs.

• Have their personal needs met

(i.e., clean rest rooms, water,

garbage cans).

• Develop a sense of responsibility,

stewardship, and involvement

with the parkway's resources.

• Make personal connections with

park resources and their meanings.

• Obtain information 24/7 regarding

the parkway sites, resources, activities, etc. through various sources.

• Enjoy a safe visit.

• Encounter knowledgeable and

friendly park staff.

• Interact with people of many cultural backgrounds.

• Be exposed to interpretive and

education programs that reflect

multiple viewpoints.

• Choose from a variety of interpretive and recreational activities.

• Access resources geared to their

level of ability.

• Better understand the mission of

the National Park Service and significance of George Washington

Memorial Parkway.

• See the park as their "Yellowstone

Experience" (especially for local,

low income families not able to

travel west.)

• Leave with a desire to learn more.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the parkway-wide

experiences and conditions as they

existed during this long-range interpretive planning process. This

section is intended to identify baseline conditions and highlight key

issues to help justify many of this

plan's recommendations. The

purpose is not to describe all existing conditions, activities, and programs. 

A parkway map, along with various

individual site maps, can be found

in Appendix A.

Outreach and Marketing

For many people George

Washington Memorial Parkway is

primarily a commuter route to and

from work. The commuters likely

are not seeking a park experience,

although the feeling of driving the

parkway is noticeably different from

other major roads like the Beltway. 

While there are no firm statistics,

the majority of commuters probably

do not realize that they are traveling

through a national park area, and

even fewer (commuters or noncommuters) would be able to name

many of the sites associated with the

parkway. Also, probably few people

are aware of the connection

between the George Washington

Memorial Parkway and the Clara

Barton Parkway. 

It is likely that many people who

regularly use areas of the parkway

for recreation and relaxation are

unaware of the national park presence or of the various associated

sites. Even if visitors to specific sites

do recognize the NPS presence, few

15

“Visitor experience” is

what people do, sense,

feel, think, and learn; it

includes knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and

values; it is affected by

experiences prior to the

visit and affects behavior

after the visit.
probably realize that it is a unit of

George Washington Memorial

Parkway.

Sites such as the U.S. Marine Corps

War Memorial are well known to

national and international audiences. Sites like Arlington House

receive high visitation from national

and international visitors due to its

location in Arlington National

Cemetery and as a stop on major

Washington area commercial tours.

Still other sites, such as Great Falls

Park, Fort Hunt Park, and Glen

Echo Park, attract many local/metropolitan area visitors. 

Some GWMP units seem almost

autonomous, presenting only an

incidental linkage to the parkway as

a whole. This is reflected in individual site web sites, education programs, informational literature, and

other media and publications. This

indicates that some staffs identify

themselves first with their individual

site and second with the parkway.

With the exception of the website,

there is little use of a variety of

media such as electronic message

boards, broadcast radio, parkway

newspaper/newsletter, thematic

signing, etc. to reach visitors or

commuters.

Arrival

Highway signs generally do a good

job of directing people to parkway

access points, but they do not make

the connection with the NPS.

Likewise, exit signs along the

parkway identify major roads and

bridges, but do not consistently or

clearly identify routes to individual

parkway sites or note that visitors

are leaving the George Washington

Memorial Parkway. Some sites may

be signed from one direction, but

not from the other. In still other

cases, once a visitor has reached a

parkway site there is little or no

signing to direct them back to the

parkway.

There is no central visitor center

where people can get parkway-wide

information and plan their visit to

specific sites. Parkway headquarters

is only open Monday-Friday during

business hours.

Wayside Exhibits

Wayside exhibits throughout the

parkway represent a variety of

design styles and conditions, and

few comply with current NPS

graphic identity standards. 

Some existing or proposed wayside

exhibits have been developed in

partnership with park partners or

other NPS entities which have their

own identity requirements. 

There currently are no outdoor orientation/information exhibits that

explain the entirety of the parkway

to visitors.

Publications

The official parkway brochure contains a map and description of all

the sites. Official or park-produced

brochures also exist for many of the

individual sites. At a number of sites

the parkway-wide brochure is displayed alongside the individual site

brochure; however, visitors to an

individual site may not realize that it

actually is part of the parkway. 

The parkway has four cooperating

association sales outlets. Each outlet

carries theme related publications;

however, there currently are no

publications that address the

parkway as a whole.

Personal Services

The parkway offers a variety of personal services interpretive programs

throughout the year. The programs

are theme-related, and most are

well attended and well received by

visitors and residents. 

Education Program

The parkway web site specifically

states that "...Parks as Classroom

16
programs are given at Theodore

Roosevelt Island, Dyke Marsh,

Arlington House, and Clara Barton

NHS." It does not mention the

Parks as Classroom programs

offered at Great Falls Park, or partnership programs such as "Bridging

the Watershed."

Likewise, if one goes first to an individual unit web site (i.e. Clara

Barton, Arlington House, or Great

Falls) the education programs for

that unit are presented but there are

few links to programs at other

GWMP sites. In fact, the only listing

for the "Bridging the Watershed"

program at GWMP is on the Great

Falls Park web site.

The parkway does have an education specialist, and several of the

individual sites also have people

assigned to coordinate education

programs. Although there is a limit

to the number of programs and

groups that individual sites can

handle, there is great potential to

better coordinate, advertise, and

manage the overall education

program. 

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding park visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver, a 1993

visitor survey for Glen Echo Park, a

1993 visitor survey for Arlington

House, a 1994 visitor survey for

Belle Haven Park/Dyke Marsh

Wildlife Preserve, a 1998 visitor

survey for The Netherlands

Carillon/The United States Marine

Corps War Memorial, and discussions with park staff. 

Since Arlington House, Clara

Barton NHS, Theodore Roosevelt

Island, and LBJ Memorial Grove

report visitation figures to WASO

separate from the overall GWMP

report, Figure 1 shows the collective

total number of recreation visits to

the parkway and parkway sites over

the last 10-years.

For 2004 the total recreation visits

for parkway sites were 8,360,729.

The total non-recreation visits for

2004 (which primarily consist of

people using the parkway as commuter route) were 28,357,773. 

Figure 2 illustrates total monthly

recreation visits for 2004. The graph

clearly shows a peak summer

season with prominent shoulder

seasons in the spring and fall. 

Figure 3 offers a visual comparison

of the total recreation visits to the

various parkway sites included in

this LRIP for 2004. Visitation to

Mount Vernon is shown for reference and comparison. 

Sites such as the U.S. Marine Corps

War Memorial and Mount Vernon

are well known to national and

international audiences. Sites like

Arlington House receive high visitation from national and international

visitors due to its location in

Arlington National Cemetery and as

a stop on major Washington area

commercial tours. Still other sites

such as Great Falls Park, Fort Hunt

Park, and Glen Echo Park attract

many local/metropolitan area visitors. It is interesting to note the

large difference in visitation

between Glen Echo Park and Clara

Barton NHS, two sites that are only

separated by a parking lot.

Site-specific visitor data is presented

in the discussions of the individual

units in Part 3. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the

park's mission, purpose, resource

significance, interpretive themes,

17
18

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Figure 2 Monthly Visitation 2004

0

2000000

4000000

6000000

8000000

10000000

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Total Annual Visitation Figure 1

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1400000

D/B TR Iwo FH GF FM GE AR CB TRI LBJ MV

Figure 3 Site Recreation Visits 2004 Key to Abbreviations

D/B= Dyke Marsh/Belle Haven

Park

TR= Turkey Run Park

Iwo= U.S. Marine Corps War 

Memorial

FH= Fort Hunt Park

GF= Great Falls Park

FM= Fort Marcy

GE= Glen Echo Park

AR= Arlington House, The 

Robert E. Lee Memorial

CB= Clara Barton National 

Historic Site

TRI= Theodore Roosevelt Island

LBJ= Lyndon Baines Johnson

Memorial Grove

MV= Mount Vernon (non-NPS)
and visitor experience goals.

Implementation of these recommendations will help ensure that

visitors are well prepared and

informed, and that they will be able

to develop meaningful connections

with tangible and intangible

resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

Outreach and Marketing

Successful marketing begins and is

dependent on first knowing what

you want to achieve and who the

audiences will be.

The parkway has identified four

major goals that can be addressed

through an organized outreach and

marketing strategy:

• Provide opportunities for people

to have deeper and richer experiences at parkway sites.

• Motivate parkway commuters to

become parkway visitors.

• Change the perception of the

parkway from being just a commuter route to projecting a NPS

identity.

Successful marketing also requires a

full-time effort by people that know

the field. The work cannot simply

be assigned to anyone as a collateral

duty. Success can be enhanced by

partnering with others and contracting with professionals. The

parkway is fortunate in having the

resources of the National Park

Foundation (NPF) close by. The

NPF has an active marketing

program, and Michael Bento,

Senior Vice President of Marketing

and Communications, participated

in the recommendations phase of

this LRIP. 

Through workshop discussions and

related correspondence, a number

of potential (but not inclusive) recommendations were developed.

These should be considered as

topics for further consideration, not

as absolute proposals. 

• Review parkway signs to ensure

consistency of design and that the

NPS arrowhead (one of the most

well-known symbols in the

nation) is used effectively.

• Review signs to ensure that in

addition to identifying major

exits, intersections, and bridges,

people can easily access parkway

sites and return to the parkway.

• Make better use of Travelers

Information Station (TIS) broadcasts to provide NPS/parkway

identity and activity messages.

This might be incorporated and

changed as part of daily traffic

and/or weather information. 

• Establish a partnership with a

local radio station to explore the

potential of a call-in program

(perhaps once a week during rush

hour) to talk to a parkway ranger.

• Prominently display the George

Washington Memorial Parkway

title in association with individual

sites, facility signs, and parkwaywide publications. This could

apply to all official publications

(including individual site

brochures), press releases, letterheads, activity schedules, and web

sites, as well as to sales items and

listings in travel/tourism literature.

Where possible, literature pertaining to one parkway site should

19

Recommendations should

constitute the most effective and cost efficient

means of achieving

desired outcomes.
include something about the other

sites.

• Establish a full-time public information officer (PIO) position.

• Publicize current parkway projects

and success stories as media

events to promote the NPS identity and help people better understand the thematic links among

the various sites.

• Produce and announce the availability of a free CD about the

parkway (through press releases,

TIS broadcasts, web sites, etc.).

Also provide a free download of

this material so visitors can access

it on their MP3 players, Ipods and

other devices. 

• Develop parkway-wide sales publications (including a driving tour

of parkway sites) through the

cooperating association and make

them available at sales outlets and

through the association's web site. 

• Explore the potential of marketing

parkway sites through Guest

Services Inc. (GSI), including

options of providing access to

more sites via the Tourmobile

operation. 

• Explore joint marketing options

with Mount Vernon so that visitors have a seamless experience

and understand the strong thematic connections. This could

include making Mount Vernon a

prominent part of selected

parkway media and perhaps

developing an exhibit or providing occasional NPS staff presence

at Mount Vernon.

• Explore further potential of partnering with organizations and

businesses that have an interest in

an individual parkway site and

encourage them to assist in promoting the site and its links to the

parkway.

• Explore the development of unifying graphic identity/branding

materials for parkway sites (such

as those being produced through

the Greater Washington National

Park Fund). 

• Develop outdoor and/or indoor

exhibits at each parkway site to

identify the various units of the

parkway, illustrate the thematic

linkages, and convey an NPS

identity. 

• Utilize the Junior Ranger program

as a gateway to getting children

and families involved with more

parkway sites.

• Establish (perhaps in association

with park partners) an annual

art/craft/photography show featuring parkway sites and

resources. Entries (or possibly just

the winners) could be displayed at

key parkway sites (possibly

including Mount Vernon) and on

the Internet.

• Produce a parkway

newsletter/newspaper (1-2 editions per year).

• Develop more theme-related

activities and programs that will

attract multi-cultural audiences

and show people there is something here for them.

• Work with the local and regional

travel industry to ensure that

parkway site listings are accurate

and current, and that the information clearly shows association

with the parkway. 

• Encourage and provide reviews of

tourism literature (including web

sites, radio and television spots)

which promote or provide information about the parkway.

• Share parkway visitation statistics

and survey results to further illustrate how existing and potential

partners can benefit and enhance

the visitor experience by working

together. 

• Provide site and parkway-wide

information through roving and

other activities. 

• Offer continuing information/orientation training opportunities to

park staff, volunteers, partners,

and other public service

providers. Training also should

include the people who answer

the phones. In addition to basic

20
information, courses could be

offered in interpretive and communication skills, or updates on

various on-going projects. Other

training could be in the form of an

information exchange to ensure

that accurate and current information is being distributed.

• Continue providing park information via responses to regular mail,

email, and telephone requests.

Replies could include the park CD

(mentioned above) and instructions regarding downloadable

items from the park web site.

Internet

The park will continue to enhance

its web sites in order to reach larger

and more diverse audiences. This

should include the continued development of the park's education

program materials for use by students via the Internet. 

Two-way web links or references to

other sites, museums, and programs

that deal with or touch upon themerelated topics should be explored

and developed. A direct link with

the cooperating association website

will allow people to purchase

theme-related materials before

and/or after their visit.

In making improvements to web site

material, it is important that the

front page become a portal directly

to all of the online content. Access

to specific content should be as

simple and intuitive as possible.

This means that a virtual visitor

should be able to gain access to any

documents, images, or information

within two clicks or fewer. Content

should be arranged in a thematic

and consistent manner. Developing

an interface that allows a visitor

easy access to all content available is

essential for those looking for specific information and are not just

"surfers."

Children are no strangers to the

World Wide Web, and they potentially can account for much of the

online visitation to parks. It is

important that children feel connected to the park even though they

may not be able to visit in person.

The park should explore the development of both virtual and interactive activities to help children make

meaningful connections with the

resources and themes.

Further web site development also

should comply with NPS graphic

identity standards.

Parkway-wide and individual unit

web sites would be restructured to

achieve the above and emphasize

the thematic connections.

Additional actions would include:

• Set up a virtual parkway visitor

center with displays, site tours,

downloadable information, and

links to each unit and to the web

site that gives traffic and weather

conditions. Individual unit web

sites would have prominent reciprocal links to the main parkway

web site.

• Provide clear web links to partner

sites and to the cooperating association.

• Provide information about ordering or downloading a free

parkway CD (discussed earlier).

• Provide a central location for

parkway-wide education program

information.

• Explore the potential of developing an on-line journal (blog) for

posting notices of interest to visitors.

• Create a web ring to make the

links with other parkway sites

easier to access. 

• Create theme-related web exhibits

of items in the park collections. To

maintain continuing interest, the

exhibits could be rotated periodically.

• Provide executive summaries

along with photos/graphics of cultural and natural resource management projects.

21

“The George Washington

Memorial Parkway is a

microcosm of the entire

National Park System.

The park abounds with

special places and compelling stories.

Joseph Lawler, 

Regional Director,

National Capital

Region, NPS
Wayside Exhibits

Wayside exhibits can provide

round-the-clock information and

interpretation at the parkway's

many sites where personal services

or more expensive facilities are

impractical. Judiciously placed

wayside exhibits will help visitors

connect with the many significant

resources of the parkway. Appealing

and high quality design, writing, and

exhibit production materials will

serve to instill and reinforce respect

for important resources.

Interpretive wayside exhibits tell the

park story on location. They

"caption the landscape" and help

visitors make direct connections

with resources they see before

them. With the use of good graphics

waysides can show what a site

looked like historically and bring

the story of another era to life.

Wayside exhibits can be effective in

conveying site-specific resource

preservation messages. In-addition,

temporary wayside exhibits can be

developed to interpret construction

and/or restoration projects. 

A parkway-wide wayside exhibit

program will help visitors better

understand the variety of sites available for their use and enjoyment.

Based on NPS graphic identity standards, all wayside exhibits will have

a consistent banner layout that will

identify the individual sites as being

part of George Washington

Memorial Parkway and as a unit of

the National Park System. The

wayside exhibits will provide information, orientation, and interpretation regarding parkway resources

and programs with a consistent and

coherent voice. 

A detailed parkway-wide wayside

exhibit proposal is recommended to

guide wayside development toward

a complete, high-quality, unified

system of waysides with NPS identity. Development of a wayside

exhibit proposal involves an indepth assessment of all existing and

potential wayside exhibit sites. It

includes both informational and

interpretive exhibits. The proposal

brings a unified, coherent approach

to wayside exhibit development,

thereby avoiding haphazard development that results in multigenerational waysides that have no

common look or quality standard.

The proposal can set priorities to

guide wayside development in

phases as funding allows.

The proposal would describe the

purpose of each exhibit, identify

graphics available for use, show

thumbnail design concept drawings,

and determine exact exhibit sizes,

base styles, and locations. A detailed

budget estimate also would be part

of the document.

A parkway-wide orientation exhibit

will be a foundation of the wayside

exhibit program. These exhibits will

be installed wherever they would be

likely to engage visitors, particularly

at visitor arrival areas. They also will

be available to visitors at key pullouts, unstaffed locations, and

pedestrian entry points.

A parkway-wide orientation map,

similar to that used in the official

parkway brochure, would be a

potential device to graphically

connect and organize parkway sites

and resources. To orient visitors, a

unique "You Are Here" indicator on

the map would identify the site at

which each orientation exhibit is

installed. Information capsules for

each park site would help visitors

identify the site most closely suited

to their interests. Engaging photographs of parkway resources would

pique visitor interest. Parkway-wide

safety, regulatory, administrative,

and emergency information, along

with a preservation message also

would be clearly communicated.

22
All parkway sites, overlooks, and

trails, not just those specifically

addressed in this LRIP, will be

included in the wayside exhibit proposal.

Personal Services

A variety of personal services activities will continue to be an essential

component of the overall interpretive program throughout George

Washington Memorial Parkway.

These programs have the unparalleled advantage of being inspiring,

versatile, alive, and tailored to the

needs of individuals and groups. An

interpretive staff presence helps

with the protection of fragile

resources. Interpreters, whether

behind an information desk, roving,

leading a tour, giving a talk, or conducting a demonstration, are the

best of all interactive tools in

enabling visitors to experience,

understand, appreciate, and make

personal connections with

resources.

The diversity of the park's overall

interpretive program presents

almost limitless opportunities for

both standard and innovative activities. Keeping within the parameters

of the interpretive themes and

visitor experience goals, park staff

should be given a high degree of

creative freedom to explore and

experiment with new programs.

This will help to maintain a creative

edge and attract new and returning

audiences.

Since personal services interpretive

programs are relatively easy to

change, the activities should be evaluated on a regular basis to discontinue those that are not effective,

modify and improve those that

require it, and validate those that

are successful. 

Personal services programs and

activities also are most easily affected by changing budgets, management styles, and the comings and

goings of individual interpreters

with special skills. Because of the

need to retain flexibility, few specific personal services recommendations are presented in this document. Many of these decisions/recommendations are perhaps best left

for incorporation into the Annual

Implementation Plan component of

the CIP.

Mobile Parkway Visitor Center

George Washington Memorial

Parkway does not have a central

visitor contact point to provide

parkway-wide information/orientation or to communicate parkway

themes. Likewise, none of the

Virginia District sites have a visitor

contact facility. 

While proposing a specific site for a

parkway visitor contact station is

beyond the purview of a LRIP,

some basic criteria were developed.

Such a facility would require:

• High visibility from primary visitor

routes.

• Easy access and egress.

• Sufficient parking.

• Rest rooms

Potential sites along the parkway

that might meet most or all of these

criteria include:

• Mount Vernon-which is building

an orientation/education center

on its property.

• Partnering with another

agency/museum and using an

existing structure in Alexandria or

Arlington.

• Fort Hunt Park-possibly adaptively using an existing historic structure.

Some possible functions of the

center would be to:

• Present the overall story of the

parkway.

23

“The George

Washington Memorial

Parkway contains the

best of both natural and

cultural history within

its boundaries. ...it

affords hundreds of

thousands of commuters

a day the wonderment

of viewing the park in all

its seasonal glories. Even

when the parkway is

backed up with traffic, it

sometimes offers a

driver the only solace in

a very hectic work day.

Pam West, Director,

Museum Resource

Center, NPS
• Show all parkway sites and the

thematic connections among

them.

• Provide parkway-wide and sitespecific information and orientation.

• Provide in-depth interpretation of

specific parkway sites. 

• Advertise all parkway activities.

• Provide indoor space for education and interpretive programs.

• Sell theme-related publications

through a cooperating association

outlet.

• Display (perhaps on a rotating

basis) theme-related objects from

the park's museum collection.

While the team supported many of

the above suggestions, further discussion led to a general feeling that

developing a new or even rehabilitated facility within the life of this

LRIP was remote. It also was felt

that having a visitor contact center

in a single location would automatically limit its access to visitors in a

particular area of the parkway.

Consequently, it is recommended

that the potential of developing a

mobile visitor contact/education

center be explored.

Outfitted with exhibits, publications, and an audiovisual capability,

a mobile interpretive vehicle could

perform the functions of a visitor

information and interpretive center.

The vehicle could be set up at

various sites on a rotating basis, or

used at special events. Attractive

exterior graphics could make the

vehicle itself a draw. A supplemental

pop-up tent or banner stands could

provide a more defined visitor gathering area and function as "grabbers." 

By including some changeable

exhibits, the interpretive focus

could be adapted to a variety of

locations. For example, occasional

personal objects of remembrance

are left at the U.S. Marine Corps

War Memorial, but there is no place

to display them on-site. As one of its

changeable exhibits, the mobile

interpretive/education vehicle could

serve as a venue to periodically

display some of these items.

Adapting a vehicle for mobile interpretation is not a new concept to

the NPS or to the National Capital

Region. Several decades ago the

region experimented with an

"interp-mobile." The successes and

failures of this former endeavor,

along with other similar projects

should be studied and evaluated

before making any commitments for

the parkway. 

If further study determines that a

mobile interpretive center is worth a

try, it could be stationed at different

locations throughout the parkway,

perhaps going where people are, or

attracting visitors to specific sites.

The vehicle could be used at special

events (including off-site events

such as city and county fairs) and in

conjunction with scheduled education activities. 

A mobile facility would be more

adaptable to experimentation than

would a fixed one, and at considerably less cost. Good temporary

signing and/or high visibility would

be needed to alert people to the

facility, and safe access and egress

would be a factor in determining

good locations. Yellowstone and

Grand Teton National Parks are

currently using donated alternative

fuel vehicles with decorative scenes

painted on the sides. In addition, at

Santa Monica Mountains National

Recreation Area, which serves an

urban population at many non-contiguous park sites, the mobile interpretation/education van concept

was developed and utilized with

success.

Education Program

School groups will continue to be

one of the parkway's primary audi24

“In our estimation, some

70 million people have

taken this special

gateway to Mount

Vernon, and in most

people’s minds, the

journey and the destination are inseparable

experiences.

James C. Rees,

Executive Director,

Mount Vernon
ences. With the huge number of students in the metropolitan area,

there is great potential to communicate elements of park themes and

mesh them with existing curricula

for multiple age/grade levels.

Students also are an excellent audience for presenting the integrated

parkway theme concepts. Over

time, and as students become adults

with children of their own, the NPS

identity of the parkway and the connectivity of the sites will become

more pervasive. 

All of the following recommendations are based on updating or

revising the 1995 George

Washington Memorial Parkway

Education Plan. The new education

plan will articulate the education

mission, assess current programs,

describe initiatives for future development, identify potential partnerships, analyze the most pressing

issues, and present program proposals. Considering the size of the

Washington Metropolitan Area, the

parkway should consider establishing an education advisory group.

The group, perhaps consisting of

multi-agency staff and educators

already involved in site programs,

could provide expertise and guidance on elements of program development.

Educators throughout the metropolitan area will benefit from centralized coordination, advertisement, and management of the

overall parkway education program.

Centralization will make it easier for

educators to learn about the different programs, participate in workshops, and find activities that will

coincide with specific curriculum

requirements. Because of various

staff and structural limitations, individual parkway sites would still be

responsible for scheduling most

pre-, on-, and post-site activities. 

While individual unit web sites

would continue to display their own

education program offerings, they

also would provide clear links to the

education program page on the

main parkway web site. The main

parkway web site would become the

central point for information about

the entire education program, and

would include things like:

• A listing of all parkway education

programs, including all available

downloadable pre-, on-, and postsite materials. These could be

organized by site, grade level,

theme, etc. 

• An interactive "Teachers' Corner"

where teachers could download

lesson plans, read or post to a

massage board, and find out about

workshops or other special activities.

• Contact information.

• Links to related sites and programs such as Teaching with

Historic Places and education

programs offered at park partner

sites.

Besides providing education

program information on the

Internet, a parkway-wide brochure

is recommended. The brochure

would describe much of the same

material as the web site, and it could

even be available as a download on

the web. Used as a handout at meetings, workshops, outreach, and

other off-site activities, the brochure

also could be distributed at visitor

centers and via various roving activities.

In addition to individual site education programs, some parkway-wide

or multi-site programs should be

developed. For example, the

parkway itself was the result of a

pioneer effort in progressive scenic

roadway design for its day. This

concept could become the basis for

a new Teaching with Historic Places

lesson plan. Other such programs

(possibly developed in partnership

with Mount Vernon, various

25

“The George

Washington Memorial

Parkway is an oasis in

the midst of a busy

urban area.

Jeanne O’Toole,

Captain, United States

Park Police
Potomac River/Chesapeake Bay

preservation organizations, and

others) would help promote the

parkway as being more than just a

road and provide stronger thematic

links among the sites.

The parkway will continue to facilitate periodic forums with area educators to discuss the effectiveness of

current education programs and

suggest improvements or additions.

One discussion item could be the

value of centralized and site-based

education programs. 

Teacher training is an important

element of almost all NPS education programs. Education programs

at some parkway sites require a

strong NPS staff presence. This is

especially true for programs that

utilize historic/period exhibits like

those at Clara Barton House and

Arlington House. Other programs,

such as those that utilize outdoor

resources or visitor centers, have

the potential of being led primarily

by teachers, with minimal involvement of park staff. Workshops can

be structured to train teachers how

to use the resources on their own

and to feel comfortable doing so.

This would enable some parkway

sites to provide more educational

opportunities to area schools

without additional stress on limited

staff.

Teacher workshops could begin

with those schools already participating in parkway programs and

gradually expand as needed or feasible. By working with school district officials, workshops could be

scheduled in conjunction with

teacher in-service training days and

might even qualify for in-service

academic credit. Some training

materials also could be provided via

the parkway web site. The main

outcome of the workshops would

be to prepare educators for bringing

their classes to parkway sites, and to

conduct their own pre-, on-, and

post-site activities with minimal

assistance from NPS staff.

Much of the future growth of the

parkway's education programs,

however, is primarily contingent on

having sufficient education staff

(see Staffing section in Part 4).

Current staffing levels limit the

extent to which the education

program can develop and meet the

growing needs of teachers and students throughout the metropolitan

area. 

Primary roles of park education

specialists would be to secure

resources and facilitate the development and growth of a curriculumbased program based on national,

state, and local education standards.

Other roles for education specialists

and goals of the education programs will be to:

• Set up workshops with park staff,

partners, and professional educators to develop additional curriculum-based programs, lesson plans,

and props (i.e. traveling trunks)

for pre-, on-, and post-visit activities.

• Organize staff and teacher training

workshops utilizing the tenants of

Module 270 of the NPS

Interpretive Development

Program (IDP).

• Coordinate expansion of the park

web site to include the posting of

new downloadable education

programs for schools planning a

visit, for home-schooled students,

and for those who may never be

able to travel to the Washington

area.

• Establish and/or maintain education partnerships with Mount

Vernon, various Potomac

River/Chesapeake Bay preservation organizations, the National

Museum of the American Indian,

and others. This also would

include other NPS units and programs such as the Potomac

Heritage National Scenic Trail and

26

“The George

Washington Parkway is

one of the most beautiful roadways in our

country; I enjoy traveling the Parkway on a

Sunday afternoon for a

peaceful and relaxing

drive.”

John C. Metzler, Jr.,

Superintendent,

Arlington National

Cemetery
the National Underground

Railroad Network to Freedom

program. 

• Explore potential education partnerships involving the arts. This

might include partnering with

local groups such as the McLean

Arts Center.

• Explore ways to eventually expand

the program to include working

with colleges, universities, and

elder hostels.

Partnerships

The implementation of many recommendations in this long-range

interpretive plan will depend on the

continuation and strengthening of

existing partnerships and the establishment of new ones. Virtually all

of the parkway sites are linked to

other adjacent or theme-related

parks, historic sites, neighborhoods,

and communities. Parkway sites

contain resources that connect

directly with many curriculum goals

and standards of area schools. All of

the sites also contribute to the

overall visitor and resident experience of the greater Washington,

D.C. Metropolitan Area. 

Many of the individual partnerships

(both existing and potential) that

relate to the parkway's interpretive

and education programs are mentioned in connection with the individual sites in Part 3 of this document. All partnerships, both formal

and informal, offer ways to ensure

that the overall visitor experience

goals for the parkway and for the

individual sites are achieved, and

that elements of the primary interpretive themes are communicated. 

Parkway partnerships involve individuals, organizations, and agencies

that have great interest in and significant knowledge of general and sitespecific cultural and natural

resources. Others have much to

contribute in the fields of interpretation, education, training, media

planning/development, and visitor

orientation. 

Partnerships are successful when all

parties contribute to and gain from

the alliance, when all parties are

involved in defining the goals and

responsibilities of each participant,

and when there is a continuous

liaison among all members.

In most cases it is important that

visitors become aware of the existence of partnerships and the programs and activities they manage.

This not only helps visitors become

better oriented to a site and aware

of the available activities, but it also

can show people other avenues for

getting involved.

Publications

The following recommendations

related to publications were initially

presented in the Outreach and

Marketing section:

• Prominently display the George

Washington Memorial Parkway

title in association with individual

site and parkway wide publications. This could apply to all official publications (including individual site brochures), press

releases, letterheads, activity

schedules, and web sites, as well

as to sales items and listings in

travel/tourism literature. Where

possible, literature pertaining to

one parkway site should include

something about the other sites.

• Produce and announce the availability of a free CD about the

parkway (through press releases,

TIS broadcasts, web sites, etc.). 

• Develop parkway sales publications (including a driving tour of

parkway sites) through the cooperating association and make

them available at sales outlets and

through the association's web site. 

• Explore the development of unifying graphic identity/branding

materials for parkway sites (such

as those being produced through

the Greater Washington National

Park Fund). 

27
• Produce rack cards for specific

parkway sites and for the parkway

as a whole.

• Produce a parkway

newsletter/newspaper (1-2 editions per year).

In addition to the above, the park

should:

• Provide assistance to individual

sites in developing publications

related to education programs.

• Produce key brochures and safety

information in multiple languages.

• Explore the potential of reprinting

for sale theme-related but out-ofprint publications such as The

Escape Factory: The Story of MISX, The Super-Secret U.S. Agency

Behind World War II's Greatest

Escapes by Lloyd R. Shoemaker (a

book about Fort Hunt). There

also are a number of out-of-print

publications about the defenses of

Washington, American Indians

who lived in the area, and numerous other topics. 

It is suggested that the park continue periodically reviewing the

various site bulletins and selfguiding publications for needed

updates. Except perhaps for reproductions of historic publications or

items intended for use in living

history or costumed interpretation,

all site produced materials should

comply with NPS graphic identity

standards and also present a unified

identity with the parkway. All new

or updated items should be added

to changeable displays of free literature so that visitors know what is

available. 

A review of all publications, including those sold through the cooperating association, is recommended.

This often takes the form of a Scope

of Sales review, which evaluates all

publications in light of price,

intended audiences, and interpretive themes addressed. The review

can identify strengths, as well as

areas where the publication

program needs to concentrate its

efforts. A similar review also could

evaluate how prominently publications key to on-site experiences are

displayed and how information

about other park sites could be

incorporated into parkway sales

outlets. 

Special Populations

Provisions will be made to accommodate the needs of special populations who visit George Washington

Memorial Parkway and its affiliated

sites. Special populations are identified as those with sight, hearing,

learning, and mobility impairments;

visitors who do not speak English;

and, the elderly and young children.

Public Law 90-480, the

Architectural Barriers Act, and the

Americans with Disabilities Act of

1990 establish standards for physical

access. Other regulations, laws, and

standards include Sections 504 and

508 of the Rehabilitation Act of

1973, Director's Orders No. 42, and

the Accessibility for Visitors with

Disabilities in National Park Service

Programs, Facilities, and Services.

All newly constructed facilities, as a

matter of course, will be designed

for accessibility for physically disabled visitors and employees. This

includes providing access to buildings, pathways, and wayside exhibit

locations along roads and at accessible portions of sidewalks and trails.

Every effort will be made to provide

full access to interpretive media and

programs to ensure that people with

physical and mental disabilities, as

well as people who do not speak or

understand English, have access to

the same information necessary for

a safe and meaningful visit. All new

interpretive media will follow the

standards for accessibility as

described in the NPS, June 1999

Programmatic Accessibility

Guidelines for Interpretive Media.

These guidelines (see Appendix C)

28
will be consulted by park staff and

media developers during the planning and design of new interpretive

media.

Research Needs

Parkway interpreters need to continue working closely with resource

management staff to keep up-todate with research activities and

results. In collaboration with the

Urban Ecology Research Learning

Alliance (the Research Learning

Center of the National Capital

Region), interpreters will seek

opportunities and innovative ways

to communicate about research

efforts at the parkway. Resource

management specialists should be

encouraged to present regular briefings on projects to the entire park

staff, especially interpreters. Agency

and contract researchers also

should be encouraged to produce

executive summaries and programs

that translate research results for

park staff and the public.

Staffs of George Washington

Memorial Parkway and affiliated

sites need to continue learning more

about actual and potential audiences: Who visits? What are their

motivations, expectations, and satisfaction levels? What can be done to

increase visitor stays and interaction

with park resources? Who doesn't

visit and why? How do answers to

these and other questions vary from

season to season? While relatively

recent visitor survey data exists for

some parkway sites, for others the

data is non-existent or over a

decade old. 

Research is important in the development of specific media and programs. For example, front-end evaluations would query potential users

of programs, facilities, and media

before products and activities are

developed. This type of research is

targeted so that practical use can be

made of the results. Formative evaluations would be conducted during

conceptual design, and would test

inexpensive mockups of interpretive media and programs before

fully investing in final products.

Summative evaluations are valuable

in helping to determine the effectiveness of final media, facilities,

and programs, i.e. whether the

intended themes are being communicated, if people actually make use

of the information, or if visitor

behavior is affected.

Research also is needed on a

number of theme-related topics.

One specific area is the need to

more effectively and accurately

interpret the American Indian presence throughout the area. Other

topics include the U.S. Colored

Troops stationed at Theodore

Roosevelt Island and elsewhere in

the Washington area, and oral histories of people associated with Glen

Echo Park, the U.S. Marine Corps

War Memorial, and Fort Hunt Park. 

In general, complete resource

studies and surveys still need to be

completed for the majority of

parkway sites. These include cultural landscape inventories, archeological identification and evaluation

studies, historic resource studies,

updates to nominations and listings

on the National Register of Historic

Places, and natural resources

studies.

29

“The word memorial

should not be taken

lightly, because the

parkway continues to

remind Americans that

George Washington

deserves our respect, our

admiration, and our

appreciation.” 

James C. Rees,

Executive Director,

Mount Vernon
31

PART 3: INDIVIDUAL SITE PLANS

George Washington Memorial Parkway consists of many individual sites. This long-range interpretive plan developed specific recommendations for many sites, while others are covered by the

parkway-wide proposals. The individual sites addressed in this plan are presented in this section in

alphabetical order. 

Jones Point Park and Memorial Avenue are not listed in the alphabetical order and were not discussed in-depth during the planning workshops. Other than elements of the parkway-wide proposals (such as the wayside exhibit plan), new media and program proposals for these two sites would

likely not be implemented during the life of this long-range interpretive plan. However, the need for

future interpretive media and programs at these two sites was subsequently discussed and is presented in a sub-section titled "Recommendations for Future Interpretive Plans."
ARLINGTON HOUSE, THE ROBERT E. LEE 

MEMORIAL
PURPOSE

The purpose of Arlington House,

The Robert E. Lee Memorial is to

honor and pay tribute to Robert E.

Lee and the Virginia family of which

he was a part and recognize his military accomplishments, his personal

character, and his contributions to

reuniting the nation after the Civil

War.

SIGNIFICANCE

Arlington House's significance is

attributed to the following factors:

• Arlington House was the residence

of record for Robert E. Lee and

his family from his marriage to

Mary Custis in 1831 until his resignation as a Colonel in the U.S.

Army in 1861 when Virginia

seceded from the Union.

• The property, once part of an 1,100

acre plantation, was occupied by

the U.S. Army a month after

Robert E. Lee's resignation in

April 1861. Subsequently the site

was used as an army camp, a settlement for freed slaves, and as a

federal military cemetery beginning in 1864. The home was never

returned to private ownership.

• Arlington House is directly tied to

the nation's first president and

was a living memorial to George

Washington. Hence, the house

served as the focal point of the

western axis of the monumental

core of the nation's capital. 

• The House serves as the western

anchor to Memorial Bridge and

signifies, along with the Lincoln

Memorial on the eastern end, the

reunification of the North and

South after the Civil War.

• Arlington House, a National

Historical Landmark, represents

significant ideas in architecture

and landscape development. The

Mansion is possibly the first

example of residential neo-classical architecture in the nation, and

the site preserves a remnant of

virgin woodlands in the heart of a

major metropolitan area, that was

part of the original landscape

design.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at Arlington

House.

Theme 1 - Life and Career of Robert

E. Lee

Robert E. Lee's career and life are

directly tied to Arlington House and

are an important influence on his

decision to resign from the U.S.

Army on the eve of the Civil War. 

Theme 2 - Plantation and Family

Life

Arlington House preserves an

example of an upper south plantation of the mid-nineteenth century.

The every day workings of the plantation, the role of women and children, and the importance of religion

35

“Arlington...where my

affections are more

strongly placed than

any other place in the

world.

Robert E. Lee
are a significant part of the

Arlington story.

Theme 3 - Slavery and Freedom

The institution and practice of

slavery in the United States generally, and at Arlington House specifically, is a critical part of understanding the site's story and provides

important context for understanding Lee's character and his decision

to resign from the Army.

Theme 4 - Historic Landscape and

Environment

The National Park Service is dedicated to preserving the cultural and

natural landscape of Arlington and

interpreting its evolution from

woodlands to Arlington National

Cemetery.

Theme 5 - Antebellum, Civil War,

and Reconstruction

The Antebellum, Civil War, and

Reconstruction eras would have a

profound effect on Arlington and its

residents.

Theme 6 - Washington - Custis - Lee

Family and Legacy

The connection to the legacy of

George Washington is a major

factor in the development of the

character of Robert E. Lee. 

Theme 7 - Natural History

The site's natural history shaped its

use. Fertile soils made it ideal to

grow crops, and nearby forests provided firewood for cooking and

heating. The remaining stand of

trees (some of the oldest in the

region) provides a direct link to the

past.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to Arlington House will

have the opportunity to:

• Learn something about each of

the interpretive themes.

• Be welcome into the Lee home to

see it as it would have been during

the time of the family's occupation.

• Observe artifacts and furnishings

of the Lee and Custis families.

• Feel Lee's anguish in making his

decision to join the Confederacy.

• Appreciate the home's setting and

views of the city. 

• Identify with the roles of the individuals who were enslaved on the

plantation.

• Identify with the soldiers and

freed slaves who occupied the

Arlington House property.

• Understand and appreciate the

efforts to restore and maintain the

cultural resources.

• Explore and learn about the "old

growth" forest.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

Although a unit of George

Washington Memorial Parkway,

Arlington House also has an independent NPS designation. The site

was transferred to the NPS from the

War Department in 1933.

Designated by Congress as the

Custis-Lee Mansion in 1955, in 1972

the unit was renamed Arlington

House, The Robert E. Lee

Memorial. 

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to 

36

“I would not stir from

this house even if the

whole Northern army

were to surround it.”

Mrs. Lee to her daughter, Mildred, May 5, 1861
describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

Site maps/drawings can be found in

Appendix A.

Outreach and Marketing

With its separate designation from

the parkway, the site has its own

official park brochure. Except for

the contact address, the brochure

makes no mention of its affiliation

with the parkway. If the Arlington

House and parkway brochures were

sitting side-by-side, most visitors

would think they were two different

parks.

The Arlington House web site does

reference its connection to George

Washington Memorial Parkway on

its home page, but there is no live

link to the parkway web site. There

is a link, but one has to go to the indepth page to find it. 

All of the site's education programs

are presented on the in-depth web

page, but there is no link to the

overall parkway education program. 

Most visitors to Arlington House

probably do not realize that this is a

unit of George Washington

Memorial Parkway. 

Arlington House produces a

monthly newsletter that is primarily

targeted to volunteers, but it also is

distributed to other stakeholders

and is posted to the web site.

Arlington House also maintains an

active outreach relationship with a

number of professional, community,

and civic organizations.

Arrival

During a 1992 visitor survey, fiftynine percent of visitors to Arlington

House arrived by Tourmobile. The

remainder entered via the Arlington

National Cemetery Visitor Center

and the Kennedy grave along Custis

Walk or from the Tomb of the

Unknowns along Crook Walk. For

most visitors, Arlington National

Cemetery is the primary destination, and Arlington House is one of

several stops during their stay. 

Currently, there is no entrance sign

announcing arrival to the site or a

place to orient visitors to the site

and prepare them for a tour of the

house and grounds. Most visitors

stop first at the Arlington National

Cemetery Visitor Center; however,

there is little there to introduce visitors to Arlington House or the NPS

presence. Eastern National operates

a bookstore in the visitor center,

and some of the merchandise is

related to Arlington House and the

parkway.

Mansion

All visitors desiring to enter the

mansion are able to do so; however,

there often is a wait time on busy

days. Staff and volunteers are stationed throughout the house to

provide interpretation and security

for objects on display. The person

stationed in the center hall is

responsible for controlling the

number of visitors entering the

house and for orienting people to

the house and grounds. 

An additional staff person often is

stationed on the portico in summer

to present an interpretive orientation to waiting visitors. Timed entry

is used when more staff is available.

This severely restricts the overall

number of visitors able to enter the

mansion, but provides a pulse of

visitors more suitable for normal

tours and offers a higher degree of

resource protection.

Although all visitors typically are

able to tour the house, the average

stay is from 15-30 minutes. Student

groups participating in the Parks as

Classroom activities must be accommodated along with general visitors.

There is a need to consider the

37

“War is inevitable, and

there is no telling when it

will burst around

you...you have to move

and make arrangements

to go to some point of

safety....”

Robert E. Lee to Mrs.

Lee, April 27, 1861
quality of the visitor experience

along with the desire to turn no one

away.

The mansion operational hours currently expand by one hour in

summer, if staffing levels permit.

Slave Quarters

Investigation and restoration work

on the two brick dependency buildings (slave quarters) is currently

underway to establish their appearance at the outbreak of the Civil

War. Information resulting from this

research is revealing that these

buildings, particularly the north

slave quarters, were highly unusual

in their architecture and use. From

the split-level plan of the north slave

quarter's kitchen to the south

quarter's center room function of

storing and smoking meat, the

structures together are truly unique.

Past research also has revealed

much about individuals who lived

and worked in these buildings.

Consequently, the need to interpret

the structures and their functions

must be balanced with the need to

interpret the lives of the people.

Potting Shed

A small museum is located on the

north side of the vegetable garden in

the old potting shed. It contains

exhibits about the life of the Lee

family and a diorama with audio

depicting Lee's resignation from the

U.S. Army on the eve of the Civil

War.

Most of the media is outdated and

contains some inaccuracies. Neither

the site brochure nor the web site

mentions the museum, and few visitors find it.

Grounds

The grounds and views around

Arlington House are interpreted

primarily with wayside exhibits. The

wayside exhibits require upgrading

and should reflect current NPS

graphic identity standards. 

The historic woodlands are an

important adjunct to the site and

were part of the original design of

the estate. Few people are aware of

the efforts to save these woodlands

during the Civil War, efforts that

continue to the present. Some view

this land as unimportant and

unused. Initial planning has begun

to develop an interpretive trail

around the woodlands. There is a

woodlands wayside with a threedimensional exhibit, and there is a

strong woodlands constituency

among park partners. 

Partnerships

Many people have expressed a

desire to have a stronger and long

term relationship with the site, particularly the Robert E. Lee Chapter

of the Questers civic organization.

The site staff is interested in exploring ways to capitalize on the interests of these people and encourage

their participation in meaningful

programs and activities.

The Black Heritage Museum of

Arlington has been a partner in

developing interpretive exhibits and

owns some materials on display in

the south slave quarters. The

Society of Lees of Virginia has

loaned original museum objects for

display in the mansion. The

Arlington Historical Society

cosponsors the largest public event

held at the site each year, and the

Ancient Order of Hibernians has a

50-year history of cosponsoring a

Custis-centered event each year.

Education Program

Arlington House has an education

program focusing on Arlington

County and some Washington, D.C.

schools. Since almost all of the

activities entail entering the house,

the program requires heavy staff

involvement. 

A new curriculum-based distance

learning program (web-based)

38
focusing on the museum collection

will be on-line in FY06. 

As stated above, the information

about the education programs is

posted on the Arlington House web

site, but there is no link to the

overall education programs of the

parkway.

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding park visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver, a 1993

visitor survey for Arlington House,

and discussions with park staff. 

Refer to the Visitation and Visitor

Use description in Part 2 of this

document for information on how

Arlington House relates to parkwaywide visitor data.

Figure 4 shows total annual

Arlington House visitation over the

last ten years, and Figure 5 illustrates the total monthly visitation

for 2004.

From August 2-8, 1992 a visitor

survey of Arlington House visitors

was conducted by the University of

Idaho Cooperative Park Studies

Unit. The report was completed in 

1993 and summary data revealed

that:

• Visitors were often in family

groups (70%). Twenty-eight

percent of visitors were 15 years

old or younger, and 27% were

between 35-45 years old. 

• Most visitors (69%) were first time

visitors to Arlington House.

• Visitors from foreign countries

comprised 9% of the visitation. Of

the international visitors 31% were

from Canada, 18% from Germany,

and 11% from the United

Kingdom.

• Twenty-two percent of the U.S.

visitors came from California,

Ohio, and Virginia, with smaller

numbers from many other states.

• Fifty-nine percent of visitors identified Tourmobile as the form of

transportation they used to reach

the Arlington House site after they

reached the Arlington National

Cemetery. Eighty-six percent of

visitors spent one hour or less at

the Arlington House site, while

90% spent three house or less at

Arlington National Cemetery.

• Ninety-four percent of visitors

said they visited the inside of the

Arlington House, 89% visited the

grounds, 61% visited the flower

garden, 39% visited the museum

building, 34% entered the book

39

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Total Annual Visitation Figure 4
store, and 32% visited the slave

quarters. 

• Most visitors (93%) visited the

Tomb of the Unknowns, the

Arlington Cemetery Visitor

Center (81%), and the rest rooms

(69%) while visiting the Arlington

National Cemetery.

• Most visitors (56%) found original

artifacts, what happened to the

Arlington estate during the Civil

War (52%), and photographic displays (30%) as the three most

interesting subjects in the current

museum.

Since this study was conducted in a

shoulder season (early August), care

should be taken in applying the

results to other times of the year.

The fact that the results are over a

decade old also impacts the reliability of the data for today's visitors;

however, the staff has seen little evidence of any significant changes in

visitor patterns. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the site's

purpose, resource significance,

interpretive themes, and visitor

experience goals. Implementation

of these recommendations will help

ensure that visitors are well prepared and informed, and that they

will be able to develop meaningful 

connections with tangible and

intangible resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for Arlington House,

please refer to the parkway-wide

recommendations in Part 2 of this

document.

Outreach and Marketing

The official site brochure should be

revised to clearly identify Arlington

House as a unit of George

Washington Memorial Parkway. If

the Arlington House and parkway

brochure are displayed alongside

each other (or even with other

parkway site brochures) some

display text should be provided to

help visitors see that the sites are

connected.

40

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Monthly Visitation 2004 Figure 5
The tour map and numbered

descriptions in the official site

brochure should be revised to

include other outbuildings, gardens,

woodlot, and eventually the visitor

contact center. 

Although the Arlington House web

site won a design award in 2002, it

needs to be revised (starting with

the home page) to clearly show its

connection with the parkway. A link

to the parkway web site should be

evident in multiple locations. 

The site's education programs, presented on the in-depth web page,

also should have an obvious link to

the overall parkway education

program. 

Arrival

Arlington House needs a visitor

contact center, an arrival point

where visitors can be oriented to the

site, obtain information and tickets

for touring the house, purchase

theme-related materials, and learn

about aspects of the Lee and Custis

families that may be difficult to

relate on the house tours.

Some of the media concepts that

might be developed in the center

include:

• Lee's decision to resign from the

U.S. Army and the impacts of that

action.

• History of slavery at the site.

• Creation of the cemetery.

• Overview of the family

• Lee's post war legacy.

• Family life at Arlington House.

• History of preservation of the site.

• Personal family insights such as

their religion, political convictions, ideas toward slavery, staying

in contact during the Civil War,

etc.

Some of the exhibit concepts (but

not the exhibits) from the current

museum might be added to the

above list. The current museum

exhibits would be removed and the

building used for other purposes.

Consideration also would be given

to moving the Freedman's Village

exhibit from the south slave quarters to the center. 

The center also would have an

information desk and orientation

media that would answer commonly asked questions. One exhibit

would identify all the units of the

parkway, illustrate the thematic

linkages, and reinforce the NPS

identity. 

The cooperating association bookstore also will be moved to the

visitor contact center. 

While some of the exhibits might

contain audiovisual elements, a separate AV program should be considered. The film would set a mood for

experiencing Arlington House, but

it should not be a programmatic

tour of the home. It might address

some of the theme-related topics

above and be an excellent introduction to the site's significance. All visitors would be encouraged to view

the film before touring the site.

Copies of the film also could be

available for purchase through the

cooperating association bookstore.

The ideal location for the visitor

contact center would be close to the

house. The old cemetery administration building (currently used for

NPS site offices) has been considered. A draft management prescription (based on a 1966 Master Plan)

exists that calls for using this building as a visitor center. In this option

most of the park offices would

move elsewhere-possibly to the

potting shed or other nearby structures.

Other options considered for a

visitor contact center include space

in the Arlington National Cemetery

41

“As to our old house, if

not destroyed, it will be

difficult even to be recognized. Even if the enemy

had wished to preserve

it...it is vain to think of

its being in a habitable

condition. It is better to

make up our minds to a

general loss. They cannot

take away the remembrances of the spot, & the

memories of those that to

us render it sacred. That

will remain to us as long

as life will last, & that we

can preserve.”

Robert E. Lee to Mrs.

Lee, Christmas Day, 1861
Visitor Center, space in the Women

in the Military Service for America

Memorial, or possibly a new structure on the site. A new structure is

seen a highly unlikely during the life

of this LRIP, and the Women in the

Military facility, along with the

Cemetery visitor center are too far

away. However, more information

about Arlington House is recommended at the Cemetery visitor

center, perhaps utilizing some space

in the Eastern National bookstore.

One useful item would be a flyer

with directions on getting to the

site.

A more detailed feasibility study and

site planning will be needed to make

any formal recommendations on the

location of this facility. Basic criteria

for the center location should

include: 

• Close proximity to a Tourmobile

stop.

• Large enough to comfortably

handle peak visitation loading.

• Close proximity to the Arlington

House (meeting ADA standards)

so visitors can easily make a

scheduled tour.

In the interim, before a visitor

contact center is established, the

gazebo could be used to display

temporary site orientation panels,

probably using wayside exhibit

materials. At peak times staff could

be present to provide more specific

information and answer questions.

Another possibility would be to

adaptively rehabilitate/reconstruct

the historic rose garden pavilion for

use as an information gazebo.

Parkway staff, in partnership with

Arlington National Cemetery,

would develop an entrance sign for

the site. Visitors should see the sign

as they approach, perhaps along the

road next to the woodlands. Other

entry signs might be needed at the

approach to the site from Custis

Walk and Crook Walk. This same

partnership group also should evaluate current Cemetery, Arlington

House and area directional signing

for effectiveness in helping visitors

reach their destinations and return

to the parkway. 

NPS staff also should work with

Metro to provide some parkwaywide and Arlington House information at the Arlington Metro stop.

Mansion

Personal services interpretation will

continue to be the primary means

for visitors to experience the

Arlington House mansion. The official site brochure also will continue

to supplement the experience as a

self-guiding publication. Having a

visitor contact center nearby will

alleviate some of the orientation

burden of the staff stationed in the

house, allowing them to focus more

on resource/theme-based interpretation.

Staff will continue to explore ways

to enhance the quality of the house

tour experience while continuing to

accommodate all visitors. Some

potential options for consideration

include:

• Offer a combination of guided and

self-guided tours. The volume of

visitation at a particular time

would determine which mode to

use.

• Examine the potential of partnering with Tourmobile to have them

fund a NPS interpreter to ride or

meet the buses and possibly give

the groups a tour of the home.

• Ensure sufficient seasonal staffing

to allow continued extended

hours of operation during the

summer.

• Continue giving a general tour, but

also offer a variety of specialized

tours.

It is proposed that the kitchen be

refurnished with reproduction

42
pieces and used as an interactive or

demonstration area. In this way, the

kitchen could become a key element

of the site's education program as

well as providing hands-on experiences for general visitors. 

Additionally, the dairy area in the

south wing basement would be

rehabilitated and opened for interpretation. This area provides one of

the few remaining, tangible links for

interpreting the larger context of

plantation life for enslaved residents. To improve accessibility, consideration would be given to routing

visitors through the house basement

from the winter kitchen exhibit.

Slave Quarters

By visiting the slave quarters, visitors will understand more about the

slave experience on the estate, meet

some of the people, learn about

their lives and roles, and gain an

appreciation of the number of

enslaved people who once worked

here. Visitors also will discover how

the buildings were referred to by the

Lee family-i.e. use of the terms

"dependencies" and "servants"

rather than "slaves."

South Slave Quarters

The restored south slave quarters

will contain historic furnished

exhibits of Selina Gray's quarters,

the store room, and smokehouse. A

formal historic furnishings plan will

be developed and implemented for

these three spaces. 

Interpretation will enable visitors to

understand how these areas functioned, how they contributed to the

overall operation of the estate, and

to get glimpses into the lives of

Selina Gray and others who worked

here.

North Slave Quarters

The restored north slave quarters

will contain the historically furnished summer kitchen and cook's

quarters, and it will highlight the

unusual architecture of the building. 

Visitors will be able to look inside

and notice the unusual historic interior of the building; however,

because of accessibility issues associated with the architecture, much

of the structure will function as a

look-in experience. 

As with the south slave quarters, a

formal historic furnishings plan will

be developed for the cook's quarters and summer kitchen. Some of

the original objects from the main

house kitchen will be transferred

here. 

The current slavery exhibit in the

south slave quarters will be moved

to the north building in lieu of

simply furnishing more slave quarters. This exhibit gives in-depth

insights into slavery at Arlington

House and insights into individuals

and their descendants.

Consideration will be given to

moving the post-Civil War

Freedman's Village exhibit to the

new visitor contact center.

In addition to addressing some of

the same basic interpretive goals as

the south slave quarters, interpretation of the north slave quarters will

help visitors understand the building’s architecture. One idea is to

develop a cut-away drawing or

model of the structure. It also may

be desirable to help visitors understand something of the architectural

history of the building and how the

historic configuration was determined.

The cooperating association bookstore that previously occupied a

portion of the north slave quarters

would eventually move to the new

visitor contact center. 

Potting Shed

The long-term recommendation is

to close the current museum,

43

“We were standing with

the other black folks

apart from the white

folks, when they laid

Mr. Custis beneath his

own trees not far from

the great house that

stands today overlooking the Capital City.”

-from the 1928 Sunday

Star article written

about Jim Parks
remove the exhibits, and consider

other (perhaps administrative) uses

for the building. Some of the exhibit

concepts (but not the exhibits)

would be considered in the media

plans for the proposed new visitor

contact center. 

In the short term the museum

would remain where it is; however,

better signing is needed to direct

visitors to the facility. Also, if the

official site brochure is updated

before a new contact center is

developed, it should include a

mention of the museum and possibly included in an expanded map of

the grounds and outbuildings.

Grounds

The grounds at Arlington House

will continue to be interpreted

through a variety of personal services activities and wayside exhibits.

The wayside exhibits will be

upgraded/replaced as a component

of the parkway-wide wayside

exhibit proposal. New waysides will

reflect current NPS graphic identity

standards and also convey a

parkway connection. 

To enable visitors to experience

more of the site, a self-guiding interpretive trail is proposed that would

lead visitors around the edge of the

historic woodlands. Interpretive

wayside exhibits along the trail will

help visitors appreciate the value of

the woodlands as an important

component of the site and that it

was part of the original design of

the estate. Other potential

stories/topics that could be

addressed along the trail include:

• The location of the ice house

• Use of the woodlands by children

• Use of the woodlands by slaves

• Early efforts to save these woodlands during the Civil War

• Discovery of prehistory artifacts

• The size of the original plantation

compared to what remains today

• Recognition of the woodlands as a

superlative remnant example of a

Terraced Gravel Uplands natural

environment

The woodlands trail also would

provide opportunities for periodic

guided interpretive walks, and for

use by the education program.

Partnerships

A new partnership is recommended

to provide a structure for the many

people who have expressed a desire

to have a stronger and long-term

relationship with Arlington House.

While a restructuring of the existing

VIP program might be able to

accommodate this need, another

format may be desirable. Various

options would be explored.

This new group would not engage

in fund raising, as that is the role of

the Greater Washington Area Parks

Fund in the National Capital

Region. However, the group could

play a valuable role in promoting

the history of the site, assisting with

developing and coordinating special

events, participating in training sessions, and maintaining a database of

people who want to be kept

informed about site activities and

programs.

Education Program

The current education programs for

multiple age groups at Arlington

House will continue. These programs are well established, popular,

and successful in meeting the curriculum requirements of participating schools.

Site staff will continue to explore

ways to better accommodate school

groups in the main house along with

general visitation. This may require

a rerouting of the tour pattern. 

Restoration of the slave quarters,

establishment of the woodlands

trail, rehabilitation of the dairy, and

44
furnishing the main house kitchen

with reproduced objects will create

potential for new education programs. Coupled with a good teacher

training program, some activities

could be designed to minimize the

involvement of park staff. Parks as

Classroom grants may be available

to develop some of these programs.

Other potential programs might be

developed through the Teaching

with Historic Places program. 

Even with teachers trained to

conduct some activities on their

own, additional programs and the

involvement of more school groups

will require an increase in education

staff at Arlington House (see

Staffing section in Part 4).

Web site information about the

Arlington House education programs needs to be linked to the

overall education programs on the

parkway.

The development of a curriculumbased virtual tour of the site is recommended. Available in CD or

DVD format, the program would be

available for use in schools as preand post-visit learning activities.

The program also could be available

to the general public.

45
ARLINGTON RIDGE PARK:

THE NETHERLANDS CARILLON
PURPOSE

The purpose of the Netherlands

Carillon is to express the gratitude

of the Dutch people for American

aid received during and after World

War II and to symbolize our shared

friendship with common allegiance

to the principles of freedom, justice,

and democracy.

SIGNIFICANCE

The significance of the Netherlands

Carillon is attributed to the following:

• According to Pierre L'Enfant's

original design plan for

Washington, D.C., the

Netherlands Carillon occupies the

end of the National Mall axis,

hence the great views from this

location.

• The tower depicts a unique architectural style that compliments the

landscape of Washington, D.C.

• The tower is used regularly (MaySeptember) for a variety of performances.

• Today, the tower houses a camera

used to monitor Washington's air

quality.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at the

Netherlands Carillon.

Theme 1 - Freedom

The Carillon and the adjacent U.S.

Marine Corps War Memorial both

symbolize the fight for freedom

during World War II.

Theme 2 - Friendship and Gratitude

The carillon symbolizes the gratitude of the Dutch people for

America's role in liberating the

Netherlands during World War II

and the friendship and common

allegiance to key principles shared

by both countries.

Theme 3 - Voice of the Bells

The carillon bells themselves have

symbolic meaning as voices - sometimes tiny - speaking out in a troubled world.

Theme 4 - Design of the Nation's

Capital

The beautiful views from the

Netherlands Carillon are not an

accident, as this location was

designed by L'Enfant to be the end

of the National Mall axis.

Theme 5 - Air Quality

The quality of the air not only

affects the views of the city, but it

also impacts buildings, monuments,

natural resources, and the overall

quality of life in the Nation's

Capital.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

49

“So many voices in our

troubled world are still

unheard”

-dedication on the

Netherlands Carillon
document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to the Netherlands Carillon

will have the opportunity to:

• Make intellectual and emotional

connections with site resources.

• Hear the bells.

• See the amazing views of

Washington and Arlington

National Cemetery.

• Admire and appreciate the structure's architecture.

• Experience a Carillon performance.

• Understand how a Carillon works.

• Experience some form of interpretation and/or education

program.

• Obtain information about programs and activities.

• Learn about efforts to monitor air

quality in the national parks.

• Learn about volunteer opportunities.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map of Arlington Ridge Park

can be found in Appendix A.

The Netherlands Carillon is administered through the parkway's

Virginia District. The site is located

in Virginia and borders the northern end of Arlington National

Cemetery, adjacent to the U.S.

Marine Corps War Memorial. The

combined sites are referred to as

Arlington Ridge Park.

The site is interpreted by two

wayside exhibits. A park-produced

brochure is distributed through an

on-site dispenser. There are no

other interpretive facilities, in fact

by law no additional structures can

be built at the site (including an

informational kiosk).

Parkway staff, volunteers, and

others provide information and

formal and informal interpretation

at the site on a regular basis.

Following carillon concerts, the carillonneurs are often available to talk

with visitors. 

A web page for the Netherlands

Carillon is provided through the

main parkway Internet site. This

web page also provides a live link to

the U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial page; however there is

not a reciprocal link. 

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding site visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver, a 1998

visitor survey, and discussions with

park staff. Refer to the Visitation

and Visitor Use description in Part 2

of this document for information on

how the Netherlands Carillon

relates to parkway-wide visitor data.

Visitation figures for the

Netherlands Carillon are combined

with those for the U.S. Marine

Corps War Memorial. Total annual

visitation for the combined sites for

2004 was 1,293,209. Figure 6 illustrates the total monthly visitation

for the combined sites for 2004.

During May 30- June 7, 1998, a

survey was conducted of combined

50
site visitors. The final report titled

The Netherlands Carillon/The United

States Marine Corps War Memorial

(Iwo Jima) Visitor Study, revealed

that:

• Thirty-seven percent of visitor

groups were families; 20% arrived

alone; and 26% came in a group

of 11 or more people.

• Twenty-five percent of combined

site visitors were part of an organized tour group.

• Thirty-one percent of visitors

were between the ages of 36-50;

29% were between the ages of 16-

35; 14% were between the ages of

11-15; and 7% were 10 years of age

or younger.

• Half (50%) of visitors were

making their first visit to the combined sites. Of the repeat visitors,

58% said they visited the site more

often than once a month.

• Regarding overall length of stay,

82% of visitors spent one hour or

less at the combined sites, and of

those 44% stayed one half hour or

less. 

• For length of stay at specific sites,

77% of visitors stayed 15 minutes

at the Netherlands Carillon, 45%

of visitors stayed 15 minutes and

another 45% stayed 30 minutes at

the U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial.

• Eighty-nine percent of visitors

visited the U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial, 50% visited the grassy,

open field, and 40% visited the

Netherlands Carillon.

• Visitors came from many states

and foreign countries. Eight

percent of visitors were of international origin. 

• Reasons for visiting included: visiting the U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial (74%), recreation

(26%), personal reasons (19%),

being part of a prepackaged tour

(17%), and visiting the

Netherlands Carillon (12%).

• Forty-six percent of visitors were

aware that the sites were managed

by the National Park Service. Of

course, this also means that the

remainder did not know or were

not sure who managed the sites.

• Regarding the sufficiency of information (interpretation?) provided

at the sites, 49% of visitors said

that they received enough information, while 41% indicated that

they did not receive sufficient

information. Visitors who said

that they did not receive enough

information indicated they would

have liked more in the form of

brochures (68%), written exhibits

(47%)[Note: this may indicate

wayside exhibits.], and on-site

rangers (42%). "Other" sources of

information preferred by visitors

included a combination of

brochures and audio tapes, documentary videos, and the internet.

51

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

180000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Monthly Visitation 2004 Figure 6
Since the study was conducted from

late May to early June, care should

be taken in applying the results to

other times of the year.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the site's

purpose, resource significance,

interpretive themes, and visitor

experience goals. Implementation

of these recommendations will help

ensure that visitors are well prepared and informed, and that they

will be able to develop meaningful

connections with tangible and

intangible resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for The Netherlands

Carillon, please refer to the parkway

wide recommendations in Part 2 of

this document

The roving and other personal services interpretive activities at the site

will continue. 

The existing and potential wayside

exhibits at The Netherlands

Carillon will be included in the proposed parkway-wide wayside

exhibit proposal. All exhibits will be

designed to help visitors establish

connections with the resources. The

wayside exhibits will convey an

identity with the parkway, the NPS,

and comply with NPS graphic identity standards. The wayside plan for

the combined sites also would

include a parkway wide orientation

exhibit (see the parkway-wide

Wayside Exhibit section in Part 2 of

this document).

Site publications should be evaluated with regard to design uniformity

with other parkway literature and

for compliance with NPS graphic

identity standards. 

The resources and themes at the site

offer potential opportunities for the

development of a curriculum-based

education program. This might be a

good site to explore the development of programs that could be

conducted primarily by teachers

with minimal involvement of park

staff. More information on this

approach can be found in the

parkway-wide Education Program

section in Part 2 of this document. 

The site web page would include a

description of the various interpretive and educational programs available, and a link to the parkway-wide

education page.

Add a link to the national website

for the air resources program.

52

“To achieve real

harmony, justice should

be done also to the small

and tiny voices, which

are not supported by the

might of their weight.

Mankind could learn

from this. So many

voices in our troubled

world are still unheard.

Let that be an incentive

for all of us when we

hear the bells ringing.”

Queen Juliana, The

Netherlands
ARLINGTON RIDGE PARK:

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS WAR MEMORIAL
PURPOSE

The U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial symbolizes our nation's

high regard for the honored dead of

the Marine Corps. Although the

statue depicts one of the most

famous incidents of World War II,

the memorial is dedicated to all

marines who have given their lives

since 1775. 

SIGNIFICANCE

The significance of the U.S. Marine

Corps War Memorial lies in honoring all Marines killed in action since

1775. Although the memorial is popularly nicknamed the "Iwo Jima

Memorial," it is dedicated to more

than one single battle. In addition,

the area in and around the memorial serves as a prime setting for a

variety of Marine Corps ceremonies

and special events. 

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at the U.S.

Marine Corps War Memorial.

Theme 1 - Symbolism

The U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial statue, symbolizing

freedom, honor, and valor, has

become an icon for Marines as well

as the general public.

Theme 2 - Tribute 

While the monument depicts one of

the most famous incidents of World

War II, it is dedicated to all Marines

who have given their lives in defense

of our country since 1775.

Theme 3 - Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima's location, midway

between American bomber bases in

the Mariana Islands and the

country of Japan, was key to military strategies during World War II.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to the U.S. Marine Corps

War Memorial will have the opportunity to:

• Learn something about each of

the interpretive themes.

• Make intellectual and emotional

connections with the resources

and the events they represent.

• Remember important people,

places, and events.

• Come to a sense of closure.

• Take photos.

• Meet U.S. Marine Corps veterans.

55

“The U.S. Marine Corps

War Memorial is a monument of history and

heroism forever frozen in

time.”

Larry Ward, U.S. Marine

Corps Veteran
• Attend live U.S. Marine Corps ceremonies/events.

• Appreciate the memorial's architecture and design.

• Experience some form of interpretative and/or educational

program.

• Obtain information about programs and activities.

• Find information about volunteer

opportunities at the park.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map of Arlington Ridge Park

can be found in Appendix A.

The parkway's Virginia District

administers the U.S. Marine Corps

War Memorial (also commonly

nicknamed the Iwo Jima Memorial).

The site is located on the Virginia

shore of the Potomac River opposite Washington, D.C. and borders

the northern end of Arlington

National Cemetery, adjacent to the

Netherlands Carillon. The site,

when combined with the

Netherlands Carillon, is referred to

as Arlington Ridge Park.

Visitors to the site may view four

wayside exhibits, which were

installed in 2003. The previous site

brochure, which is currently being

revised by Harpers Ferry Center,

reflects an old NPS design. There

are no other interpretive facilities.

In fact, by law no additional structures can be built at the site (including an informational kiosk).

Parkway staff and volunteers

provide interpretation at the site on

a regular basis. 

A web page for the memorial is provided through the main parkway

Internet site. Although there is a

link to the U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial page from the

Netherlands Carillon web page,

there is not a reciprocal link. 

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding site visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver, a 1998

visitor survey, and discussions with

park staff. Refer to the Visitation

and Visitor Use description in Part 2

of this document for information on

how U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial relates to parkway-wide

visitor data.

[Note: This following is a duplicate of

the information presented in the

Netherlands Carillon section.]

Visitation figures for The

Netherlands Carillon are combined

with those for the U.S. Marine

Corps War Memorial. Total annual

visitation for the combined sites for

2004 was 1,293,209. Figure 7 illustrates the total monthly visitation

for the combined sites for 2004.

During May 30- June 7, 1998, a

survey was conducted of combined

site visitors. The final report titled

The Netherlands Carillon/The United

States Marine Corps War Memorial

(Iwo Jima) Visitor Study, revealed

that:

• Thirty-seven percent of visitor

groups were families; 20% arrived

alone; and 26% came in a group

of 11 or more people.

• Twenty-five percent of combined

site visitors were part of an organized tour group.

56

“I settled in Arlington the

same year the U.S.

Marine Corps War

Memorial was dedicated. My early visits were

rare - the memories of

friends and colleagues

who didn’t return home,

as I had, were just too

painful.”

Tom Miller, U.S.

Marine Corps Veteran,

WWII (Iwo Jima)
• Thirty-one percent of visitors

were between the ages of 36-50;

29% were between the ages of 16-

35; 14% were between the ages of

11-15; and 7% were ten years of age

or younger.

• Half (50%) of visitors were

making their first visit to the combined sites. Of the repeat visitors,

58% said they visited the site more

often than once a month.

• Regarding overall length of stay,

82% of visitors spent one hour or

less at the combined sites, and of

those 44% stayed one half hour or

less. 

• For length of stay at specific sites,

77% of visitors stayed 15 minutes

at the Netherlands Carillon, 45%

of visitors stayed 15 minutes and

another 45% stayed 30 minutes at

the U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial.

• Eighty-nine percent of visitors

visited the U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial, 50% visited the grassy,

open field, and 40% visited the

Netherlands Carillon.

• Visitors came from many states

and foreign countries. Eight

percent of visitors were of international origin. 

• Reasons for visiting included: visiting the U.S. Marine Corps War

Memorial (74%), recreation

(26%), personal reasons (19%),

being part of a prepackaged tour

(17%), and visiting the

Netherlands Carillon (12%).

• Forty-six percent of visitors were

aware that the sites were managed

by the National Park Service. Of

course, this also means that the

remainder did not know or were

not sure who managed the sites.

• Regarding the sufficiency of information (interpretation?) provided

at the sites, 49% of visitors said

that they received enough information, while 41% indicated that

they did not receive sufficient

information. Visitors who said

that they did not receive enough

information indicated they would

have liked more in the form of

brochures (68%), written exhibits

(47%)[Note: this may indicate

wayside exhibits.], and on-site

rangers (42%). "Other" sources of

information preferred by visitors

included a combination of

brochures and audio tapes, documentary videos, and the internet.

Since the study was conducted from

late May to early June, care should

be taken in applying the results to

other times of the year.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the site's

purpose, resource significance,

interpretive themes, and visitor

57

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

180000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Figure 7 Monthly Visitation 2004
experience goals. Implementation

of these recommendations will help

ensure that visitors are well prepared and informed, and that they

will be able to develop meaningful

connections with tangible and

intangible resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for the U.S. Marine

Corps War Memorial, please refer

to the parkway wide recommendations in Part 2 of this document

The roving and other personal services interpretive activities at the site

will continue and expand. 

Even though they are relatively new,

the existing wayside exhibits at the

U.S. Marine Corps Memorial will be

included in the proposed parkwaywide wayside exhibit proposal. All

exhibits will continue to be

designed to help visitors establish

connections with the resources. The

wayside exhibits will convey an

identity with the parkway, the NPS,

and comply with NPS graphic identity standards. The wayside plan for

the combined sites also would

include a parkway-wide orientation

exhibit (see the parkway-wide

Wayside Exhibit section in Part 2 of

this document).

The new site brochure should be

evaluated with regard to design uniformity with other parkway literature and for compliance with NPS

graphic identity standards. 

The resources and themes at the site

offer potential opportunities for the

development of a curriculum-based

education program. This might be a

good site to explore the development of programs that could be

conducted primarily by teachers

with minimal involvement from

park staff. More information on this

approach can be found in the

parkway-wide Education Program

section in Part 2 of this document. 

The site web page would include a

description of the various interpretive and educational programs available, and a link to the parkway-wide

education page.

A link to the Netherlands Carillon

web page also is recommended. The

potential of including excerpts of

future oral history interviews also

could be considered.

58

“While it honors all the

brave Americans who

fought and died in a

bloody battle on a

remote island many

years ago, it symbolizes

and pays homage to all

Marines who have sacrificed themselves for the

cause of freedom since

our Nation was

founded.”

Dan Crawford, U.S.

Marine Corps History

and Museums Division
CLARA BARTON NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
MISSION

Based upon the legislation and the

park's management plan, the

mission of Clara Barton National

Historic Site is to preserve the home

and tell the story of Clara Barton

and her association with the

American Red Cross. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of Clara Barton

National Historic Site is:

• Clara Barton National Historic

Site tells the early story of the

American Red Cross through the

interpretation of the life, times

and home of its founder, Clara

Barton.

• Clara Barton National Historic

Site preserves the home, artifacts,

and archives related to Clara

Barton.

SIGNIFICANCE

The significance of the Clara Barton

National Historic Site is attributed

to the following:

• The building and its contents in

Glen Echo, Maryland, serve as

tangible physical reminders of

Miss Barton's accomplishments as

founder and first president of the

American Red Cross.

• The house was constructed in 1891

and served as a warehouse for

relief supplies for the American

Red Cross. In addition to serving

as a warehouse, the structure later

became Miss Barton's residence

and headquarters of the American

Red Cross. She resigned from the

American Red Cross in 1904 and

resided in the house until her

death in 1912. The home is designated as a National Historic

Landmark and is listed on the

National Register of Historic

Places.

• After resigning from the American

Red Cross, Miss Barton focused

her efforts on establishing the

American First Aid Association

until her death in 1912. 

• In order to promote the development of the Glen Echo

Chautauqua, the construction of

the house was financed by the

Baltzley Brothers, founders of the

Glen Echo Chautauqua.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at Clara

Barton National Historic Site.

Theme 1 - Early history of American

Red Cross

Clara Barton traveled to Europe and

became involved with the

International Red Cross during the

Franco-Prussian War of 1870. She

brought this concept of neutral,

independent relief activities back to

America leading to the founding of

the American Red Cross in 1881.

61

“She was a remarkable

person who dedicated

her life and energies to

help others in times of

need - both home and

abroad, in peacetime as

well as during military

emergencies. Glen Echo

was her home the last

[15] years of her life and

this structure illustrates

her dedication and

concern for those less fortunate than herself.”

--House Resolution

13157 for the establishment of Clara Barton

National Historic Site
Theme 2 - Disaster Relief

The early activities of the American

Red Cross were devoted to natural

disaster relief.

Theme 3 - Life and times of Clara

Barton

As a liberal woman in 19th Century

America, Clara Barton was a leader

in several major humanitarian activities including: civil rights, black

male suffrage, prison reform, disaster relief, women's rights, and educational reform.

Theme 4 - Self Help

In Clara Barton's American Red

Cross relief work she took special

care in helping victims rebuild their

lives by showing them how to help

themselves.

Theme 5 - History of Science and

Technology

Clara Barton's interest in technology is reflected in many features

throughout the house.

Theme 6 - A Lifetime of Service

Clara Barton's courage, patriotism,

and willingness to serve in disaster

recovery work gave her a depth of

understanding that few people

would experience.

Theme 7 - The House

The house at Glen Echo served

concurrently as warehouse for relief

supplies, headquarters for the

American Red Cross, and for the

last fifteen years of her life, Clara

Barton's home.

Theme 8 - Architecture of House

The house at Glen Echo, constructed in 1891, with its unique architectural details and original interior

treatments, serves as the nucleus of

the Clara Barton National Historic

Site collection.

Theme 9 - Relationship with Glen

Echo

The founders of the Chautauqua at

Glen Echo hoped that Clara

Barton's celebrity would attract

investors to their development.

Therefore, the Baltzley brothers

financed the construction of the

structure later used as Clara

Barton's home. In return, Clara

Barton served as president of the

Chautauqua Women's Executive

Committee.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to the Clara Barton

National Historic Site will have the

opportunity to:

• Experience the time period in

which Clara Barton lived.

• Appreciate the volume and range

of Clara Barton's achievements.

• Gain a broader understanding of

Clara Barton's life and character.

• Experience a well maintained

home.

• Participate in a variety of special

events and changeable displays.

• Discover the connection between

Clara Barton National Historic

Site and Glen Echo Park.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

Although a unit of George

Washington Memorial Parkway, the

Clara Barton House also has an

independent NPS designation. The

site was authorized in 1974 and

established a year later as the Clara

Barton National Historic Site. In

1989 a 6.8 mile section of the

George Washington Memorial

Parkway in Maryland was renamed

in honor of Clara Barton. 

62

“Their first view of the

home was the fluttering

of the United States flag

from the tall flagpole

above the house, and

next, the Red Cross flag

floating in the breeze

over the central door,

which was thrown hospitably open to receive

the guests.”

Stephen E. Barton,

nephew of Clara

Barton
The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map/drawing can be found in

the Maps section in Appendix A.

Outreach and Marketing

With its separate designation from

the parkway, the site has its own

official park brochure. The existing

site brochure makes no mention of

its affiliation with the parkway. If

the Clara Barton NHS and parkway

brochures were sitting side-by-side,

most visitors would think they were

two different parks. Currently, a

new brochure is in production that

will include references to the

parkway.

Many program-specific handouts

have been prepared by the site and

distributed as part of a special event

or program.

The Clara Barton National Historic

Site web site does reference its connection to George Washington

Memorial Parkway on its home

page, and on the in-depth page a

link to the parkway web site is provided. However, this link to the

parkway is listed under a heading

"Adjacent Visitor Attractions."

Links with a number of other

theme-related sites also are provided, although there are few, if any,

reciprocal links. For example, there

is a link to the American Red Cross

Museum. The Red Cross web site

does mention the Clara Barton

NHS, but provides no live link.

All of the site's education programs

are presented on the in-depth web

page, but there is no link to the

overall parkway education program.

Links to an education partnership

program with Adventure Theater is

provided, but not on the

"Education Programs" page. 

Most visitors to Clara Barton

National Historic Site probably do

not realize that this is a unit of

George Washington Memorial

Parkway. 

Figure 3 on page 8 shows that of all

the parkway sites for which visitation figures are reported, Clara

Barton NHS received the lowest

number of visitors. While the

number of visitors on a tour of the

house is limited due to the need to

protect the historic structure and

the many original objects, and to

provide a quality visitor experience,

there is potential to accommodate

significantly more visitors.

A survey of Glen Echo Park visitors

conducted in May 1992 showed that

only 2% of weekday and weekend

visitors to Glen Echo Park also

visited Clara Barton National

Historic Site. If this percentage

holds close for today's visitors and

for visitors at other times of the

year, then the need to market the

two sites together is obvious.

Arrival

Signs direct visitors to a parking lot

that is shared with the Glen Echo

Park unit. Once in the parking lot,

the signing for the two sites is not

clear. This can be especially troublesome for first-time visitors who

often are not sure where to go once

they arrive. 

Currently, there is no place to adequately orient visitors to the site and

prepare them for a tour of the house

and grounds.

House Interior

All visitors to the house receive a

guided tour. Currently, visitors who

63
must wait for the next tour must do

so outside. During inclement

weather, if people need to wait for

the next tour, some just leave. This

waiting time would be an excellent

opportunity for visitors to get oriented to the site and learn about

aspects of Clara Barton's life that

cannot be presented well through

the historically furnished rooms. 

Additional rooms are currently

being furnished by Harpers Ferry

Center through an amendment to

the historic furnishings plan. 

One room on the main floor is used

to show audiovisual programs and

for rotating exhibits on various

aspects of Clara Barton's life.

Currently, this same room is used to

show a commercially produced 30-

minute video on Clara Barton and

an in-house produced slide

program. No professionally produced audiovisual program specifically for Clara Barton National

Historic Site has been developed.

Grounds

The grounds around the house look

nothing like they did when Clara

Barton lived here. Historic photos

exist which show the grounds

during the period of historical significance 

Education Program

The site offers excellent education

programs, developed in partnership

with the Montgomery County, MD

school system. Since almost all of

the activities entail entering the

house, the program requires heavy

staff involvement. 

As stated above, the information

about the education programs is

posted on the Clara Barton National

Historic Site web site, but there is

no link to the overall parkway education programs.

The site has developed a partnership program with Adventure

Theater within Glen Echo Park that

brings Ms. Barton's accomplishments to life.

The site also wishes to develop

additional partnership programs

with entities like the Discovery

Creek Children's Museum.

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding site visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver, and

discussions with park staff. No separate visitor survey data for the site

is available. Refer to the Visitation

and Visitor Use description in Part 2

of this document for information on

how Clara Barton National Historic

Site relates to parkway-wide visitor

data.

Figure 8 shows total annual Clara

Barton NHS visitation over the last

ten years, and Figure 9 illustrates

the total monthly visitation for

2004.

Although no visitor survey has been

conducted for the site, in May of

1992 a survey was conducted for

Glen Echo Park. The results of that

survey included one reference to

the Clara Barton House. It indicated

that about 2% of weekday and

weekend visitors to Glen Echo Park

also visited the Clara Barton

National Historic Site.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the site's

mission, purpose, resource significance, interpretive themes, and

visitor experience goals.

Implementation of these recommendations will help ensure that

visitors are well prepared and

informed, and that they will be able

64
to develop meaningful connections

with tangible and intangible

resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for Clara Barton

National Historic Site, please refer

to the parkway-wide recommendations in Part 2 of this document.

Outreach and Marketing

The official site brochure should be

revised to comply with current NPS

graphic identity standards and to

clearly identify Clara Barton

National Historic Site as a unit of

George Washington Memorial

Parkway. If the site brochure is displayed along with the parkway

brochure (or even with other

parkway site brochures) some text

should be provided to help visitors

see how the sites are connected.

The Clara Barton NHS web site also

should be revised to clearly show its

65

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Total Annual Visitation Figure 8

0

500

1000

1500

2000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Monthly Visitation 2004 Figure 9
connection with the parkway. A link

to the parkway web site should be

evident in multiple locations.

Reciprocal web site links should be

encouraged from theme related

sites. The site's education programs

also should have an obvious link to

the overall parkway education

program. 

An informal survey of visitors to

Clara Barton National Historic Site

and Glen Echo Park is recommended to see how many visitors to one

site actually visit (or have visited)

the other. If the results are anywhere near those of the 1992 survey,

then various marketing strategies

(including those presented in the

parkway-wide section in Part 2 of

this document) should be explored.

Arrival

The site needs an initial visitor

contact area, an arrival point where

visitors can get out of the weather,

get oriented, obtain information for

touring the house, purchase themerelated materials, and learn about

aspects of the life and accomplishments of Clara Barton that may be

difficult to relate on the house

tours.

A portion of the basement of the

house has been considered for use

as the initial contact space.

Although considerable adaptive use

restoration work would be required

along with necessary compliance,

the basement offers sufficient space

for greeting visitors and providing

various forms of interpretive media.

However, a more detailed feasibility

study and site planning will be

needed to make any formal recommendations on the location of this

facility. 

In addition to work on the interior,

an accessible approach and

entrance to the basement would be

required. Signs and a redesigned

walkway would be needed to direct

visitors to the contact area entrance

rather that to the front door of the

house. 

Some of the media concepts that

might be developed for the proposed initial contact area include:

• The breadth of Clara Barton's

accomplishments during her life. 

• Her life before coming to the

house.

• Her work with the women's

movement.

• Her work with minorities.

• Her work with prison reform.

• Her Civil War activities.

• That she was the first woman

employed full-time by the federal

government.

• Dispelling some of the myths

about the house.

Since elementary school groups

constitute a significant portion of

the site's visitation, much of the

media developed should be geared

toward the K-6 level. This would

include the development of interactive elements, and providing enough

space around the exhibits to gather

a group of students. An area for

interactive activities, such as tent

raising (an element of an education

program activity), also would be

needed.

An information desk and an exhibit

that would identify all the units of

the parkway, illustrate the thematic

linkages, and reinforce the NPS

identity would be included in the

design. The cooperating association

bookstore also would be moved

into this area. 

A new professionally produced

audiovisual program will be developed. The film would set a mood

for experiencing the site, but it

should not be a programmatic tour

of the house. It might address some

of the theme-related topics above

and it would be an excellent intro66
duction to the site's significance. All

visitors would be encouraged to

view the film before touring the

house. Copies of the film also could

be available for purchase through

the cooperating association bookstore.

Parkway staff, in partnership with

appropriate highway authorities,

will evaluate area and site directional signing for effectiveness in

helping visitors reach their destinations and return to the parkway.

Key signs also should have a prominent NPS identity.

House Interior

Personal services interpretation and

special events will continue to be

the primary means for visitors to

experience the site. Having an initial

visitor contact area will alleviate

some of the orientation burden of

the staff stationed in the house,

allowing them to focus more on

resource/theme-based interpretation.

Staff will continue to explore ways

to enhance the quality of the house

tour experience while continuing to

accommodate all visitors. Because

of structural load limitations and

security considerations, the

maximum number of visitors per

tour will continue to be kept at 20.

Completion of the amended historic furnishing plan will provide

additional opportunities for visitors

to learn more about the house and

its functions. Moving the bookstore,

audiovisual and other media to the

visitor contact area will allow the

historic furnishing of two additional

rooms on the main floor. The "red

room" once served as a storeroom,

and furnishing it would give visitors

a better understanding of the multiple Red Cross functions the house

contained.

Grounds

The grounds at Clara Barton NHS

will be interpreted through a variety

of personal services activities and

wayside exhibits. The wayside

exhibits will be developed as a component of the parkway widewayside exhibit proposal. New waysides will reflect current NPS

graphic identity standards and also

convey a parkway connection. 

Wayside exhibits would be kept to a

minimum (perhaps no more the 2-3)

and would not intrude on photo

opportunities of the house. The use

of historic images on the wayside

exhibits will help people visualize

the site during the period of historic

significance.

Education Program

The current education programs for

Clara Barton National Historic Site,

including the current partnership

with Adventure Theater at Glen

Echo Park, will continue. These

programs are well established,

popular, and successful in meeting

the curriculum requirements of participating schools.

Opportunities to expand the education program to more schools and

grade levels and to develop additional education partnerships will

be explored. One specific partnership would be explored with the

Discovery Creek Children's

Museum to develop an interpretive

exhibit on the natural resources of

the Clara Barton National Historic

Site.

However, even with teachers

trained to conduct some activities

on their own, additional programs

and the involvement of more school

groups will require an increase in

education staff at Clara Barton NHS

(see Staffing section in Part 4).

Web site information about the

Clara Barton National Historic Site

education program needs to be

67

“Office work today consists of indexing books,

filing letters, writing

several letters for Miss

Barton, and in the afternoon writing Dr.

Hubble’s report of Sea

Island relief, the latter to

be used in Miss Barton’s

book.”

--diary entry for

November 23, 1898
linked to the overall education programs on the parkway. Other web

site improvements might include a

virtual tour of the house or a timeline of Clara Barton's life and

accomplishments.

The development of a curriculumbased virtual tour of the site is recommended. Available in CD or

DVD format, the program would be

available for use in schools as preand post-visit learning activities.

The program also could be available

to the general public.

68

“Clara Barton lived and

died surrounded by all

that went into the daily

performance of her

work. ...[She] gloried in

those undecorated board

walls as if they had been

palatial...It was a place

for service, and that

service was the joy and

glory of her life.”

William E. Barton, from

The Life of Clara Barton
DYKE MARSH WILDLIFE PRESERVE
PURPOSE

The purpose of Dyke Marsh

Wildlife Preserve is to protect irreplaceable wetlands which are valuable for the reproduction and

preservation of wildlife near the

Nation’s Capital.

SIGNIFICANCE

The significance of Dyke Marsh

Wildlife Preserve includes:

• Dyke Marsh, one of the largest

naturally occurring freshwater

tidal marshes in the National Park

System, contains a relic narrowleaf cattail community that

remains a dominant vegetative

feature.

• Dyke Marsh is an oasis in metropolitan Washington, D.C. that

provides diverse opportunities for

inspiration, wildlife observation,

interaction with the natural environment, exercise, and fun

through a variety of outdoor

experiences.

• Dyke Marsh contributes to the

health of the Potomac River and

the Chesapeake Bay Watershed by

filtering pollutants arising from

adjacent urban land uses.

• The question and process of

restoring Dyke Marsh provides

lessons in modern-day natural

resource management practices

and philosophies.

• The history of Dyke Marsh illustrates a lineage of human interaction with this environment, from

American Indian hunting and

fishing, colonial farming with the

creation of dykes, sand and gravel

dredging, to its current use as a

preserve and recreation area.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at Dyke

Marsh Wildlife Preserve.

Theme 1 - Habitat Recovery

Dyke Marsh serves as an example of

human impact on the environment

and the ability of the resource to

recover.

Theme 2 - Importance of Wetlands

Dyke Marsh filters pollutants, provides critical habitat and nurseries

for an abundance of wildlife, serves

as nature's flood control, and offers

beautiful settings for education and

recreation.

Theme 3 - Watershed

Lying within the Potomac River

and Chesapeake Bay watersheds,

Dyke Marsh serves as a "living laboratory" to study the health of this

rare and endangered ecosystem.

Theme 4 - People and Geography

People, drawn to the beauty and

utility of the Potomac River, have

chosen to live, work, and play along

its shores for centuries and have in

71

“Long acquaintanceship

with the Dyke Marsh

Wildlife Preserve just

south of Alexandria has

made me particularly

enamored of that haven

for birds and other

wildlife, one of the park’s

environmental treasures.”

Jeb Byrne, Friends of

Dyke Marsh
turn greatly affected the landscape

of Dyke Marsh.

Theme 5 - Transportation

Dyke Marsh, located adjacent to

one of the nation's first "water highways" (the Potomac River), is inextricably tied to the maritime history

and growth of the Nation's Capital.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to the Dyke Marsh will have

the opportunity to:

• Learn something about each of

the interpretive themes.

• Make intellectual and emotional

connections with park resources.

• Experience some form of interpretation and/or education

program.

• Imagine the historic uses of Dyke

Marsh throughout time.

• Explore and discover the marsh's

history, diversity of plant and

animals, and possible recreation

activities.

• Enjoy the beauty of the swamp,

forest, and marsh environments.

• Obtain information about future

interpretive programs.

• Volunteer to assist with public

education and/or preservation of

park resources.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map can be found in

Appendix A.

Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve is

administered through the parkway's

Virginia District. Visitors access the

marsh via a gravel path, and it is

about a mile walk from the trailhead

to the river. Until destroyed by

Hurricane Isabel in 2003, a boardwalk allowed visitors to walk out

into the marsh. The boardwalk is

scheduled to be rebuilt in the

future. A bulletin board and

brochure box are located at the site.

There are no other interpretive

facilities.

Interpretation at the site consists

mainly of bird walks led by the

Friends of Dyke Marsh and roving

interpretation by park rangers. The

site also is used by education groups

who engage in the Park as Labs

Bridging the Watershed program

offered by the NPS in partnership

with the Alice Ferguson

Foundation. In addition, parkway

staff provide occasional themerelated interpretive programs to the

public upon request for special

groups.

Some initial work has begun on

developing a series of wayside

exhibits for Dyke Marsh, but this

effort was halted temporarily with

the destruction of the boardwalk

and previous low staffing levels. 

The parkway web site includes a

separate page on Dyke Marsh. This

page describes the special habitat

and some of the related resource

management issues; however, it

does not mention or provide links

72

“As a young adult, I

learned to sail near Belle

Haven and marveled at

the natural resources of

Dyke Marsh with only

the sounds of the water

against the hull.” 

Walton H. Owen,

Assistant Director/

Curator, Fort Ward

Museum & Historic

Site
to the interpretive or education

activities.

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding park visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver, a 1993

visitor survey, and discussions with

park staff. Refer to the Visitation

and Visitor Use description in Part 2

of this document for information on

how Dyke Marsh relates to parkway

wide visitor data.

Visitation figures for Belle Haven

and Dyke Marsh are combined in

the data submitted to WASO. Total

annual visitation for the combined

sites for 2004 was 445,692. Figure 10

illustrates the total monthly visitation for the combined sites for 2004.

During May 2-8, 1993 a survey was

conducted of Belle Haven/Dyke

Marsh Wildlife Preserve visitors.

The results of this survey revealed:

• Visitors were often alone (45%)

while 38% were in groups of two.

Fifty-four percent of visitors were

26-45 years old. Most (79%) had

visited the park before. 

• Visitors from foreign countries

comprised 2% of the visitation.

Seventy-eight percent of the U.S.

visitors came from Virginia, 9%

from Maryland, 5% from

Washington, D.C., with smaller

numbers from many other states. 

• Fifty percent of visitors identified

private vehicles as the form of

transportation used to reach the

site. Thirty-four percent of visitors

arrived by bicycle and 20% by

walking. [Note: Bicycles are not

allowed in Dyke Marsh.]

• Seventy percent of visitors spent 1-

2 hours at the site. Ninety-one

percent of visitors stayed 3 hours

or less.

• During their visit, 55% of visitors

used the Mount Vernon Trail,

44% went to the Belle Haven

Picnic Area, 31% visited the Belle

Haven Marina, and 21% took the

Dyke Marsh Trail.

• The most commonly used services

at the site were park staff (42%),

the bulletin board (34%), bird

walks (14%), the bird brochure

(14%), and boat rentals (10%).

• The most common activities

engaged in by visitors were enjoying the waterfront (55%), enjoying

nature (54%), walking (46%),

biking (42%), and wildlife observation (28%).

• Eighty-four percent of visitors said

that the activities of other visitors 

did not interfere with their visit to

the site.

73

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Monthly Visitation 2004 Figure 10
Since this study was conducted in

early May, care should be taken in

applying the results to other times

of the year. The fact that the results

are over a decade old also impacts

the reliability of the data for today's

visitors.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the site's

purpose, resource significance,

interpretive themes, and visitor

experience goals. Implementation

of these recommendations will help

ensure that visitors are well prepared and informed, and that they

will be able to develop meaningful

connections with tangible and

intangible resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for Dyke Marsh

Wildlife Preserve, please refer to the

parkway-wide recommendations in

Part 2 of this document.

Personal services interpretive activities and education programs at the

Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve will

continue. They have been popular

with visitors and school groups;

they address key interpretive themes

and resource management issues;

and, over time, they likely will continue to motivate a cadre of people

to respect and contribute to the

preservation of the marsh, the

Potomac River, and Chesapeake Bay

resources.

To help visitors better appreciate the

resources of the marsh, the boardwalk will be rebuilt and wayside

exhibits completed and installed.

The exhibits would be produced as

part of the parkway-wide wayside

exhibit proposal. In addition to

interpretive messages to help visitors establish connections with the

resources, the wayside exhibits also

would convey an identity with the

parkway and the NPS. The wayside

plan for Dyke Marsh also would

include a parkway-wide orientation

exhibit (see the parkway wide

Wayside Exhibit section in Part 2 of

this document).

Site publications, provided via the

brochure box at the trailhead,

would be evaluated in regard to

design uniformity with other

parkway literature and for compliance with NPS graphic identity

standards. 

The Dyke Marsh page on the

parkway web site should include a

description of the various interpretive and educational programs available, and a link to the parkway-wide

education page.

74
FORT HUNT PARK
PURPOSE

The purpose of Fort Hunt Park is to

preserve and interpret the historical

and natural resources and history of

Fort Hunt. 

SIGNIFICANCE

Fort Hunt's significance is attributed to the following factors:

• During the colonial period,

George Washington owned and

operated the area now known as

Fort Hunt as part of his River

Farm.

• Fort Hunt preserves the remains

of a coastal defense system dating

from the Spanish American War

through World War I.

• In the 1930s Fort Hunt served as a

camp for the Civilian

Conservation Corps (CCC) which

completed many projects in the

metropolitan Washington, D.C.

area.

• During World War II the site was

utilized as a Joint Interrogation

Center for captured German submarine officers and crew, as well

as a super top secret center for the

development of escape devices for

American prisoners-of-war

abroad.

• Fort Hunt contains some of the

largest contiguous areas of

Coastal Plain Forest found in

GWMP.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at Fort Hunt

Park.

Theme 1 - River Farm

During the colonial period, the site

was managed as part of George

Washington's River Farm-a farm

that utilized slave labor.

Theme 2 - Coastal Defense

The coastal defenses at Fort Hunt

were the most modern fortifications

available during the late 19th

century and were strategically

placed to protect the nation's most

vital cities and ports.

Theme 3 - Prisoner of War Camp

Fort Hunt was used as the initial

internment and interrogation center

for German submarine officers and

crew captured during World War II.

Theme 4 - Military Intelligence

Technology

Fort Hunt's history includes the

development and dissemination of

top secret military packages filled

with hidden escape devices, which

were sent to American POWs

abroad.

Theme 5 - Civilian Conservation

Corps (CCC)

The CCC , with camps located

throughout the country including

Fort Hunt, completed a wide variety

77

“Fort Hunt Park has

been the scene of a constantly shifting panorama of people and activities which mirror the

major social and political trends of the first half

of this century. Seldom

has one geographical

area been put to so many

different uses as has Fort

Hunt.” 

--from “Fort Hunt -

The Forgotten Story”
of public service projects throughout the parkway, Washington, D.C.

area, and across the nation.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to Fort Hunt will have the

opportunity to:

• Learn something about each of

the interpretive themes.

• Make intellectual and emotional

connections with park resources.

• Experience some form of interpretation and/or education

program.

• Imagine the historic uses of Fort

Hunt throughout time.

• Visualize the site's development

and uses over time.

• Enjoy a variety of recreational

activities.

• Obtain information about future

interpretive and educational programs.

• Be aware of safety issues around

the battery ruins.

• Find information about volunteer

opportunities at the park

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map can be found in the

Maps section in Appendix A.

Fort Hunt Park is administered

through the parkway's Virginia

District. Visitors can access the site

by vehicle from the parkway and

from multiple pedestrian access

points along the park boundary.

A series of eight wayside exhibits

have recently been developed to

interpret the site's varied past,

including the extant SpanishAmerican War fortifications, the

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

camp, the former secret World War

II prisoner of war interrogation

center, etc. 

Bulletin boards with information

about using the facilities and interpretive activities are located at the

site. There are no other interpretive

facilities.

Parkway staff provide a variety of

interpretive programs at the site. 

The parkway web site includes a

separate page on Fort Hunt Park.

This page describes the recreation

activities available and the site's

multi-faceted history. Two expanded pages provide more in-depth historic accounts. 

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding park visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver and

discussions with park staff. Refer to

the Visitation and Visitor Use

description in Part 2 of this document for information on how Fort

Hunt Park relates to parkway wide

visitor data.

Total annual visitation for Fort Hunt

Park for 2004 was 198,996. Figure 11

78

“Fort Hunt is a particularly rewarding site for

political and social

study. From the militant

eagerness of the 1890s to

the security consciousness of the 1940s, it was

a living laboratory for

the national mood.” 

--from “Fort Hunt -

The Forgotten Story”
illustrates the total monthly visitation for 2004.

Picnicking and related recreation

activities are the reasons most visitors come to the site. No visitor

surveys have been conducted at

Fort Hunt Park.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the site's

purpose, resource significance,

interpretive themes, and visitor

experience goals. Implementation

of these recommendations will help

ensure that visitors are well prepared and informed, and that they

will be able to develop meaningful

connections with tangible and

intangible resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for Fort Hunt Park,

please refer to the parkway-wide

recommendations in Part 2 of this

document

Personal services interpretive activities at Fort Hunt Park will continue.

They have been popular with visitors and they address key interpretive themes.

Wayside exhibits for Fort Hunt Park

have been developed and will soon

be fabricated and installed. In addition to interpretive messages to help

visitors establish connections with

the resources, the wayside exhibits

also should convey an identity with

the parkway and NPS. The wayside

plan for Fort Hunt Park should

include a parkway-wide orientation

exhibit (see the parkway wide

Wayside Exhibit section in Part 2 of

this document).

Future site publications should be

created with regard to design uniformity with other parkway literature and for compliance with NPS

graphic identity standards. 

The resources and themes at Fort

Hunt Park offer excellent opportu79

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Monthly Visitation 2004 Figure 11
nities for the development of curriculum-based education programs.

This might be a good site to explore

the development of programs that

could be conducted primarily by

teachers with minimal involvement

from park staff. More information

on this approach can be found in

the parkway-wide Education

Program section in Part 2 of this

document. Parkway staff also

should explore the potential of an

educational partnership with Fort

Washington directly across the river.

The Fort Hunt page on the parkway

web site should include a description of the various interpretive and

educational programs available and

a link to the future parkway-wide

education page.

80
FORT MARCY
PURPOSE

The purpose of Fort Marcy is to

preserve and interpret the Civil War

earthworks, as a vital part of the

defenses of Washington, and the

lives of the individuals who built

and garrisoned the fort. 

SIGNIFICANCE

Fort Marcy's significance is attributed to the following factors:

• Fort Marcy was an important

element of the defenses of the

Capital City of Washington, D.C.

during the American Civil War. 

• The site represents the only intact

example of the Fort Circle Parks

preserved in Virginia which is

administered by the National Park

Service. 

• Fort Marcy was strategically

located to control the Chain

Bridge approach, the principle

crossing of the Potomac River into

Washington, D.C., in tandem with

Fort Ethan Allen. 

• The site preserves a section of the

Potomac Gorge which, due to the

effects of periodic flooding, contains an incredible diversity of

plantlife.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at Fort

Marcy.

Theme 1 - Defense of Washington

within Virginia

Built in the state of Virginia, Fort

Marcy was part of a system of fortifications designed to protect the

Nation's Capital during the

American Civil War.

Theme 2 - Human History

People, including American Indians,

soldiers, and visitors, have used

what is now Fort Marcy Park for

centuries.

Theme 3 - Resource Protection

The protection of Fort Marcy has,

over time, contributed to efforts in

preserving the Potomac River

Gorge and the Civil War defenses of

Washington.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to Fort Marcy will have the

opportunity to:

• Learn something about each of

the interpretive themes.

83

“...the Parkway gives us

an opportunity to walk

in the footsteps of the soldiers that were stationed

in our region at Fort

Marcy, and nearby Fort

Ethan Allen and the

earthworks hidden in

the urban landscape.”

Walton H. Owen,

Assistant Director/

Curator, Fort Ward

Museum & Historic

Site
• Make intellectual and emotional

connections with park resources.

• Experience some form of interpretation and/or education

program.

• Visualize the site's development

and use over time.

• Enjoy the beauty of the woods and

adjacent Pimmit Run.

• Obtain information about future

interpretive and educational programs.

• Learn about the trail system and

have the opportunity to explore.

• Find information about volunteer

opportunities at the park.

• Learn something about the

impacts of the Civil War on the

area surrounding the Nation’s

Capital.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map, along with a map

showing the location of all the Fort

Circle Parks, can be found in

Appendix A.

Fort Marcy is administered through

the parkway's Virginia District.

Visitors access the site from the

northbound lanes of the parkway

just north of the Chain Bridge exit.

Recently, the existence of an outlying arm of entrenchments from Fort

Ethan Allen were discovered. 

Wayside exhibits interpret the remnants of earthen fortifications;

however, it is felt that many visitors

do not understand the historic landscape or the details of how the fortifications functioned.

Three wayside exhibits provide

information about the site. A site

bulletin is being produced. There

are no other interpretive facilities.

Other than the wayside exhibits and

proposed site bulletin, interpretation at the site consists mainly of

very limited roving ranger contacts

with visitors. No fort-related education program has been developed.

The parkway web site includes a

separate page on Fort Marcy. This

page describes the Civil War history

of the site. There is no link to the

Civil War Defenses of Washington,

D.C. web page. This site, which can

be accessed from the Rock Creek

Park NPS web page, gives an overall

interpretation of the circle forts and

includes a map that identifies all the

fortifications, including Fort Marcy.

Fort Dupont Park also has a link to

this web site.

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding park visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver and

discussions with park staff. Refer to

the Visitation and Visitor Use

description in Part 2 of this document for information on how Fort

Marcy relates to parkway wide

visitor data.

Figure 12 illustrates the total

monthly visitation for 2004.

Picnicking, hiking, and related

recreation activities are the reasons

most visitors come to the site. No

visitor surveys have been conducted

at Fort Marcy.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommenda84
tions designed to further define,

support, and communicate the site's

purpose, resource significance,

interpretive themes, and visitor

experience goals. Implementation

of these recommendations will help

ensure that visitors are well prepared and informed, and that they

will be able to develop meaningful

connections with tangible and

intangible resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for Fort Marcy, please

refer to the parkway-wide recommendations in Part 2 of this document

Roving and other ranger-guided

interpretive activities at Fort Marcy

will be increased. These activities

offer a means of relating elements of

the interpretive themes and helping

visitors better appreciate the historic landscape and its significance.

Wayside exhibits for Fort Marcy will

be evaluated as part of the parkwaywide wayside exhibit proposal. In

addition to interpretive messages to

help visitors establish connections

with the resources, the wayside

exhibits also would convey an identity with the parkway and the NPS.

The wayside plan for Fort Marcy

also would include a parkway-wide

orientation exhibit (see the parkway

wide Wayside Exhibit section in

Part 2 of this document). A major

goal of wayside exhibits at Fort

Marcy will be to assist visitors in

visualizing the historic landscape,

understanding how the fort looked

and functioned during the Civil

War, and seeing how Fort Marcy

was a component of a larger system

of Washington defenses.

Site publications, such as the proposed site bulletin, should be produced with a design uniformity with

other parkway literature and in

compliance with NPS graphic identity standards. 

The resources and themes at Fort

Marcy offer excellent opportunities

for the development of curriculum85

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Monthly Visitation 2004 Figure 12
based education programs. This

might be a good site to explore the

development of programs that

could be conducted primarily by

teachers with minimal involvement

from park staff. More information

on this approach can be found in

the parkway-wide Education

Program section in Part 2 of this

document. Parkway staff also

should explore the potential of an

educational partnership with Fort

Washington, Fort Dupont Park and

Rock Creek Park, NPS units which

share similar circle fort resources.

Partnership options also could be

explored with Fort C.F. Smith

(managed by Arlington County

Department of Parks, Recreation

and Community Resources) and

Fort Ward (managed by the City of

Alexandria). 

The Fort Marcy page on the

parkway web site should be rewritten. The rewrite should include a

description of the various education

programs available, and a link to the

parkway-wide education page. The

historical summary also needs to be

updated.

86
GLEN ECHO PARK
MISSION

Based upon the legislation and the

park's management plan, the

mission of Glen Echo Park is to:

• Serve as a multi-use park for the

arts and humanities, continually

improving the quality of the programs for a national audience in a

financially responsible manner.

• Operate a high quality, multifaceted cultural arts program

drawing a diverse audience. At the

park, both aspiring and master

artists explore, develop and share

their skills with students and

other park visitors.

• Encourage exploration and participatory learning in the arts by providing a safe environment that

fosters creativity. In this atmosphere, free expression and

exchange of ideas and talents

flourish.

• Preserve traditional arts and

respond to contemporary interests.

• Protect the integrity of the

Potomac River Palisades and

water quality of the Potomac

River through exemplary land

management and conservation

practices.

PURPOSE

Glen Echo Park was acquired under

the Capper/Cramton Act of May 29,

1930 (46 Stat. 482), which authorized, "... acquisition of lands in the

District of Columbia and the State

of Maryland and Virginia requisite

to the (development of a) comprehensive park, parkway and playground system of the National

Capital ... Preservation of the flow

of water ... and (the construction

of) the George Washington

Memorial Parkway up the valley to

Cabin John Creek."

The rationale for Federal government acquisition of the Glen Echo

Park site is established in the park's

purpose statement. The purpose of

Glen Echo Park is:

"to protect the land and scenery

adjacent to the Potomac River

Palisades, to preserve the natural

and cultural resources within the

park and provide for public enjoyment and appreciation of these

resources."

SIGNIFICANCE

Glen Echo Park's significance is

found in its resources and in the

values central to park management.

These values can be summarized as

follows:

• Glen Echo Park is integral to protecting the visual and environmental qualities of the Potomac

Palisades, the C&O Canal

National Historical Park, the Clara

Barton National Historic Site, the

Potomac River, and the Clara

Barton Parkway.

• Glen Echo Park is a site of the

Chautauqua movement of the late

19th century that served as a

center for art, science, and literary

education.

• Glen Echo Park is a rare example

of an early 20th century amusement park and is listed on the

National Register of Historic

Places. The site represents the

only example of an amusement

park preserved within the

National Park System and maintains an operating carousel and

historic ballroom. 

• Glen Echo Park represents a

microcosm of American society

and its involvement in the civil

rights movement in America. 

• As a national leader in park partnerships and public involvement,

Glen Echo Park provides opportunities for hundreds of people to

participate in stewardship of the

park through restoration and

interpretive activities. In looking

to the future, Glen Echo Park

expands this interaction with

today's world through the ever

growing cultural, environmental,

and educational programs offered

89

“To promote liberal and

practical education, especially among the masses

of the people...to prepare

its patrons for their

several pursuits and professions in life, and to fit

them for the duties which

devolve upon them as

members of the society.”

Chautauqua philosophy,

1891
by park staff, volunteers, and partners.

• Glen Echo Park and Clara Barton

National Historic Site are the only

areas in GWMP that protect the

Maryland side of the Potomac

Gorge.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at Glen

Echo Park.

Theme 1 - Chautauqua Movement

Glen Echo Park traces its founding

to the 19th century Chautauqua

ideals of offering educational and

cultural opportunities for the

general population.

Theme 2 - Amusement Park

As the site of an early 20th century

amusement park, Glen Echo Park

preserves the memories, stories and

artifacts of a bygone era.

Theme 3 - Trolley Company

Ownership

In pre-automobile America, amusement parks run by trolley companies, such as Glen Echo Park, provided entertainment and a destination beyond city life for the urban

populace.

Theme 4 - Preservation of Glen Echo

The National Park Service is dedicated to preserving the important

cultural landscape of Glen Echo

Park and oversees the rehabilitation

and adaptive reuse of many of its

historic buildings.

Theme 5 - Civil Rights

The civil rights activities at Glen

Echo Park reflected the racial unrest

in the country as a whole in the late

1950s and early 1960s.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to the Glen Echo Park will

have the opportunity to:

• Hear amusement park sounds as

they approach the site.

• Experience various art forms.

• Take part in special events that

include a year round program of

public lectures, seminars, forums,

cultural festivals, and concerts.

• Take part in environmental stewardship programs.

• Select from a wide variety of interactive cultural/natural themerelated programming.

• Go dancing.

• Encounter visitors of many cultures.

• Ride the carousel.

90
• Discover the connection between

Glen Echo Park and Clara Barton

National Historic Site.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map can be found in the

Maps section in Appendix A.

This former Chautauqua and

amusement park (situated next

door to the Clara Barton National

Historic Site in Glen Echo, MD)

was added to the George

Washington Memorial Parkway in

1976. Many of the historic buildings

have been restored (a process which

still continues). As restored space

became available, the NPS gradually

developed a multi-disciplinary arts

and culture program. On October 1,

2003 the NPS transferred the management of Glen Echo Park programmatic planning to the nonprofit Glen Echo Park Partnership

for Arts and Culture, Inc.

(GEPPAC). NPS staff at the site can

now devote more of their time to

restoring the historic structures and

providing more interpretive and

educational media and activities. 

Outreach and Marketing

The site has its own official park

brochure. Except for the contact

information, the brochure makes no

mention of its affiliation with the

parkway. If the Glen Echo Park and

Parkway brochures were sitting

side-by-side, most visitors would

think they were two different parks.

GEPPAC produces seasonal catalogs of classes and events. The catalogs also include a history of the site

and a section on NPS programs and

information. Both NPS and

GEPPAC web sites and phone

numbers are listed. 

The Glen Echo Park web site does

reference its connection to George

Washington Memorial Parkway on

its home page, but no link to the

parkway web site is provided. A

direct and reciprocal link to the

adjacent Clara Barton National

Historic Site and to the GEPPAC

web site are provided. 

Most visitors to Glen Echo Park

probably do not realize that this is a

unit of the George Washington

Memorial Parkway. 

A survey of Glen Echo Park visitors

conducted in May 1992 showed that

only 2% of weekday and weekend

visitors to Glen Echo Park also

visited Clara Barton National

Historic Site. If this percentage

holds close for today's visitors and

for visitors at other times of the

year, then the need to market the

two sites together is obvious.

Arrival

Signs direct visitors to a parking lot

that is shared with the Clara Barton

National Historic Site. Once in the

parking lot the signing for the two

sites is not clear. This can be especially troublesome for first-time visitors who often are not sure where

to go once they arrive. 

The current edition of the park

brochure does not show the new

NPS visitor center.

Visitor Center

The NPS has recently opened a

visitor welcome desk in the lobby of

the Arcade building. The desk is

staffed by park rangers and volunteers who can answer questions and

91
help people plan their visit.

Information about the park and

neighboring attractions is also available.

The center contains a timeline

exhibit which illustrates the evolution of the park within the context

of social changes and technological

innovations. The original

Chautauqua safe also is on display.

A small video viewing area containing a 60" plasma monitor and surround sound system is used to show

all or portions of a 50-minute DVD

on the history of Glen Echo Park, as

well as to display rotating exhibits,

including some historic objects.

The center also functions as the

assembly point for ranger-guided

tours. 

Exhibits

In addition to the exhibits in the

visitor center, a number of other

buildings contain historic exhibits.

These include the operating 1921

Dentzel Carousel and the shooting

gallery (currently in

production/restoration). 

The Candy Corner building is to be

moved to a new location and developed as a museum on the Civil

Rights movement at Glen Echo and

the surrounding area. 

The park has recently acquired the

first of two PCC trolley cars;

however, neither is of the type used

at Glen Echo. The car is currently

displayed at the historic entrance to

the park by the Chautauqua tower.

The plan is to exchange one car for

a PCC trolley car that originally ran

in Washington, D.C. There is the

potential of acquiring and displaying such a car from the Virginia

Transportation Museum in

Roanoke. 

Many objects associated with Glen

Echo's history continue to be

donated to the NPS. The park also

continues to collect oral histories of

people's experiences at the park.

Wayside Exhibits

The park currently produces its

own wayside exhibits in-house.

These exhibits are moveable and the

panels can be changed as desired.

The current wayside exhibits do not

meet NPS graphic identity standards and they do not provide an

identity with the parkway. The site

needs an overall wayside exhibit

plan.

Education Program

No formal curriculum-based NPS

education programs have been

developed; however the on-site

Adventure Theater does provide

education programs in partnership

with Clara Barton National Historic

Site. 

Partnerships

As a new park partner, GEPPAC has

opened up the potential for site

NPS staff to present interpretive

programs on a regular basis.

GEPPAC has taken over the administration of the fine and performing

arts educational programs that the

NPS had administered since 1973.

This includes the production of the

course catalogs, registration for, and

administration of all the classes and

the social dance program. GEPPAC

also has the ability to raise funds for

the park by renting various structures in the park for private events

such as bar/bat mitzvahs, wedding

receptions, high school proms,

wedding anniversaries, and similar

activities.

GEPPAC and the NPS share

responsibilities for large festivals

and public events. The NPS provides traffic control, crowd control,

and alcohol permits for all events.

The NPS handles all film permits,

weddings, demonstrations, walk-athons, and large scale interpretive

92

“Through consultation

with educators, artists,

community leadres, and

special interest groups,

an initial theme evolved

- to use the land as a

resource center, an educational and cultural

forum where artists, students, teachers, and visitors could meet and

exchange ideas, as well

as learn from each

other. It was not a new

idea, but a recycled one

from the days when the

park functioned as the

Chatauqua Assembly.”

--from Glen Echo Park

“A History” 
programs. The NPS also has sole

responsibility for all interpretive

tours and special programs. 

The ability of the NPS to focus on

interpretation has led to the development of scheduled tours geared

to the season of the year and a

scheduled series of audiovisual programs in the new visitor center.

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding park visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver, a 1992

visitor survey, and discussions with

park staff. Refer to the Visitation

and Visitor Use description in Part 2

of this document for information on

how Glen Echo Park relates to

parkway wide visitor data.

Total annual visitation for Glen

Echo Park for 2004 was 356,968.

Figure 13 illustrates the total

monthly visitation for 2004.

The schedule of classes and events

at Glen Echo Park draws many area

residents throughout the year. The

carousel and other programs

operate from May through

September, and as can be seen in

the graph, this creates a significant

jump in visitation. 

During May 22-31, 1992 a survey was

conducted of Glen Echo Park visitors. Since this study was conducted, many changes have occurred.

Consequently, much of the following data is obsolete. It is included

here for reference and for comparison with any future visitor surveys.

Two kinds of visitors are described

in the report titled National Park

Service Visitor Services Project: Glen

Echo Park. Weekday visitors were

visitors who came to the park

Monday through Friday. Festival visitors were those who came to the

park on Saturdays and Sundays

when the Folk Festival and the Irish

Festival were being held. For

weekday visitors the results of this

survey revealed:

• Thirty-one percent of visitors

arrived as a family group, 28%

arrived alone, 19% came with

friends, 9% arrived with family

and friends, and 6% arrived as a

school group.

• Twenty-six percent of visitors

were 10 years old or younger, 21%

were between the ages of 20-35,

24% were between the ages of 36-

45, and only 4% were between the

ages of 11-20 and 23% were 46

years of age or older.

• Regarding the number of repeat

visits, 47% percent of weekday

visitors had been to the park ten

of more times before, while 19%

were first-time visitors.

• Ninety-seven percent of weekday

visitors came from the

Washington metropolitan area:

67% came from Maryland, 19%

came from Virginia, and 11% came

from Washington, D.C.

• Regarding length of stay at the

park, 26% of weekday visitors

spent one hour, 36% sent two

hours, 26% stayed three hours,

and the remainder stayed four

hours or longer.

• The activities that weekday visitors

participated in during their visit

included dancing (29%), taking

classes (28%), riding the carousel

(22%), using playground equipment (20%), watching theater

(15%), picnicking, (12%), viewing

gallery exhibits (8%), attending a

festival (8%), touring the Clara

Barton House (2%), and attending

a ranger talk (2%).

• The most used interpretive/informational services by weekday visitors were signs (51%), park staff

(41%), the Glen Echo class schedule (33%), park brochure (30%),

and the bulletin board (29%).

93

“From the rear verandah of the dance hall

[the] modern swimming

pool and ample beach

show to advantage and

lend a cooling atmosphere to the surroundings. The rest of the park

is taking on the same

modernistic motif. It all

shows progress....”

Billboard Magazine,

1933
For festival visitors (those arriving

on Saturdays and Sundays) the

survey results revealed:

• Forty-six percent of visitors

arrived as a family group, 14%

arrived alone, 25% came with

friends, 14% arrived with family

and friends, and less than 1%

arrived as a school group.

• Twenty-one percent of visitors

were 10 years old or younger, 24%

were between the ages of 21-35,

25% were between the ages of 36-

45, only 4% were between the

ages of 11-20, and over 25% were

46 years of age or older.

• Regarding the number of repeat

visits, 31% percent of weekend

visitors had been to the park ten

of more times before, while 27%

were first-time visitors.

• Eighty-nine percent of weekend

visitors came from the

Washington metropolitan area:

55% came from Maryland, 23%

came from Virginia, and 11% came

from Washington, D.C.

• Regarding length of stay at the

park, 10% of weekend visitors

spent one hour, 22% sent two

hours, 22% stayed three hours,

and the remainder stayed four

hours or longer.

• The activities that weekend visitors participated in during their

visit included attending a festival

(79%), riding the carousel (35%),

dancing (26%), picnicking (24%),

visiting artist studios (16%),

watching theater (12%), viewing

gallery exhibits (15%), using playground equipment (14%), taking

a class (11%), and touring the

Clara Barton House (2%).

• The most used interpretive/informational programs or services by

weekend visitors were festival performances (78%), festival activity

schedule (50%), craft displays and

sales (45%), park staff (41%),

directional signs (39%), park

brochure (25%), evening ballroom

dance (22%), festival workshops

(19%), bulletin boards (16%), and

the Glen Echo class schedule

(14%).

• Most often used sources of information about the park use by festival visitors were previous visits

(59%), newspaper articles (54%),

friends and relatives (43%),

posters and flyers (19%), and

radio (17%). Note: the survey was

conducted before the availability

of the internet. 

Since the study was conducted in

late May, care should be taken in

applying the results to other times

of the year. The fact that the results

are over a decade old also impacts

94

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Figure 13 Monthly Visitation 2004
the reliability of the data for today's

visitors.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the

park's mission, purpose, resource

significance, interpretive themes,

and visitor experience goals.

Implementation of these recommendations will help ensure that

visitors are well prepared and

informed, and that they will be able

to develop meaningful connections

with tangible and intangible

resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for Glen Echo Park,

please refer to the parkway-wide

recommendations in Part 2 of this

document

Outreach and Marketing

The official site brochure should be

updated to reflect the current NPS

graphic identity standards. The

brochure also should clearly show

its affiliation with the parkway.

Other NPS site publications, such as

site bulletins, should present the

same design uniformity with other

parkway literature and in compliance with NPS graphic identity

standards. 

The Glen Echo Park web site needs

to establish a live link to the main

parkway web site. The site's education programs (when developed)

also should have an obvious link to

the overall parkway education

program. 

In addition to a new formal visitor

survey, an informal study of visitors

to Clara Barton NHS and Glen

Echo Park is recommended to see

how many visitors to one site actually visit (or have visited) the other.

If the results are anywhere near

those of the 1992 survey, then

various marketing strategies

(including those presented in the

parkway-wide section in Part 2 of

this document) should be explored.

Arrival

To give visitors a sense of arrival, an

entrance sign would be developed

at the Glen Echo Park entrance

from the parking lot. In addition,

parkway staff, in partnership with

appropriate highway authorities and

GEPPAC, will evaluate area and site

directional signing for effectiveness

in helping visitors reach their destinations and return to the parkway.

Key signs also should have a prominent NPS identity.

As part of the entry experience,

consideration would be given to

creating the soundscape of an

amusement park. The sounds would

add a multi-sensory element to the

historic ambience of the site. It

would be essential, however, to be

able to easily turn the sound off for

any reason.

In addition to the proposals for

updating the official site brochure

mentioned in the Outreach and

Marketing section above, the map

should be amended to include new

facilities (such as the visitor center)

as they are completed.

95

“The Dentzel carousel

was the jewel of the

park. An afternoon

outing was not complete

without a ride on the

elaborately decorated

carousel.”

--from “The Dentzel

Carousel,” NPS
Visitor Center

Since much of the work on the

informational and interpretive

media for the visitor center has been

completed or is in progress, few

additional recommendations are

proposed.

The rotating exhibits in the North

Arcade lobby in front of the information desk will be developed with

a standard case and panel design.

This will make it easier and less

expensive to change displays that

will fit into the small space. 

If the site brochure is displayed

along with the parkway brochure

(or even with other parkway site

brochures), some text should be

provided to help visitors see how

the sites are connected.

Exhibits

Since planning for the shooting

gallery exhibit and civil rights

museum are already underway, few

additional recommendations are

proposed. The planning and design

of these exhibits will need to consider the fact that young children

constitute a significant volume of

park visitation. The exhibits, therefore, should include interactive elements and text aimed at an appropriate level. If some displays are to

become elements of future education program activities, then sufficient space should be provided to

allow a group to gather around

them. 

The park will continue with plans to

purchase new trucks (the part of the

car that holds the wheels and

brakes) for the display trolley. This

will allow the car to be placed on

the original Capital Transit rails that

have been in place since the early

twentieth century. The car will be

rehabbed so it can be used as a

hands-on interpretive exhibit. A

ramp will provide access to the

trolley interior where visitors can

attend interpretive programs on

transportation, the evolution of

amusement parks, and the civil

rights struggles in the Washington,

D.C. area. The remodeled car also

will contain an audiovisual area for

viewing the site's growing collection

of historic trolley films.

The park will continue to collect

artifacts and oral histories of people

who were part of the site's history.

The potential of partnering with

GEPPAC will be explored to assist

in the acquisition of historic objects

and in selling theme-related items in

their gift shop. 

Wayside Exhibits

The wayside exhibits for Glen Echo

Park will be developed as a component of the parkway-wide wayside

exhibit proposal. Wayside development also will utilize and possibly

amend the existing Glen Echo Park

Wayside Exhibit Proposal that was

completed by Harpers Ferry Center

in 1992. New waysides will reflect

current NPS graphic identity standards, convey a parkway connection, and highlight the partnership

with GEPPAC. 

Some of the waysides would be

developed for use on portable bases

so that they could be moved to

accommodate different visitor flow

patterns and special events.

Different panels also could be

developed for these bases to

address seasonal or special topics.

The use of historic images on the

wayside exhibits will help people

visualize the site during the period

of historic significance.

The wayside plan for Glen Echo

Park also would include a parkwaywide orientation exhibit (see the

parkway wide Wayside Exhibit

section in Part 2 of this document).

96
Education Program

Now that site staff can focus more

on more traditional park functions,

the development of a formal curriculum-based education program

will be explored. Potential curriculum areas might include civil rights,

lifestyles, and the development of

neighborhoods.

Glen Echo Park is fortunate in

having potential on-site partners,

such as Adventure Theater and the

adjacent Clara Barton NHS, to help

with program development.

Assistance also can be provided by

the parkway education coordinator,

the regional office, and the education specialist at Harpers Ferry

Center.

Web site information about the

site's education programs would be

linked to the overall education programs on the parkway. Other potential web site improvements might

include the use of historic film clips

and the music of the carousel.

97
GREAT FALLS PARK
MISSION

Based upon the legislation and the

park's management plan, the

mission of Great Falls Park is to:

• Protect, preserve, and maintain

the natural and cultural resources

and values of Great Falls Park in

good condition and managed

within their broader ecosystem or

cultural context.

• Ensure visitors safely enjoy and

are satisfied with the availability,

accessibility, diversity, and quality

of park resources, facilities, services, and appropriate recreational

opportunities.

PURPOSE

Great Falls Park was established, as

a site within George Washington

Memorial Parkway, to preserve and

protect the natural scenery of the

Potomac River Gorge, the Great

Falls of the Potomac River and the

historic Patowmack Canal for future

generations. 

This upland piedmont forest is the

focal point of human history from

the American Indians who utilized

the ravine and woodland resources,

through the efforts of George

Washington, to construct a canal

that circumvented the falls in order

to trade with the west, to the preservation and recreational activities of

recent generations. The park's

notable features provide visitors a

chance to recreate in a superlative

green space within the metropolitan

Washington area. The park also provides opportunities for visitors to

gain an understanding of the natural

and cultural resources of the area,

and the social and political values of

the American people.

SIGNIFICANCE

Great Falls Park's significance is

attributed to the following factors:

• Great Falls Park preserves the

spectacular scenic views of the

Great Falls and the Mather Gorge,

the narrowest section of the river

in the Potomac River Gorge.

• The park contains one of the first

canal systems built in the country

(1785 - 1802), often referred to as

George Washington's "Dream

Canal." This National Historic

Landmark was one of the first

river navigational systems that

supported trade with the Upper

Potomac Region.

• Despite its location in an expanding metropolitan area, the

Potomac River Gorge is one of the

most noteworthy natural areas in

the National Park System. It

extends 15 miles along the

Potomac River, from a location

above Great Falls, south to

Theodore Roosevelt Island. Due

to the unusual hydrogeology, the

Gorge is one of the country's

most biologically diverse areas

that serves as a confluence for

more than 200 rare plant species

and 30 biological communities.

• The park is within the Potomac

River watershed, which covers

approximately 14, 670 square

miles in four states (Virginia,

Maryland, West Virginia, and

Pennsylvania). The Potomac River

is the second largest contributor

to the Chesapeake Bay.

• Great Falls Park protects cultural

artifacts associated with American

Indians, the building of the canal,

the Great Falls Amusement Park,

and other cultures in their original

locations.

• Great Falls Park offers a diversity

of resource-based recreational

experiences in close proximity to

the nation's capital. Activities

range from picnicking, birding,

guided ranger programs, hiking,

horseback riding to bicycling

through scenic wooded trails,

rock climbing along the Mather

Gorge, and white water activities

on the river.

• The exposed bedrock reveals a

complex geologic history.

101

“The Parkway is a

reminder that the

Potomac River corridor

was once a significant

transportation route.

For those who like to

explore, the park today

provides outstanding

access to the River and

opportunities for

boating, hiking and bicycling.”

Don Briggs,

Superintendent,

Potomac Heritage

National Scenic Trail
INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at Great

Falls Park.

Planning and design work for the

Great Falls Park visitor center was

already underway at the onset of

this long-range interpretive planning process. To aid in the process

of media planning, theme development was taken a step farther to

produce a list of key concepts and

topics that relate to each primary

theme statement.

Theme 1 - Scenic Values

Great Falls Park provides visitors

with opportunities to view spectacular scenes of the Great Falls of the

Potomac and the Mather Gorge, the

narrowest section of the Potomac

River Gorge.

Interpretation of this theme will

enable visitors to better understand

and appreciate:

• The variety of views (closest,

widest, most dramatic)

• Changes in the view over time

(during the day, seasonally, after

storms or floods)

• The power of the river visible

here.

• That the area was previously

owned by Potomac Edison Power

Company.

• Other views of the gorge, besides

the falls, which are also spectacular.

• The lack of modern intrusions.

• The story of the National Park

Service acquisition.

• The formation of the landscape.

• That the area probably looks close

to the way it did when George

Washington saw it.

• The dangers in the beauty.

• That the river still retains its wild

and scenic characters.

Theme 2 - Canal

The Patowmack Canal represents

our founding father's dream, desire,

and determination to unite the

country through commercial inland

navigation beyond the

Appalachians.

Interpretation of this theme will

enable visitors to better understand

and appreciate:

• The engineering feat.

• The canal's role in pioneering

river navigation.

• George Washington as the driving

force for a canal ("Dream Canal")

to reach westward.

• That the canal provided westward

navigation for trade in the Ohio

River Valley and tied these areas

politically and economically to the

rest of the nation.

• The canal's designation as a

Virginia Historic Landmark,

National Historic Landmark, and

102
National Engineering Landmark.

• That construction of the canal fostered interstate cooperation which

was one of the issues that led to

the framing of the Constitution.

• Slavery and its implications relative to the canal.

• Reasons for choosing the site for

the town of Matildaville.

• The unpredictable nature of the

Potomac River.

• The role of other important

figures connected to the canal (i.e.

Lighthorse Harry Lee, James

Rumsey).

• How a lock works.

• The amount of use (number of

boats).

• What a trip on the canal and river

was like.

• The types of boats used.

• That some boats went both directions.

• That George Washington put a lot

of energy into the creation of the

canal.

• The number of years in operation.

• That they are looking at the "real

thing" related to George

Washington and not a reconstruction or monument.

• How the construction of the canal

is tied to the geology and hydrology of the site.

Theme 3 - Biodiversity

The Mather Gorge, a mile long

section of the globally rare Potomac

River Gorge ecosystem, is home to

biologically diverse communities

and rare plant species.

Interpretation of this theme will

enable visitors to better understand

and appreciate:

• The conservation strategies used

to protect the biodiversity.

• The river's influence.

• The combination and interrelationship of physical and biological

factors that make up the biodiversity of the Potomac Gorge.

• The Potomac River as a major

tributary to the Chesapeake Bay.

• That the river supports many

anadromous species of fish.

• That some plants and animals

living here are on the rare and

endangered species list.

• The impact of invasive species.

• Human threats to the biodiversity.

• That periodic flooding maintains

and supports rare plant communities.

Theme 4 - Watershed

From here, you see a portion of the

second largest watershed feeding

the Chesapeake Bay. What happens

in this watershed has global consequences.

Interpretation of this theme will

enable visitors to better understand

and appreciate:

• What a watershed is.

• The human impacts on the watershed.

• That watersheds are much more

than water; they also include the

land and people.

• What people can do to protect

and preserve the watershed.

• Interagency efforts to protect the

watershed.

• How the health of a watershed is

assessed.

• The area's water supply and water

conservation issues.

• That Chesapeake Bay is one of the

largest estuaries in the world.

Theme 5 - American Indians and

Prehistoric People

Archeological remains found at

Great Falls suggest the presence of

early inhabitants spanning thousands of years, indicating the location’s importance economically for

natural resources and trade for early

cultures in the region. Great Falls

Park protects the resources and

provides educational opportunities

connecting visitors to American

Indian history and features indigenous to the area.

103
Interpretation of this theme will

enable visitors to better understand

and appreciate:

• Who these people were.

• What we know about them.

• First hand accounts.

• Related artifacts.

• Their use of the resources.

• Relationships to the river (trade

routes).

• That native people were here for

thousands of years.

• The lack of many tangible items

causes us to forget about their

presence.

• How native inhabitants interacted

with the land.

• That there is a lack of baseline

information about the American

Indians that inhabited the area.

• Why there are so few native

peoples left who can trace their

ancestry to those who previously

inhabited the area.

Theme 6 - Recreation

Great Falls Park has offered highly

diverse recreational opportunities

to thousands of people for decades

and continues to do so today.

Interpretation of this theme will

enable visitors to better understand

and appreciate:

• The role and impact of the trolleys

in bringing people to Great Falls.

• The importance of practicing safe

forms of recreating, and that

safety has been an issue at Great

Falls for a very long time. 

• The value of low impact (leave no

trace) forms of recreation.

• That the park is a place where

many cultures and nationalities

mix.

• The types of recreation available

or allowable.

• That there was once an amusement park on site.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to the Great Falls Park will

have the opportunity to:

• See and hear the power of the

Potomac River.

• Realize that everything here (the

resources and their stories) are

tied to the river.

• Express their feelings about the

resources through a variety of creative/artistic means.

• Have a safe visit.

• Know how to act responsibly

(visitor education).

• Explore the Patowmack Canal

resources outdoors and understand what they are seeing.

• Find the visitor center and go

inside.

• Feel invited to an attractive facility.

• Learn about the availability of

formal and informal education

programs.

• Learn how this area became a

National Park Service site.

• Discover that there is another

theme-related NPS unit on the

other side of the river.

• Learn about the trail systems and

opportunities to explore a well

signed system.

• Get accurate and up-to-date site

information.

• Find solitude

• Interact with friends and family.

• Conservation efforts engaging the

NPS and partners.

• The regional, national, and global

importance of the gorge.

• Learn about good visitor practices

(i.e. Leave No Trace).

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

104

“Viewed from my car

window, George

Washington Memorial

Parkway is a beautiful,

inspiring green corridor

into the nation’s capital.

Looking as an ecologist,

I see it as an important

refuge for native species

that depend on the

regionally significant

habitats and natural

communities within its

borders.”

Doug Samson,

Director, Science &

Stewardship,

Maryland/District of

Columbia Chapter of

The Nature

Conservancy
conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map can be found in the

Maps section in Appendix A.

Great Falls Park is currently developing a General Management Plan

(GMP). Recommendations in this

LRIP support those presented in

the GMP's preferred actions with

regard to visitor information, orientation, interpretation, and education.

Outreach and Marketing

With its separate designation from

the parkway, the site has its own

official park brochure. Except for

the contact address, the brochure

makes no mention of its affiliation

with the parkway. If the Great Falls

Park and parkway brochures were

sitting side-by-side, most visitors

would think they were two different

parks.

The Great Falls Park web site does

reference its connection to George

Washington Memorial Parkway on

its home page, and a live link to the

web site has been established. There

also is a Links page that lists the C

& O Canal and many other parks in

the National Capital Region. 

All of the site's education programs

are presented on an in-depth web

page, and there is a link to the

overall parkway education program.

Other than the main parkway web

site, this is the only parkway unit

that specifically mentions the partnership Bridging the Watershed

education program.

Most visitors to Great Falls Park

probably do not realize that this is a

unit of George Washington

Memorial Parkway. 

Arrival

Highway entrance signs direct visitors to the park and present a NPS

identity. However, on arrival no

clear visual links are made to show

the park's affiliation with the

parkway.

On arrival, many visitors are confused as to where to go. Many

people want to see the falls right

away. They hear the water, but the

river is not visible from the parking

lot, and signing is not obvious. 

Visitor safety has been a major

concern at Great Falls Park for

many years, but the number of

recent drownings has accentuated

this concern and the need to find

more effective means of affecting

visitor behavior near the water. 

Visitor Center

Most visitors do not go to the visitor

center. The entrance to the building

is not welcoming or clearly identified. Repeat visitors may have gone

into the visitor center on an earlier

visit, and now feel that there is

nothing new to see. 

At the onset of this long-range

interpretive planning process Great

Falls Park had already initiated a

planning and design project with

Harpers Ferry Center for replacing

the interpretive media in the visitor

center. This process has continued

in tandem with the LRIP, although a

number of detailed planning/design

decisions will likely be made before

the LRIP is finalized. In this regard,

recommendations for the visitor

center in this document will consist

mainly of notes from two joint planning meetings held at the park. The

first meeting resulted in the interpretive themes, visitor experience

goals, and other planning foundation elements presented earlier. The

105
second meeting made some generalized recommendations for future

media solutions at the visitor center.

Wayside Exhibits

In addition to the visitor center

project, the park has initiated a

wayside exhibit project, the

Potomac River Gorge Interpretive

Trail, in partnership with neighboring River Bend Park. 

Partnerships

Great Falls Park has a number of

active partnerships, including those

with River Bend Park, Bridging the

Watershed, Friends of the Potomac,

The Nature Conservancy, The

Potomac Conservancy, and

Chesapeake Bay Gateways. There is

potential to strengthen these existing partnerships and to develop

new ones. 

Education Program

Great Falls Park has an excellent

education program focusing on

multiple theme-related topics.

There is potential to develop education partnerships with River Bend

Park and the C & O Canal National

Historical Park.

As stated above, the information

about the education programs is

posted on the Great Falls Park web

site. 

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding park visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver, a 1996

visitor survey, a 2003 focus group

report titled Trends in Demographics

and Information Technology

Affecting Visitor Use, the draft GMP,

and discussions with park staff.

Refer to the Visitation and Visitor

Use description in Part 2 of this

document for information on how

Great Falls Park relates to parkwaywide visitor data.

Total annual visitation to Great Falls

Park in 2004 was 425,289. Figure 14

illustrates the total monthly visitation for 2004.

During April 28- May 4, 1996 a

survey was conducted of Great Falls

Park visitors. The final report titled

Great Falls Park, Virginia Visitor

Study, revealed that:

• Thirty-four percent of visitors

were in groups with friends; 31%

were in family groups; and, 23%

arrived alone.

• Thirty-eight percent of visitors

were in groups of two, and 37%

were in groups of three or more.

• Over half of the visitors (51%)

were between the ages of 21-40,

and 11% were 15 years old or

younger.

• About one-third (34%) of visitors

were visiting Great Falls Park for

the first time. Another one-third

of visitors (33%) had visited the

park ten or more times previously. 

• Seventy-seven percent of visitors

came from the nearby states

and/or the metropolitan area:

Virginia 56%, Maryland 11%, and

Washington, D.C. 10%. 

• International visitors (representing

many foreign countries) comprised 6% of visitors to Great

Falls Park. 

• Twenty percent of visitors spent

one hour or less in the park, 32%

stayed two hours, 26% spent three

hours, and 22% stayed four hours

or longer.

• The most common activities

engaged in by visitors while in the

park were viewing the falls (73%),

walking/hiking (56%), viewing

wildlife (41%), visiting the

Patowmack Canal (31%), picnicking (19%), climbing (16%), bicycling (13%), walking pets (11%),

nature study (9%), white water

boating (7%), jogging (6%),

106

“The way is easy and

dictated by our clearest

interest. It is to open a

wide door, and make a

smooth way for the

produce of that Country

to pass to our

Markets....”

George Washington 
fishing (4%), attending ranger

programs (2%), and horseback

riding (1%).

• The most visited sites at Great

Falls Park were Overlook #2

(60%), Overlook #1 (56%), and

the visitor center (54%). Note:

The report does not indicate if

visitors actually entered the visitor

center proper (upper level). [By

contrast park staff report that

about 17% of visitors come to the

upper level of the visitor center.]

• Sites that were most often visited

first were the visitor center (31%),

Overlook #1 (22%), Difficult Run

(15%), and Overlook #2 (10%).

Note: The report does not indicate if visitors actually entered the

visitor center proper (upper level).

[By contrast park staff report that

about 17% of visitors come to the

upper level of the visitor center.]

• Means by which visitors learned

about river safety hazards were

park signs (96%), park bulletin

boards (51%), park brochures

(44%), television (33%), park staff

(30%), newspapers (29%) and

radio (19%). The least used

method of receiving safety information was the radio (19%). The

information sources that received

the highest "very effective" to

"extremely effective" ratings were 

park signs, park bulletin boards,

park staff, and park brochures.

Since the study was conducted in

late April and early May, care

should be taken in applying the

results to other times of the year.

The fact that the results are almost a

decade old also impacts the reliability of the data for today's visitors.

The following statements are

excerpted from the July 2003 focus

group report: Trends in

Demographics and Information

Technology Affecting Visitor Use. The

purpose of the report was to assist

the NPS in planning visitor centers

and related projects that are cost

effective and of appropriate scope

and size. Part of the study included

an evaluation of the visitor center at

Great Falls Park, Virginia. 

• The Great Falls visitor center has

several shortcomings in its design

and its interpretation.

• There was no clear indication that

the building was a visitor center.

• I wasn't sure of the message. The

interpretation wasn't thematic.

• It (the center) was unappealing

and unwelcoming and had lighting problems.

• There are a lot of repeat visitors at

Great Falls Park, which means

107

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

50000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Monthly Visitation 2004

Figure 14
there is a need for a different kind

of visitor center than if there were

lots of first-time visitors.

• The exhibits are historical and

natural, but the purposes of most

visits are largely recreational. As a

visitor, I would want to know how

people could use the place for

multiple activities.

• Park users seem to go to this

visitor center for directions, the

rest room, and the store. The

interpretive component isn't a

critical motivation....

Further support for the above views

comes from the 1988 Interpretive

Prospectus for the park. In describing the existing situation the document states:

• The visitor center's interpretive

media content is generally poor or

obsolete, to the extent that the

building has little drawing power.

It is bypassed by most people.

• The visitor center's design and

placement of functions make it a

difficult structure for visitors to

use. It is not user friendly.

• Directional and regulatory signs

are generally poor throughout the

park.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the

park's mission, purpose, resource

significance, interpretive themes,

and visitor experience goals.

Implementation of these recommendations will help ensure that

visitors are well prepared and

informed, and that they will be able

to develop meaningful connections

with tangible and intangible

resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for Great Falls Park,

please refer to the parkway-wide

recommendations in Part 2 of this

document

Outreach and Marketing

The official site brochure should be

updated to reflect the current NPS

graphic identity standards. The

brochure also should clearly show

its affiliation with the parkway.

Other NPS site publications, such as

site bulletins, should present the

same design uniformity with other

parkway literature and in compliance with NPS graphic identity

standards. If the site brochure is displayed along with the parkway

brochure (or even with other

parkway site brochures), some text

should be provided to help visitors

see how the sites are connected.

Arrival

Park staff will provide directional

signing to ensure that visitors can

easily learn where key facilities and

resources are located and get where

they want to go. 

Safety messages, especially regarding the dangers associated with the

river, need to be effectively communicated to all visitors. Site, headquarters, and regional, and

Washington office staffs have

formed a committee to look at

safety on the river at Great Falls.

The committee, The Potomac River

108
Safety Committee, has begun to

research and develop effective

safety strategies to positively influence visitor behavior toward the

dangers of the river. The 1996 visitor

survey showed that signs, bulletin

boards, and park staff presence

have been effective; however, a

body of significant and more recent

research exists on effective means of

altering visitor behavior. 

Recent search by park staff has discovered reports of drownings at

Great Falls going back to the late

19th century. Perhaps this information could be used to heighten

awareness of visitors today.

Visitor Center

Since the planning and design of

new media for the Great Falls Park

visitor center is already underway,

the recommendations below consist

mainly of notes from joint planning

meetings held at the park. These

notes have been organized into

broad categories and include:

Overall Goals/Concepts

• This park is primarily about the

river and its connections to the

Patowmack Canal.

• Media at the visitor center should

inform, excite, and motivate

people.

• The exhibits should be relevant to

children and interesting to families. This would include the possible use of interactive, audiovisual,

and tactile elements.

• Respect that many visitors want to

see the falls first. Encourage them

to return to the visitor center to

learn/experience more.

• The visitor center should have

continued interest for repeat park

visitors. 

Design Elements

• Develop a clear entrance that

easily directs visitors into the

building. 

• Mitigate the accessibility issues of

the ramps.

• Consider developing outdoor

interpretive areas that would help

draw people into the center, but

also attract those who may not

want to go inside. The design

might include some type of water

feature.

• Incorporate more sustainable

design elements into the structure

and interpret them to show that

we indeed are conservationminded and practice what we

believe.

• Include wayfinding elements so

that visitors can easily find things

like the auditorium, exhibit area,

rest rooms, and know which

doors lead to the falls or to the

parking lot.

• Engage architects, engineers, and

others in the planning/design

process.

Content

• Provide introductory and/or indepth interpretation of various

theme elements. This might

include something to illustrate the

various habitats/environments of

the gorge. Displaying objects to

help tell aspects of the American

Indian association with the area

also could be considered.

• Use the visitor center as another

(but not the primary) source of

river safety information.

• Encourage repeat visitation by

developing changeable themerelated exhibit elements and/or

establishing a program of special

traveling or rotating exhibits. To

have drawing power, these

exhibits will need to be more than

simple text/graphic panels.

• As part of the changeable exhibit

concept, consider displays using

various forms of artistic expression to convey theme-related concepts.

Theater

• Develop a new audiovisual

program. A new film will provide

a dramatic and emotional focus

109

“Today the parkway

preserves a native forested green space amidst

increasing suburban

development. This role is

surely much greater than

the authors of the bill to

create the parks could

have envisioned.”

Dan Sealy, Deputy

Chief, Natural

Resources & Science,

National Capital Region
on elements of the primary interpretive themes. Visitors would

gain a better understanding of the

site's multi-faceted history as well

as the ecological significance of

the falls and the Potomac River

Gorge. The film also would illustrate the important links between

the park, the river, and the

Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. 

Wayside Exhibits

Although some wayside exhibits for

Great Falls Park may be in place

before the completion of this longrange interpretive plan, all exhibits

should be evaluated as part of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit proposal. In addition to interpretive

messages to help visitors establish

connections with the resources,

wayside exhibits also will reflect

current NPS graphic identity standards and convey a parkway connection. 

At least one wayside exhibit should

inform visitors that there are two

National Park units at Great Falls,

and that they can visit the C & O

Canal on the other side of the river.

Wayside exhibit messages at the

most popular falls overlooks also

should encourage people to come to

the visitor center to discover more.

Wayside exhibits can play an important role in conveying river safety

messages. The park could develop

an inexpensive temporary exhibit,

perhaps on a moveable base, to

study its effectiveness at different

locations. Different panels could be

developed to experiment with a

variety of messages.

The wayside plan for Great Falls

Park also would include a parkwaywide orientation exhibit (see the

parkway-wide Wayside Exhibit

section in Part 2 of this document).

Education Program

The current education programs at

Great Falls Park will continue.

These programs are well established, popular, and successful in

meeting the curriculum requirements of participating schools.

The GMP calls for moving park

offices out of the visitor center to a

new location. When this happens,

the lower level of the visitor center

can be developed into a dedicated

education center. Here, portions of

various education program activities

could be conducted. By using the

education programs currently in

place and those considered for the

foreseeable future, the lower level

space would be developed and furnished with necessary materials.

This would include props, exhibits,

or any lab/field equipment used in

conducting the activities. 

Through a partnership with the C &

O Canal and others, the park can

explore the potential of developing

new education programs, possibly

through joint grant proposals. Other

potential programs might include

those developed: 

• through the Teaching with

Historic Places or Parks as Labs

program.

• with assistance from the Museum

of the American Indian.

• in partnership with other Potomac

River/Chesapeake Bay organizations.

Teacher workshops could be developed to train teachers how to use

the resources on their own and to

feel comfortable doing so. This

would allow for an expansion of the

Great Fall Park education program

in some areas with minimal additional stress on limited staff.

The value of off-site programs

involving schools, senior citizen

centers, nursing homes, etc. also

should be considered as part of the

overall education program.

Potential web site improvements

110
could include a web cam of the falls;

showing the way the area may have

looked when George Washington

saw it; depicting how boats navigated the canal and the locks; or, providing a virtual tour of the gorge

and the entire watershed.

111
LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON MEMORIAL GROVE
PURPOSE

The purpose of Lyndon Baines

Johnson Memorial Grove is to

honor President Johnson and

protect the natural beauty of the

Potomac River and view of

Washington D.C. 

SIGNIFICANCE

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial

Grove's significance is attributed to

the following factors:

• Located in the Potomac River

across from the Nation's capital,

the Lyndon Baines Johnson

Memorial Grove honors our 36th

President, for his legacy. The

memorial area was a special place

where the President and his wife,

Lady Bird Johnson, often stopped

to admire the city. The grove contains a 19-ft. monolith of sunset

red granite surrounded by a plaza

with four granite tablets bearing

quotations about the environment, education, civil rights and

the Presidency. There are many

white pines, azaleas, rhododendron and perennial and spring

bulbs through out the park.

• The memorial was designed to be

a place where people can stop to

enjoy the beauty of nature. People

picnic, walk, jog, and bicycle

through the memorial area.

• The memorial is part of Lady Bird

Johnson Park.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statement will provide the

basis for interpretation at LBJ

Memorial Grove.

Theme 1 - Presidential Memorial

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial

Grove honors our 36th President's

contributions to the environment,

education, civil rights, and the

Presidency in general.

Theme 2 - Lady Bird Johnson

As part of Lady Bird Johnson Park,

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial

Grove honors the conservation and

beautification legacy of our former

First Lady.

VISITOR EXERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective.

Visitors to the LBJ Memorial Grove

will have the opportunity to:

• Learn something about each of

the interpretive themes.

115

“Several of my fondest

memories are of visits to

the LBJ Grove with my

mother and my young

children. Two of my little

children participated in

the Grove’s

Groundbreaking. I have

photos of them holding

President Ford’s hand.”

Lynda Robb (daughter

of Lyndon Baines

Johnson)
• Make intellectual and emotional

connections with park resources. 

• Experience some form of interpretation and/or education

program.

• Obtain information about future

interpretive/education programs.

• Enjoy recreational activities,

including picnicking, walking,

running, bicycling, etc.

• See the view of Washington.

• Take photos.

• Learn about volunteer opportunities.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map can be found in the

Maps section in Appendix A.

LBJ Memorial Grove is administered through the parkway's

Virginia District. Visitors access the

site from the parkway near

Arlington National Cemetery and

the Pentagon.

A bulletin board at the Columbia

Island Marina provides information

about the site. A site brochure has

been produced, but there is no onsite box for it and no current funds

for reprinting. The brochure needs

to be revised to meet NPS graphic

identity standards. There are no

other interpretive facilities.

Parkway staff provide roving interpretation at the site on a regular

basis.

The site has a separate listing on the

main National Park Service internet

site. The separate listing shows a

connection with the parkway;

however there is no live link to the

parkway web site. The parkway web

site also includes the LBJ Memorial

Grove on its in-depth page. 

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding site visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver and

discussions with park staff. Refer to

the Visitation and Visitor Use

description in Part 2 of this document for information on how the

LBJ Memorial Grove relates to

parkway wide visitor data.

116

“All my life I have drawn

sustenance from the

rivers and from the hills

of my native state. ...I

want no less for all the

children of America

than what I was privileged to have as a boy.”

Lyndon Baines Johnson

Monument Inscription 

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Monthly Visitation 2004 Figure 15
Total annual visitation for the LBJ

Memorial Grove for 2004 was

482,250. Figure 15 illustrates the total

monthly visitation for 2004.

No visitor surveys have been conducted for the site.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the site's

purpose, resource significance,

interpretive themes, and visitor

experience goals. Implementation

of these recommendations will help

ensure that visitors are well prepared and informed, and that they

will be able to develop meaningful

connections with tangible and

intangible resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for LBJ Memorial

Grove, please refer to the parkwaywide recommendations in Part 2 of

this document

The roving interpretive activities at

the site will continue. Occasional

interpretive and community programs related to the site will be

offered.

The LBJ Memorial Grove will be

included in the proposed parkwaywide wayside exhibit proposal. All

exhibits will be designed to help visitors establish connections with the

resources. The wayside exhibits

would convey an identity with the

parkway, the NPS, and comply with

NPS graphic identity standards. The

wayside plan for the site also would

include a parkway-wide orientation

exhibit (see the parkway-wide

Wayside Exhibit section in Part 2 of

this document).

Site publications should be evaluated with regard to design uniformity

with other parkway literature and

for compliance with NPS graphic

identity standards. An on-site

brochure box will be provided.

The resources and themes offer

potential opportunities for the

development of a curriculum-based

education program. This might be a

good site to explore the development of programs that could be

conducted primarily by teachers

with minimal involvement from

park staff. More information on this

approach can be found in the

parkway-wide Education Program

section in Part 2 of this document. 

The site's web page would include a

description of the various interpretive and educational programs available, and a link to the parkway-wide

education page.

117

“The promise of

America is a simple

promise: Every person

shall share in the blessings of this land.”

Lyndon Baines Johnson

Monument Inscription
THEODORE ROOSEVELT ISLAND
PURPOSE

The purpose of Theodore Roosevelt

Island is to provide a memorial to

honor our 26th President and a

natural park for the recreation and

enjoyment of the public.

SIGNIFICANCE

Theodore Roosevelt Island's significance is attributed to the following

factors:

• The 88.5 acre natural preserve,

located in the Potomac River

within the Nation's Capital,

honors Theodore Roosevelt, the

26th President, for his contributions to the nation. The "wilderness" qualities of the island reflect

his lifelong interest and contribution to conservation of the

nation's natural resources. The

island contains a formal, landscaped memorial, which includes

a 17-foot bronze statue, promenade, fountains, and four granite

tablets inscribed with quotes

based on Roosevelt's ideals. Prior

to its designation as a memorial,

the island was a prominent landmark in the social and cultural

development of the region.

• Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.'s

architectural perspectives greatly

influenced the management and

vision for the development of

Theodore Roosevelt Island.

• Many people, including American

Indians, the Mason family, the

U.S. military, and diverse visitors,

have utilized the island for centuries.

• By balancing preservation and

public enjoyment, the island

serves as a fitting tribute to the

conservation legacy of our 26th

President.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the site's significance and

resources. The themes, which are

based on the purpose and resource

significance statements, provide the

foundation for all interpretive media

and programs. The themes do not

include everything that may be

interpreted, but they do address

those ideas that are critical to

understanding and appreciating the

site's importance. All interpretive

efforts (through both personal and

non-personal services) should relate

to one or more of the themes, and

each theme should be addressed by

some part of the overall interpretive

program. Effective interpretation is

achieved when visitors are able to

connect the concepts with the

resources and derive something

meaningful from their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at Theodore

Roosevelt Island.

Theme 1 - Presidential Memorial

Theodore Roosevelt Island provides

opportunities for visitors to honor

and remember our 26th President's

substantial conservation legacy.

Theme 2 - Human History

Various individuals or groups utilized Theodore Roosevelt Island

such, including American Indians,

the Mason family, the U.S. military

(including the 1st United States

Colored Troops), Civilian

Conservation Corps, and others.

Theme 3 - Landscape

Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.'s influence and vision is evident through

the design of Theodore Roosevelt

Island.

Theme 4 - Landscape

The landscape of the island has

changed dramatically over time with

each new user/owner and through

ecological processes.

121

“The nation behaves

well if it treats the

natural resources as

assets which it must turn

over to the next generation increased and not

impaired in value.”

Theodore Roosevelt

Monument Inscription
Theme 5 - Natural Preserve

Due to its unusual hydrology, the

Potomac River Gorge, which

extends 15 miles from a location

above Great Falls south to

Theodore Roosevelt Island, is one

of the country's most biologically

diverse areas.

Theme 6 - Watershed

The Potomac River is the second

largest contributor to the

Chesapeake Bay. As a result,

Theodore Roosevelt Island serves as

a "living laboratory" to study the

health of the Chesapeake Bay

ecosystem.

Theme 7 - Exotic, Invasive Plants

The biodiversity of Theodore

Roosevelt Island faces critical

threats from numerous invasive

plant species, some intentionally

introduced.

Theme 8 - Geology

Theodore Roosevelt Island is

located at the geologic "fall line"

between the Coastal Plain and the

Piedmont physiographic provinces. 

Theme 9 - Transportation

The Potomac River served as a

major transportation corridor from

the 17th through 19th centuries, and

Theodore Roosevelt Island specifically functioned as a base for ferry

operations by the Mason family and

by the military.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to the Theodore Roosevelt

Island will have the opportunity to:

• Learn something about each of

the interpretive themes.

• Make intellectual and emotional

connections with park resources.

• Experience some form of interpretation and/or education

program.

• Imagine the historic uses of the

island over time.

• Enjoy the beauty of the woods,

marsh, and swamp environments.

• Explore and discover the island's

history, the diversity of plants and

animals, and recreational activities.

• Obtain information about future

interpretive and educational programs.

• Obtain information about future

interpretive/education programs.

• Learn about volunteer opportunities.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map can be found in

Appendix A .

Theodore Roosevelt Island is

administered through the parkway's

Virginia District. Visitors reach the

site from the northbound lanes of

the parkway just north of the

Theodore Roosevelt Memorial

Bridge. In addition, a pedestrian

bridge from Rosslyn is a popular

way for visitors to get to the island

trailhead. A footbridge from the

parking lot provides access to the

island.

A series of multi-generational

wayside exhibits on the island inter122

“Theodore Roosevelt

Island comprises a

fitting memorial to our

great conservationist

president. Here TR’s

spirit lingers amid things

forever wild. In communing with nature on

Theodore Roosevelt

Island, visitors can also

commune with the most

elemental part of TR

himself.”

Edward J. Renhan, Jr.,

Executive Director,

Theodore Roosevelt

Association
pret a variety of natural and historic

topics and resources. Most of the

exhibits are in poor condition, and

none comply with current NPS

graphic identity standards. 

A bulletin case with a map and

information about the site is located

on the island at the end of the footbridge. A brochure box containing

the site brochure, site bulletins, the

parkway brochure, and special

event flyers is attached to the case. 

Other than the inscriptions on the

monument itself, there are no other

interpretive facilities on the island.

The park-produced brochure has

utilized current NPS graphic identity standards. It identifies the site’s

connection with the parkway and

conveys a NPS identity. 

Parkway staff offer a variety of

interpretive and education programs on the island. A special interpretive event titled “Theodore

Roosevelt's Birthday Celebration” is

held each year. 

Details of the historic use of the

island as a contraband camp and as

a camp for U.S. Colored Troops

(USCT) during the Civil War have

only recently been developed.

There is potential to partner with a

number of entities, including the

NPS National Underground

Railroad Network to Freedom

program, to present this story to onsite and virtual site visitors. 

Theodore Roosevelt Island has a

separate listing on the main

National Park Service internet site.

The separate listing shows a connection with the parkway; however

there is no live link to the parkway

web site. The parkway web site also

includes Theodore Roosevelt Island

on its in-depth page. The web site

does give a phone number to call for

guided tours, but does not provide

information about the education

programs available.

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding park visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver and

discussions with park staff. Refer to

the Visitation and Visitor Use

description in Part 2 of this document for information on how

Theodore Roosevelt Island relates

to parkway-wide visitor data.

Total annual visitation for Theodore

Roosevelt Island for 2004 was

144,226. Figure 16 illustrates the total

monthly visitation for 2004.

123

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Figure 16 Monthly Visitation 2004
No visitor surveys have been conducted at Theodore Roosevelt

Island.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the site's

purpose, resource significance,

interpretive themes, and visitor

experience goals. Implementation

of these recommendations will help

ensure that visitors are well prepared and informed, and that they

will be able to develop meaningful

connections with tangible and

intangible resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for Theodore Roosevelt

Island, please refer to the parkway

wide recommendations in Part 2 of

this document

The variety of interpretive and educational activities and special events

at the site will continue. They have

been popular with visitors, they are

successful in meeting the curriculum requirements of participating

schools, and they address key interpretive themes.

Theodore Roosevelt Island will be

included in the proposed parkwaywide wayside exhibit proposal. All

current exhibits would be removed.

All new wayside exhibits will be

designed to help visitors establish

connections with the resources. The

exhibits would convey an identity

with the parkway, the NPS, and

comply with NPS graphic identity

standards. The wayside plan also

would include a parkway-wide orientation exhibit (see the parkwaywide Wayside Exhibit section in

Part 2 of this document).

Wayside exhibits will interpret the

site of the historic contraband and

USCT camp. The use of original

maps and illustrations will help visitors visualize the resource at an

earlier time. By working in partnership with the NPS National

Underground Railroad Network to

Freedom program, the story will

have the potential to reach a larger

audience and provide a broader

context.

Site publications should be reevaluated with regard to design uniformity with other parkway literature and

for compliance with NPS graphic

identity standards. 

The resources and themes at

Theodore Roosevelt Island offer

excellent opportunities for expanding the site's curriculum-based education programs. As with the

wayside exhibits, the contraband

and USCT story could become a

strong addition to the education

program with the potential to

partner with other theme-related

programs and sites. 

Some of the island's current and

proposed education programs

would be good candidates for training teachers to conduct activities on

their own with minimal involvement from park staff. More information on this approach can be

found in the parkway-wide

Education Program section in Part 2

of this document. 

124

“There are no words

that can tell the hidden

spirit of the wilderness,

that can reveal its

mystery, its melancholy,

and its charm.”

Theodore Roosevelt 

Monument Inscription
The Theodore Roosevelt Island web

page should include a description of

the various interpretive and educational programs available, and a link

to the parkway-wide education

page. A link with the National

Underground Railroad Network to

Freedom web site also would be

established.

125
TURKEY RUN PARK
PURPOSE

The purpose of Turkey Run Park is

to protect and manage the natural,

historical, and recreational

resources and scenic values of

Turkey Run Park, especially in light

of its location next to a major commuter route. 

SIGNIFICANCE

Turkey Run Park's significance is

attributed to the following factors:

• Turkey Run Park protects a section

of the Potomac River Gorge,

which is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country.

• Turkey Run Park contributes to

the protection of the greater

Potomac River and Chesapeake

Bay watersheds.

• Turkey Run Park preserves elements of early American history

through its relatively untouched

forests and the Claude Moore

Colonial Farm.

• Despite its proximity to an urban

area, Turkey Run Park contains

abundant wildlife.

INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Interpretive themes are those

ideas/concepts that are key to

helping visitors gain an understanding of the park's or area's significance and resources. The themes,

which are based on the purpose and

resource significance statements,

provide the foundation for all interpretive media and programs. The

themes do not include everything

that may be interpreted, but they do

address those ideas that are critical

to understanding and appreciating

the park's or site's importance. All

interpretive efforts (through both

personal and non-personal services) should relate to one or more of

the themes, and each theme should

be addressed by some part of the

overall interpretive program.

Effective interpretation is achieved

when visitors are able to connect

the concepts with the resources and

derive something meaningful from

their experience.

In addition to, and based on

parkway-wide interpretive theme

elements presented in Part 2 of this

document, the following site specific theme statements will provide the

basis for interpretation at Turkey

Run Park.

Theme 1 - Natural Preserve

Due to its unusual hydrology, the

Potomac River Gorge, one of the

country's most biologically diverse

areas, extends 15 miles from a location above Great Falls south to

Theodore Roosevelt Island and

includes Turkey Run Park.

Theme 2 - Watershed

The Potomac River is the second

largest contributor to the

Chesapeake Bay. As a result, Turkey

Run Park serves as a "living laboratory" to study the health of the

Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

Theme 3 - Human History

Sometimes hidden throughout the

forest, Turkey Run Park contains

evidence of early American Indian

occupation and Colonial to 20th

century farming activities.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE

GOALS

In addition to elements of the

parkway-wide goals in Part 2 of this

document, the following defines the

desired visitor experience goals that

would be achieved with the implementation of this long-range interpretive plan. The statements

describe conditions that would

exist, rather than specific actions to

achieve the objective. 

Visitors to Turkey Run Park will

have the opportunity to:

• Learn something about each of

the interpretive themes.

129

“There still are trees in

this park that are over

200 years old and shared

the same fresh air as

George Washington,

Thomas Jefferson, Doly

Madison, Abraham

Lincoln, Walt Whitman,

Clara Barton and

Frederick Douglas.”

Dan Sealy, Deputy

Chief, Natural

Resources & Science,

National Capital Region
• Make intellectual and emotional

connections with park resources.

• Experience some form of interpretation and/or education

program.

• Savor the sounds and beauty of

the Potomac River and adjacent

woodlands.

• Learn about the trail system and

have the opportunity to explore.

• Obtain information about future

interpretive/education programs.

• Learn about volunteer opportunities.

EXISTING CONDITIONS,

ISSUES AND INFLUENCES

The following is a summary

description of the experiences and

conditions as they existed during

this long-range interpretive planning process. This section is intended to identify baseline conditions

and highlight key issues to help

justify many of this plan's recommendations. The purpose is not to

describe all existing conditions,

activities, and programs. 

A site map can be found in

Appendix A.

Turkey Run Park is administered

through the parkway's Virginia

District. Visitors access the site from

the northern end of the parkway

just inside the Beltway. The 

Potomac Heritage National Scenic

Trail also passes through the park.

A bulletin board with information

about the facilities is located at the

area “C” park lot. There are no

other interpretive facilities.

Parkway rangers provide roving

interpretation and occasional interpretive programs at the site. Turkey

Run Park also is used by school

groups for curriculum and non-curriculum-based education programs,

many led by park rangers. 

The parkway web site includes

Turkey Run Park on its in-depth

page. This page describes the recreation activities available and a

description of the site's cultural and

natural history. Links to the main

parkway and the Potomac Heritage

National Scenic Trail web sites are

provided.

VISITATION AND VISITOR

USE

The following information regarding site visitors and visitor use is

derived from data maintained by the

NPS Socio-Economic Services

Division (WASO) in Denver and

discussions with park staff. Refer to

the Visitation and Visitor Use

description in Part 2 of this document for information on how 

130

“...one of the finest hardwood forests in Virginia,

in terms of quality,

maturity, and overall

diversity.”

Virginia Division of

Natural Heritage, 1993

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Figure 17 Monthly Visitation 2004
Turkey Run Park relates to parkway

wide visitor data.

Total annual visitation for Turkey

Run Park for 2004 was 100,897.

Figure 17 illustrates the total

monthly visitation for 2004.

Picnicking and related recreation

activities are the reasons most visitors come to the site. However,

except for the distribution of annual

Visitor Survey cards, no detailed

visitor studies have been conducted

at Turkey Run Park.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following is a description of

program and media recommendations designed to further define,

support, and communicate the site's

purpose, resource significance,

interpretive themes, and visitor

experience goals. Implementation

of these recommendations will help

ensure that visitors are well prepared and informed, and that they

will be able to develop meaningful

connections with tangible and

intangible resources.

The discussion of each program or

media proposal identifies its

purpose, special considerations, and

sometimes suggests specific means

of presentation. It is important to

remember that the latter are only

suggestions and should not in any

way limit the creativity essential

during the media and program

planning and design processes. On

the other hand, proposals will be

specific enough to provide meaningful guidance, develop Class C

cost estimates, prepare PMIS submissions, and define the parameters

within which these creative energies

can flow. 

In addition to the following recommendations for Turkey Run Park,

please refer to the parkway wide

recommendations in Part 2 of this

document

Roving interpretive activities and

occasional interpretive programs at

Turkey Run Park will continue.

They have been popular with visitors and they address key interpretive themes.

Turkey Run Park will be included in

the proposed parkway-wide

wayside exhibit proposal. All new

wayside exhibits will be designed to

help visitors establish connections

with the resources. The exhibits also

would convey an identity with the

parkway, the NPS, and comply with

NPS graphic identity standards. The

wayside plan also would include a

parkway-wide orientation exhibit

(see the parkway wide Wayside

Exhibit section in Part 2 of this document).

Any site publications should be

evaluated with regard to design uniformity with other parkway literature and for compliance with NPS

graphic identity standards. 

The resources and themes at Turkey

Run Park offer excellent opportunities for the continuation of existing

curriculum-based education programs and the development of new

ones. This might be a good site to

explore the development of programs that could be conducted primarily by teachers with minimal

involvement from park staff. More

information on this approach can

be found in the parkway-wide

Education Program section in Part 2

of this document. 

The Turkey Run Park page on the

parkway web site should include a

description of the various interpretive and educational programs available, and a link to the parkway-wide

education page.

131

“As a resource manager

and Parkway commuter,

I am blessed with a daily

reminder of the Park’s

natural resources and

their immense value to

thousands who enjoy

their obvious and subtle

aspects. I am also

reminded of my responsibility for their preservation and protection.”

Jim Sherald, Chief,

Natural Resources &

Science, National

Capital Region
Jones Point Park and Memorial

Avenue are not listed in the alphabetical order in this section and

were not discussed in-depth during

the planning workshops. Other than

elements of the parkway-wide proposals (such as the wayside exhibit

plan), new media and program proposals for these two sites would

likely not be implemented during

the life of this long-range interpretive plan. However, the need for

future interpretive media and programs at these sites was subsequently identified and is presented in this

sub-section.

Jones Point Park

Jones Point Park encompasses 60

acres in the southeast corner of

Alexandria, Virginia. The archeological resources and structures preserved here represent at least 5,000

years of human history. Jones Point

is a true time capsule: it preserves

sites, buildings, and artifacts above

and below ground which relate to

Alexandria's prehistory and its military, shipbuilding, industrial, navigational, domestic, and recreational

history. Among these resources are

the historic Jones Point Lighthouse

(1855), the original southern cornerstone for the District of Columbia

(1791), and remnants of structures

from the Virginia Shipbuilding

Company (1917).

In addition to possible wayside

exhibits developed in conjunction

with the parkway-wide wayside

exhibit proposal, the parkway

would like to further develop a

partnership with the City of

Alexandria that would include

aspects of interpreting the resources

at Jones Point Park.

Memorial Avenue

Opened in 1932, Memorial Avenue

and Circle served as the northern

terminus of the Mount Vernon

Memorial Highway until its expansion to the north in the 1940s.

Arlington Memorial Bridge and

Memorial Avenue were designed

not only as a functional transportation corridor, but also as a symbolic

unification of the North and South.

This symbolic dimension of the corridor becomes apparent when considering that it links the Lincoln

Memorial on the East shore of the

Potomac River with Robert E. Lee's

Arlington House on the west shore.

Today, Memorial Avenue serves as

the ceremonial access to Arlington

National Cemetery and contains

numerous statues and monuments.

These include the Arts of War

Statues, the Spanish War Veterans

Memorial, the 101st Airborne

Memorial, the Seabeas Memorial,

the Admiral Richard F. Byrd

Monument, the 4th Infantry

Division Memorial, the Armored

Forces Memorial, and the Women

in Military Service for America

Memorial.

In addition to possible wayside

exhibits developed in conjunction

with the parkway-wide wayside

exhibit proposal, the parkway

would like to consider the development of a self-guiding publication

keyed to the monuments and

memorials. 

132

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE INTERPRETIVE

PLANS
PART 4: SUMMARY DATA
Summary of Products and

Actions

The following is a summation of the

action items and products proposed

in this long-range interpretive plan.

Each of these items is described in

greater detail in the narrative sections of the document. This list is

designed to help develop the implementation schedule, annual and

long-term priorities, assign responsibilities, and develop cost estimates.

It must be emphasized that the following lists deal specifically with

actions and products for media and

programs related directly to information, orientation, interpretation,

and education. Although new,

restored, or relocated facilities are

proposed or referenced, actions

related to these structures will need

to be developed in greater detail

during other specific planning,

design, and construction processes.

Staffing requirements for implementing the following actions are

identified separately in the Staffing

section.

Parkway-Wide

Outreach and Marketing

• Review parkway signs to ensure

consistency of design and that the

NPS arrowhead is used effectively

(ongoing).

• Review signs to ensure that in

addition to identifying major

exits, intersections, and bridges,

people can easily access parkway

sites and return to the parkway

(ongoing).

• Make better use of and expand

Travelers Information Station

(TIS) broadcasts to provide

NPS/parkway identity and activity

messages (ongoing). 

• Establish a partnership with a

local radio station to explore the

potential of a call-in program to

talk to a parkway ranger.

• Prominently display the George

Washington Memorial Parkway

title in association with individual

site and parkway wide publications. 

• Establish a full-time public information officer (PIO) position (see

Staffing Section).

• Publicize current parkway projects, events, and success stories

(ongoing). 

• Produce and announce the availability of a free CD about the

parkway. 

• Develop parkway-wide sales publications (including a driving tour

of parkway sites) through the

cooperating association. 

• Explore the potential of marketing

parkway sites through GSI,

including options of providing

access to more sites via the

Tourmobile operation. 

• Explore joint marketing options

with Mount Vernon. 

• Explore the potential of partnering with organizations and businesses that have an interest in an

individual parkway site and

encourage them to assist in promoting the site and its links to the

parkway.

• Explore the development of unifying graphic identity/branding

materials for parkway. 

• Develop outdoor and/or indoor

exhibits at each parkway site to

identify the various units of the

parkway, illustrate the thematic

linkages, and convey an NPS

identity. 

• Continue to develop the Junior

Ranger program as a gateway to

getting children and families

involved with more parkway sites

(ongoing).

• Establish an annual art/craft/photography show featuring parkway

sites and resources. 

• Produce rack cards for specific

parkway sites and for the parkway

as a whole.

• Produce a parkway

newsletter/newspaper (1-2 edi135
tions per year).

• Develop theme-related activities

and programs that will attract

multi-cultural audiences

(ongoing).

• Work with the local and regional

travel industry to ensure that

parkway site listings are accurate

and current, and that the information clearly shows the association

with the parkway (ongoing). 

• Encourage and provide reviews of

tourism literature (including web

sites, radio and television spots)

which promote or provide information about the parkway

(ongoing).

• Share parkway visitation statistics

and survey results to further illustrate how existing and potential

partners can benefit and enhance

the visitor experience by working

together (ongoing). 

• Provide site and parkway-wide

information through roving and

other activities (ongoing). 

• Offer continuing information/orientation training opportunities to

park staff, volunteers, partners,

and other public service providers

(ongoing). 

• Continue providing park information via responses to regular mail,

email, and telephone requests

(ongoing). 

Internet

• Enhance parkway web sites and

links to related areas (ongoing).

• Set up virtual parkway visitor

center with theme-related

exhibits.

• Provide downloadable information on multiple topics.

• Provide central location for education program materials and

information.

• Develop parkway on-line journal

(blogging) site.

• Create a web ring with parkway

and related sites.

• Provide summaries of

research/resource management

projects.

• Provide information on parkway

research needs and opportunities.

Wayside Exhibits

• Develop and implement a

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Obtain funding and develop new

wayside exhibits where needed.

Mobile Visitor Center

• Determine size and other physical

requirements and acquire vehicle.

• Develop exhibits.

• Develop audiovisual program.

• Develop necessary signing.

• Experiment with different locations.

Education Program

• Update/revise 1995 Education

Plan.

• Centralize information about all

parkway education programs.

• Produce an education program

brochure for the entire parkway.

• Develop web site links with all site

and partner education programs.

• Organize staff/teacher workshops

(ongoing).

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

Publications

• Update/revise all official and parkproduced brochures and related

literature to meet NPS graphic

identity standards & to present

unified parkway-wide identity.

• Produce a free CD about the

parkway.

• Develop parkway-wide sales publications.

• Develop unifying/branding materials for parkway sites.

• Produce rack cards.

• Produce a parkway

newspaper/newsletter.

• Produce well-designed education

program materials.

• Reprint theme-related out-ofprint publications.

• Conduct Scope of Sales study

(ongoing).

136
• Develop a new parkway map highlighting resources and interpretive

themes.

Research Needs

• Gather new and/or update visitor

survey data.

• Gather more information on

American Indian tribes in the

area.

• Learn more about the USCT

involvement at Theodore

Roosevelt Island and other sites.

• Learn more about the various military and intelligence operations

at Fort Hunt.

• Summarize research reports in an

annual or biannual publication.

[Note: the following summary of

individual site recommendations

may repeat some of the parkwaywide proposals. Regardless, when

assembling annual implementation

or work plans, applicable parkwaywide proposals should be considered along with the individual site

recommendations.]

Arlington House

• Update/revise all official and parkproduced brochures and related

literature to meet NPS graphic

identity standards & to present

unified parkway-wide identity.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Determine location and program

for a visitor contact center.

• Develop exhibits for visitor

contact center, some perhaps with

audiovisual components.

• Produce audiovisual program and

acquire projection equipment.

• Produce site entrance sign(s).

• Develop information/orientation

exhibits for interim contact

station. 

• Develop informational exhibit at

Arlington Metro station.

• Explore ways to enhance the

quality of the house tours and

improve visitor flow.

• Refurnish mansion kitchen with

period reproduction pieces.

• Rehabilitate the dairy.

• Prepare historic furnishing plans

for the two slave quarters buildings.

• Develop new exhibits for the

north slave quarters (i.e. cut away

model).

• Relocate slavery exhibit to the

north slave quarters.

• Relocate bookstore to the new

visitor contact center.

• Remove current exhibits in the

Potting Shed.

• Develop self-guiding trail around

the historic woodland.

• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Find new ways to engage people

who want to become more

involved with the site.

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

Arlington Ridge Park: The

Netherlands Carillon

• Develop brochure and related literature to meet NPS graphic identity standards & to present unified

parkway-wide identity.

• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

• Establish oral history program.

Arlington Ridge Park: U.S.

Marine Corps War Memorial

• Develop site brochure and related

literature to meet NPS graphic

identity standards & to present

unified parkway-wide identity.

137
• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

• Establish oral history program.

Clara Barton National Historic

Site

• Update/revise all official and parkproduced brochures and related

literature to meet NPS graphic

identity standards & to present

unified parkway-wide identity.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Determine location and program

for a visitor contact center.

• Develop exhibits for visitor

contact center, some perhaps with

audiovisual components.

• Produce new audiovisual

program.

• Upgrade audiovisual equipment.

• Explore ways to enhance the

quality of the house tours and

improve visitor flow.

• Amend historic furnishing plan to

complete the rooms on the main

floor.

• Relocate bookstore to the new

visitor contact center.

• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve

• Update/revise all site brochures

and related literature to meet NPS

graphic identity standards & to

present unified parkway-wide

identity.

• Repair/reconstruct boardwalk.

• Revise wayside exhibit proposal

and use as a model for the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

Fort Hunt Park

• Develop site brochure and related

literature to meet NPS graphic

identity standards & to present

unified parkway-wide identity.

• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with partners.

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

• Develop oral history program.

Fort Marcy

• Develop site brochure and related

literature to meet NPS graphic

identity standards & to present

unified parkway-wide identity.

• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

Glen Echo Park

• Update/revise all official and parkproduced brochures and related

literature to meet NPS graphic

identity standards & to present

unified parkway-wide identity.

138
• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Develop rotating exhibit program

and case design for visitor contact

center or mobile visitor center.

• Develop entrance sign from

parking lot.

• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Develop civil rights exhibits.

• Develop trolley car exhibits.

• Collect additional oral histories

(ongoing).

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new education programs

and partnerships (ongoing).

Great Falls Park

• Update/revise all official and parkproduced brochures and related

literature to meet NPS graphic

identity standards & to present

unified parkway-wide identity.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Redesign visitor center entrance.

• Add and interpret sustainable

design elements of the visitor

center.

• Develop new exhibits for visitor

center, perhaps some with audiovisual components, some outdoor

displays, and some changeable

elements.

• Produce new audiovisual

program.

• Upgrade audiovisual equipment.

• Develop an education center on

lower level of visitor center.

• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Research, develop, and implement

river safety program.

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

Lyndon Baines Johnson

Memorial Grove

• Update/revise site brochure and

related literature to meet NPS

graphic identity standards & to

present unified parkway-wide

identity.

• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new interpretive and

education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

Theodore Roosevelt Island

• Develop site brochure and related

literature to meet NPS graphic

identity standards & to present

unified parkway-wide identity.

• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

Turkey Run Park

• Develop site brochure and related

literature to meet NPS graphic

identity standards & to present

unified parkway-wide identity.

• Implement site portion of the

parkway-wide wayside exhibit

proposal.

• Enhance web site and links to

related areas (ongoing).

• Develop new education materials

and web site links with all site and

partner education programs.

• Establish new and maintain existing education programs and partnerships (ongoing).

139
STAFFING

The following tables and lists show

the existing (funded) staff and the

proposed (unfunded) interpretive

staff needed to fully implement the

recommendations and proposals in

this long-range interpretive plan.

Additional staff will also come

through current, new, and expanded partnerships, volunteers, student

interns, cooperating association

employees, and others. One specific

recommendation is to explore more

interaction with area colleges/universities for establishing internships,

volunteers, etc., and to have these

individuals rotate to various

parkway sites.

Interpretation Recreation and

Resource Management (IRRM)

Interpretive Staff

(Table 1 summarizes the funded and

unfunded staff for IRRM and the

Virginia District.)

Chief of Interpretation,

Recreation, & Resource

Management, GS-13

• Administration and management

of the parkway-wide interpretation, education, information services, volunteer, recreation, and

resources management programs

• Long range planning

• Member of parkway management

team

Education Specialist, GS-12

• Administration and coordination

of parkway education programs

• IRRM training coordinator

• Volunteer in Parks program management, partnerships, cooperating associations, special emphasis

projects and recruitment.

Media/Design Specialist, GS-11

• Coordinate the development and

production of all parkway media

(exhibits, waysides, publications)

140

Title Grade Type Funded Pay 

Periods 

Unfunde

Chief IRRM 13 PFT $74,782 26 

Education Specialist 12 PFT $62,886 26 

Media/Design Specialist 11 PFT 26 $52,468 

Public Information Officer 9/11 PFT 26 $52,468 

Park Ranger (VIP) 9 PFT 26 $43,365 

Sup. Park Ranger 11 PFT $52,468 26 

Park Ranger 5/7/9 PFT $43,365 26 

Park Ranger 5/7/9 PFT $43,365 26 

Park Ranger (ED) 5/7/9 PFT $43,365 26 

Park Ranger (NR) 5/7/9 PFT 26 $43,365 

Park Ranger (CR) 5/7/9 PFT 26 $43,365 

Park Ranger 5 SEAS 12 $13,208 

Park Ranger 5 SEAS $13,208 12 

Park Ranger 5 SEAS 12 $13,208 

Park Ranger (Winter) 5 SEAS 12 $13,208 

Park Ranger 5 SEAS 12 $13,208 

Park Guide 4 SEAS 12 $11,805 

Park Guide 4 SEAS 12 $11,805 

Totals $333,439 #311,473 

Table 1

IRRM/VA DISTRICT INTERPRETIVE STAFFING
• Writer/editor for review of

parkway information/media

• Maintain parkway website

Public Information Officer, GS09/11

• Primary contact for media and

public relations

• Prepare press releases

• Maintain parkway website

Park Ranger (VIP), GS-09

• Coordinate parkway-wide volunteer program

• Recruit, train, and supervise volunteers

Virginia District Interpretive

Staff

(Table 1 summarizes the funded and

unfunded staff for IRRM and the

Virginia District.)

Supervisory Park Ranger

(Virginia District), GS-11

• Maintain daily operations for district

• Supervise Virginia District staff

and manage district budget

• Provide interpretive training,

coaching, mentoring, and evaluation

• Assure effective implementation of

IDP and interpretive certification/competencies program

(2) Park Ranger, GS-05/07/09

• Develop and present interpretive

programs

• Coordinate special events and

manage special initiatives

Park Ranger (ED), GS-05/07/09

• Develop and present interpretive

programs

• Coordinate Virginia District education programs

Park Ranger (NR), GS-05/07/09

• Develop and present interpretive

programs

• Natural resource management and

research liaison

Park Ranger (CR), GS-05/07/09

• Develop and present interpretive

programs

• Cultural resource management

and research liaison

(5) Seasonal Park Ranger, GS-05

(one position designated for winter

season)

• Provide orientation information

for visitors

• Present interpretive programs onand off-site

• Provide roving interpretation for

protection of park resources

(2) Seasonal Park Guide, GS-04

• Provide orientation information

for visitors

• Present interpretive programs onand off-site

• Provide roving interpretation for

protection of park resources

Arlington House Interpretive

and Applied History Intern

Interpretive Staff (Table 2 summarizes the funded and unfunded

staff for Arlington House.)

Supervisory Park Ranger, GS-11

• Manages ARHO interpretive operations, including the timed

entry/tour program, Parks as

Classroom (PAC) program, VIP

program, daily interpretive operations, and special events planning

• Member of ARHO management

team; participates in long-range

interpretive planning

• Supervises GS-04 and above seasonal and permanent interpretive

staff

• Provides visitor orientation and

interpretive services

Lead Park Ranger, GS-09

• Organizes and directs PAC logistics

• Conducts all donation collections

and remittances

• Responsible for daily interpretive

operations schedule, including

timed entry/tour program

141
• Member of servicewide interpretive competencies review team

• Provides visitor orientation and

interpretive services

Volunteer Program Coordinator,

GS-09

• Plans and oversees all special volunteer events

• Recruits, trains, and supervises

volunteers

• Organizes and disseminates site

newsletter

• Provides visitor orientation and

interpretive services

Media Specialist, GS-09 (position

is shared with GWMP

Administration/IT Division)

142

Title Grade Type Funded Pay 

Periods 

Unfunded 

Sup. Park Ranger 11 PFT $70,395 26 

Park Ranger (Lead) 5/7/9 PFT $75,615 26 

Park Ranger (VIP) 5/7/9 PFT $66,108 26 

Park Ranger (Media) 5/7/9 PFT $46,935 26 $28,679 

Park Ranger (Hist. 

Garden) 

5/7/9 PFT 26 $43,365 

Park Guide 5 PFT $40,040 26 

Park Guide (PAC) 5 CSFT 26 $40,040 

Park Guide (Fall PAC) 9 CSFT $6,335 4 

Park Guide (Fall PAC) 9 CSFT $18,500 7 

Visitor Use Assistant (Fall 

PAC) 

4 SEAS 

PT 

$1,628 4 

Visitor Use Assistant (Fall 

PAC) 

4 SEAS 4 $5,651 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(Spring PAC) 

4 SEAS $5,480 11 

Visitor Use Assi stant 

(Spring PAC) 

4 SEAS $5,480 11 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(Summer) 

4 SEAS 

PT 

$5,172 7 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(Summer) 

4 SEAS 

PT 

$5,172 7 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(Summer) 

4 SEAS 

PT 

$5,172 7 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(Summer) 

4 SEAS 

PT 

$5,172 7 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(Summer) 

4 SEAS 

PT 

$5,172 7 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(Summer) 

4 SEAS 

PT 

$5,172 7 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(Summer) 

4 SEAS 

PT 

$5,172 7 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(APH Intern) 

3 SEAS 

PT 

$2,100 5 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(APH Intern) 

3 SEAS 

PT 

$2,100 5 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(APH Intern) 

3 SEAS 

PT 

$6,418 11 

Park Ranger (SEAS Lead) 5 SEAS $12,929 10 

Totals $396,267 11.7 FTE $117,735 

Table 2

ARLINGTON HOUSE INTERPRETIVE STAFFING
• Designs and produces interpretive

and functional exhibits, signs, and

brochures

• Provides low-level IT support

• Serves as site safety officer

• Provides visitor orientation and

interpretive services

Historic Gardens Interpretation

Coordinator, GS-09

• Coordinates planning, planting,

and harvesting of the site's historic gardens as an interpretive

program

• Conducts staff training and public

interpretation related to the site's

historic gardens

• Performs costumed interpretation

in the historic gardens

• Provides visitor orientation and

interpretive services

(2) Park Guides, GS-05

• Provides visitor orientation and

basic visitor services

• Assists with PAC programming (2) Career Seasonal Park Ranger,

GS-09 (positions are duty-stationed

at C&O Canal NHP and serve at

ARHO during furlough periods)

• Seasonal assistance with PAC and

holiday period interpretive programming

(2) Seasonal Visitor Use Assistant,

GS-04

• Provides visitor orientation and

supports fall PAC programming

(2) Seasonal Visitor Use Assistant,

GS-04

• Provides visitor orientation and

supports spring PAC programming

(7) Seasonal Visitor Use Assistant,

GS-04 (these are post Applied

History Intern Program positions

and are filled in an overlapping,

part-time manner)

• Provides visitor orientation and

basic interpretation during

summer peak season

• Provides second interpretive shift

coverage during periods of

extended hours of operation

• Supports timed entry/tour programming

(3) Seasonal Visitor Use Assistant,

GS-03

• Serves in an intake/training position as part of the Applied History

Intern Program

• Provides visitor orientation and

basic interpretation during

summer peak season

• Provides second interpretive shift

coverage during periods of

extended hours of operation

• Supports timed entry/tour programming

Seasonal Lead Park Ranger, GS05

• Provides daily interpretive organization and leadership to seasonal,

intern, and volunteer staff during

summer peak season

• Provides visitor orientation and

interpretive services

• Organizes daily operation of the

third times entry/tour program

when all permanent positions are

filled

Great Falls Park Interpretive

Staff (Table 3 summarizes the

funded and unfunded staff for

Great Falls Park.)

Supervisory Park Ranger, GS-11

• Responsible for all aspects of the

interpretive operations

• Develops and delivers interpretive

and educational programs

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

• Assists with site management

duties at the direction of the site

manager

• Oversees the EMS/SAR program

Park Ranger, GS-05/07/09

• Conducts research and planning

for interpretive programs

• Conducts research and planning

for educational programs

143
• Develops and delivers interpretive

and educational programs

• Assists with emergency response

and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

• Assumes various collateral duties

Park Ranger, GS-05/07/09

(Education Services Emphasis)

• Coordinator and chief planner for

educational program development

• Conducts research and planning

for interpretive programs

• Develops and delivers interpretive

and educational programs

• Assists with site emergency

response and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Park Ranger, GS-05/07/09

(Cultural Resources Emphasis)

• Chief researcher and liaison for

the site's cultural resource management issues

• Conducts research and planning

for interpretive programs

• Develops and delivers interpretive

and educational programs

• Assists with emergency response

and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Park Ranger, GS-05/07/09

(Natural Resources Emphasis)

• Chief researcher and liaison for

the site's natural resource management issues

• Conducts research and planning

for interpretive programs

• Develops and delivers interpretive

and educational programs

• Assists with emergency response

and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Park Ranger, GS-05/07/09

• Chief contact responsible for site's

web page

• Conducts research and planning

for interpretive programs

• Develop and delivers interpretive

and educational programs

• Assists with site emergency

response and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Park Ranger, GS-05/07/09

(Volunteer Program Emphasis)

• Chief planner, coordinator, and

liaison for the site's volunteer programs and projects

• Conducts research and planning

for interpretive programs

• Develops and delivers interpretive

and educational programs

• Assists with site emergency

response and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Park Ranger, GS-05/07/09

(EMS/SAR Emphasis)

• Planner, coordinator, and liaison

for the site's EMS and SAR programs

• Conducts research and planning

for interpretive programs

• Develops and delivers interpretive

and educational programs

• Assists with site emergency

response and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Park Guide, GS-05

• Provides orientation information

for visitors

• Presents interpretive programs

• Provides roving and stationary

interpretation

• Assists with site emergency

response and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Visitor Use Assistant (Visitor

Center & Curatorial), GS-05

• Responsible for daily functioning

of the visitor center

• Responsible for handling program

requests

• Responsible for site's curatorial

program

144
• Delivers stationary interpretive

programs

• Assists with site emergency

response and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Seasonal Park Ranger, GS05/07/09

• Conducts research and planning

for interpretive programs

• Conducts research and planning

for educational programs

• Develops and delivers interpretive

and educational programs

• Assists with emergency response

and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Seasonal Visitor Use Assistant

(Interpretation), GS-04

• Provides orientation information

for visitors

• Presents interpretive programs

• Provides roving and stationary

interpretation

• Assists with site emergency

response and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Seasonal Visitor Use Assistant

(Visitor Center), GS-03

• Assists with daily operation of the

visitor center

• Delivers stationary interpretive

programs

• Assists with site emergency

response and safety duties

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

Visitor Use Assistant (Fee

Supervisor), GS-07

145

Title Grade Type Funded Pay 

Periods 

Unfunded 

Sup. Park Ranger 11 PFT $77,728 26 

Park Ranger 5/7/9 PFT $44,037 26 

Park Ranger (Education) 5/7/9 PFT $70,442 26 

Park Ranger 5/7/9 PFT $60,700 26 

Park Ranger (Cult. Res.) 5/7/9 PFT 26 $60,182 

Park Ranger (Nat. Res.) 5/7/9 PFT 26 $60,700 

Park Ranger (web) 5/7/9 PT 26 $24,037 

Park Ranger 5/7/9 PFT $76,182 26 

Park Ranger (VIP) 5/7/9 PFT $65,237 26 

Park Ranger (EMS, SAR, 

Safety) 

5/7/9 PFT 26 $65,237 

Park Guide 5 PFT $47,450 26 

Visitor Use Assistant (VC 

& Curatorial ) 

6 PFT $59,319 26 

Park Ranger 5/7/9 SEAS 12 $21,900 

Visitor Use Assistant 4 SEAS $13,308 12 

Visitor Use Assistant (VC) 4 SEAS $13,856 12 

Visitor Use Assistant (Fee 

Sup.) 

7 PFT $10,000 26 This is @ 20% 

Visitor Use Assistant (Fee 

Collection) 

5 PFT $6,000 26 This is @ 20% 

Visitor Use Assistant (Fee 

Collection) 

4 PT 

Term 

$5,000 26 This is @ 20% 

Visitor Use Assistant (Fee 

Collection) 

PT 

Term 

$5,000 26 This is @ 20% 

Totals $554,259 $232,056 

Table 3

GREAT FALLS INTERPRETIVE STAFFING
• Responsible for supervision of the

Visitor Use Assistants working in

fee collection and for 20% of the

time, the visitor center

• Assists with site management

duties at the discretion of the site

manager

• Assists with site emergency

response and safety duties

Visitor Use Assistant (Fee

Collection)

• Responsible for greeting and

assisting visitors at the entrance

station and collecting entrance

fees

• Supports daily operational needs

of the site

• Assists with site emergency

response and safety duties

• Assists with daily operation of the

visitor center (20%)

146

Title Grade Type Funded Pay 

Periods 

Unfunded 

Site Manager 12 PFT $77,556 26 

Sup. Park Ranger 11 PFT $59,464 26 

Park Ranger (GLEC) 9 PFT $52,036 26 

Park Ranger (GLEC) 9 PFT $52,036 26 

Park Ranger (GLEC) 5/7/9 PFT 26 $43,365 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(GLEC) 

4 SEAS $13, 208 26 

Park Ranger (CLBA) 9 PFT $50,590 26 

Park Ranger (CLBA) 9 PFT $54,926 26 

Park Ranger (CLBA) 7 PFT $35,452 26 

Visitor Use Assistant 

(CLBA) 

4 SEAS $25,581 26 

Totals $420,849 $43,365 

Table 4

Glen Echo/Clara Barton Interpretive Staffing
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Based on the recommendations in

this long-range interpretive plan,

and as summarized in the Staffing

and Summary of Products and

Actions sections, parkway managers

were asked to develop prioritized

lists of actions. These lists, which

can be used as a foundation for

annual program planning and

funding, are shown below:

Parkway-Wide

1) Implement the NPS identity

program standards for all interpretive media throughout the

Parkway;

2) Incorporate/reference George

Washington Memorial Parkway

into all interpretive media

throughout the parkway so that all

sites are linked to the common

identity;

3) Partner with Eastern National to

develop and produce a handbook

and postcards that collectively

represent George Washington

Memorial Parkway;

4) Initiate a comprehensive social

science survey to assess attitudes,

perceptions and behaviors of

parkway visitors;

5) Partner with Mount Vernon to

establish an exhibit and publication related to the history, planning, and construction of the

parkway designed to provide a

scenic transportation route from

Washington to Mount Vernon;

6) Establish a research library and

archives relative to the parkway's

interpretive themes;

7) Establish partnerships with local

media to market and promote the

identity, significance, and history

of the parkway.

Virginia District

1. Increase Virginia District staffing

levels to include the following

additional positions: two permanent rangers, four seasonal park

rangers, and two park guides. This

increase will allow the Virginia

District staff to:

• Expand personal and non-personal services (including the monitoring of natural and cultural

resources, assessing and reporting

of safety hazards, care of bulletin

boards and brochures boxes, etc.).

• Continue to build partnerships

with various groups and volunteers to engage diverse audiences

in stewardship/interpretation of

national parks.

• Expand educational and outreach programs to schools and

other off-site locations. 

• Coordinate additional research

about visitor use in Virginia

District sites to aid in interpretive

and general park planning.

• Expand the cultural resources

program to include sites in the

Virginia District (e.g., finalizing a

collections plan for the U.S.

Marine Corps War Memorial,

developing a Collections Plan for

care of museum and photographic

objects, researching additional

information about park sites,

obtaining oral histories, etc.)

2. Establish a mobile parkway visitor

center for the Virginia District.

3. Establish and/or update wayside

exhibits as necessary throughout

Virginia District sites (e.g., Dyke

Marsh Waysides funded, resource

education waysides funded for

FY06, replacement waysides at

Theodore Roosevelt Island, etc.)

4. Produce additional brochures

and site bulletins for the Virginia

District. 

5. Update and expand the park

website with additional information about Virginia District sites as

part of the larger picture of all

parkway sites. 

Great Falls Park

1. Establish seasonal park interpretive ranger positions dedicated to

public education and interpretation activities.

2. Complete visitor center exhibit

design project.

3. Replace wayside exhibits to

147
update information and to

conform with NPS graphic identity standards.

4. Implement sign plan to enhance

visitor understanding, satisfaction,

and safety.

5. Initiate planning and design of

outdoor interpretive media (waysides, exhibits, models, etc.).

Clara Barton National Historic

Site

1. Continue development and revision of current interpretive/educational programs offered to

increase visitor understanding of

site significance, and to increase

the diversity of visitors (i.e.

American Red Cross, it's local

chapters, neighboring schools,

civic, tourism industries, etc.)

2. Identify the location and funding

sources, and begin design plans

for the site's visitor contact

station.

3. Develop interpretive programs,

waysides exhibits, and site bulletins that include walking tours

of grounds, outer structures, and

specifically the gardens.

Glen Echo Park

1. Continue developing and revising

interpretive/educational programs

to increase visitor understanding

of site significance and to increase

the diversity of visitors.

2. Develop an interpretive exhibit

on civil rights in a rehabilitated

structure from the amusement

park era. 

3. Rehabilitate and develop a trolley

car exhibit to interpret the story

of it's era and it's connection to

Glen Echo Park.

4. Recruit, hire, and train one (1)

interpretive park ranger and (1)

visitor use/park guide to deliver an

array of visitor services throughout the calendar year.

Arlington House

1. Develop an on-site, visitor contact

station or visitor center that

would provide a cohesive orientation to the site and its themes as

well as provide visitor services

such as a bookstore and comfort

facilities.

2. Increase interpretive staffing to

extend operating hours during the

summer season, provide expanded on- and off-site education programs, and other interpretive programs and special events.

3. Develop a self-guided interpretive

trail around the Arlington House

woodlands.

4. Establish and fill a historic garden

and natural history focused interpretive park ranger position.

5. Develop and install a series of

identification signs, especially an

entrance sign identifying both the

site and its relationship to the

George Washington Memorial

Parkway.

6. Develop and install new interpretive wayside exhibits as a component of the overall parkway

wayside exhibit proposal. 

148
PLANNING TEAM AND

CONSULTANTS

149

George Washington Memorial Parkway

Audrey Calhoun, Superintendent

Jon James, Deputy Superintendent

Vincent Santucci, Chief Ranger

Jacqueline Davis, Education Specialist

Kendell Thompson, Site Manager, Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee

Memorial

Walter McDowney, Site Manager, Great Falls Park

Kym Elder, Site Manager, Clara Barton National Nistoric Site/Glen Echo

Park

Karen Pittleman, Administration Officer

Tyler Neely, former IRRM Secretary

Betty Bell, IRRM Secretary

Dana Dierkes, Supervisory Park Ranger

Frank Cucurullo, Supervisory Park Ranger

Jesse Reynolds, Supervisory Park Ranger

Joe Burns, Supervisory Park Ranger

Deborah Deas, Park Ranger

Delphine Gross, Park Ranger

Keith Drews, Park Ranger

Sam Swersky, Park Ranger

Brent O'Neill, Park Ranger

Sarah Koenen, Park Ranger

John Rapphahn, Park Ranger

Catie Drew, Park Ranger

Cheryl Bresee, Park Ranger

Rachel Howard, Park Ranger

Scott Bell, Park Ranger

Matt Penrod, Park Ranger

Deb Feldman, Park Ranger

Karen Kenzey, Historian

Brent Steury, Natural Resource Manager

Matt Virta, Cultural Resource Manager

Andy Wenchel, Historic Architect

Brandon Bies, Cultural Resource Specialist

Jean Olson, GIS Specialist

Garth Shull, Chief, Technical Services

Anne Dayton, Business Manager

Kevin Butler, Visitor Use Assistant

Kevin Patti, Visitor Use Assistant

Dorothy Carns, Visitor Use Assistant

Bob Carns, 

Tiffany Green, Intern, Office Administration

National Capital Regional Office

Dottie Marshall, Associate Regional Director, Administration

George Vasjuta, Interpretive Planner

Jenny Masur, Cultural Resource Specialist (National Underground Railroad 

Network to Freedom)

Giselle Mora-Bourgeois, Science Education Coordinator, Center for Urban

Ecology
150

Park Partners and Consultants

Michael Bento, Senior Vice President for Marketing & Communications, 

National Park Foundation

Stephanie Flack, Potomac Gorge Project Director, The Nature Conservancy

Stacy Madalena, National Capital Regional Manager, Eastern National 

Bill Justice, Chief of Interpretation, C & O Canal National Historical Park

Harpers Ferry Center

Lakita Edwards, Education Specialist

Ron Roos, Wayside Exhibit Designer

Eric Epstein, AV Specialist

Chuck Dunkerly, AV Editor/Producer

Paula Beale, Exhibit Planner

Debbie Haarman, Project Specialist

Don Branch, Exhibit Designer

Al Levitan, Conservator

John Deemer, Exhibit Planner

Robin Butler, Program Assistant

Katherine Brock, Interpretive Planner

Rick Jones, Interpretive Planner

Paul Lee, Interpretive Planner

Tom Tankersley, Interpretive Planner (In Memoriam)
PART 5: APPENDICIES

Appendix A: Maps

Appendix B: Legislative Summary

Appendix C: Programmatic Accessibility Guidelines for Interpretive Media
153

APPENDIX A: MAPS
155

GEORGE WASHINGTON MEMORIAL PARKWAY
156

ARLINGTON HOUSE, THE ROBERT E. LEE MEMORIAL
157

ARLINGTON RIDGE PARK
158

CLARA BARTON NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
159

DYKE MARSH WILDLIFE PRESERVE
160

FORT HUNT PARK
161

FORT MARCY

(Historic Drawing)
162

FORT CIRCLE PARKS
163

GLEN ECHO PARK
164

GREAT FALLS PARK
165

LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON MEMORIAL GROVE
166

THEODORE ROOSEVELT ISLAND
167

TURKEY RUN PARK
The George Washington Memorial

Parkway has several pieces of significant legislation that collectively

define the unique character of the

park. The parkway also has a diversity of resources that have been put

under its administrative control

without benefit of any legislation.

This would include the U.S. Marine

Corps War Memorial.

The following excerpts from legislation associated with the George

Washington Memorial Parkway

contain language that was considered to have potential influence on

the interpretive program.

June 6, 1924 (Public No. 202) - An

Act 

For a comprehensive development

of the park and playground system

of the National Capital. 

That to preserve the flow of water in

Rock Creek, to prevent pollution of

Rock Creek and the Potomac and

Anacostia Rivers, to preserve forests

and natural scenery in and about

Washington, and to provide for the

comprehensive systematic, and continuous development of the park,

parkway, and playground system of

the National Capital, there is hereby

constituted a commission, to be

known as the National Capital Park

Commission...

March 4, 1925 (Public Resolution -

No. 74) - Joint Resolution

Authorizing the restoration of the

Lee Mansion in the Arlington

National. Cemetery, Virginia. 

Whereas the era of internecine strife

among the States having yielded to

one of better understanding, of

common loyalty, and of a more

perfect Union: and 

Whereas, now honor is accorded

Robert E. Lee as one of the great military leaders of history, whose exalted

character, noble life, and eminent

services are recognized and esteemed,

and whose manly attributes of

percept and example were compelling

factors in cementing the American

people in bonds of patriotic devotion

and action against common external

enemies in the war with Spain and in

the World War, thus consummating

the hope of a reunited country that

would again swell the chorus of the

Union: Therefore be it,

Resolved...That the Secretary of War

be, and he is hereby, authorized and

directed, as nearly as may be practicable, to restore the Lee Mansion in

the Arlington National Cemetery,

Virginia, to the condition in which it

existed immediately prior to the Civil

War and to procure, if possible, articles of furniture and equipment

which were then in the mansion and

in use by the occupants thereof. He is

also authorized, in his discretion, to

procure replicas of the furniture and

other articles in use in the mansion

during the period mentioned, with a

view to restoring, as far as may be

practicable, the appearance of the

interior of the mansion to the condition of its occupancy by the Lee

family.

May 23, 1928 - An Act

Authorizing the construction of the

Mount Vernon Memorial Highway. 

That the United States Commission

for the Celebration of the Two

Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth

of George Washington...is hereby

authorized and directed to take such

steps as may be necessary to construct

a suitable memorial highway to

connect Mount Vernon, the home and

burial place of George Washington,

in the State of Virginia, with the south

end of the Arlington Memorial

Bridge, now being constructed across

169

APPENDIX B: LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY
the Potomac River at the city of

Washington, District of Columbia...

May 29, 1930 (46 Stat. 482) - An

Act 

For the acquisition, establishment,

and development of the George

Washington Memorial Parkway

along the Potomac from Mount

Vernon and Fort Washington to the

Great Falls, and to provide for the

acquisition of lands in the District

of Columbia and the States of

Maryland and Virginia requisite to

the comprehensive park, parkway,

and playground system of the

National Capital. 

(a) For the George Washington

Memorial Parkway, to include the

shores of the Potomac, and adjacent

lands, from Mount Vernon to a

point above the Great Falls on the

Virginia side...and including the protection and preservation of the

natural scenery of the Gorge and the

Great Falls of the Potomac, the

preservation of the historic

Patowmack Canal, and the acquisition of that portion of the Chesapeake

and Ohio Canal below Point of

Rocks...That the acquisition of any

land in the Potomac River Valley for

park purposes shall not debar or

limit, or abridge its use for such

works as Congress may in the future

authorize for the improvement and

the extension of navigation, including

the connecting of the upper Potomac

River with the Ohio River, or for

flood control or irrigation or

drainage, or for the development of

hydroelectric power.

(b) For the extension of Rock Creek

Park into Maryland as may be

agreed upon between the National

Capital Park and Planning

Commission and the Maryland

National Capital Park and Planning

Commission.

Sec. 3. Whenever the use of the Forts

Washington, Foote, and Hunt, or

either of them, is no longer deemed

necessary for military purposes they

shall be turned over to the Director of

Public Buildings and Public Parks of

the National Capital, without cost,

for administration and maintenance

as a part of the said George

Washington Memorial Parkway.

June 29, 1955 (Public Law 107, Res.

62) - Joint Resolution Dedicating

the Lee Mansion in Arlington

National Cemetery as a permanent

memorial to Robert E. Lee.

Whereas the ninth day of April 1955 is

the ninetieth anniversary of the

Appomattox cessation of hostilities

between our states; and

Whereas of the two great figures

therein involved, one, General

Ulysses S. Grant, has been highly

honored by becoming President of the

United States, but the other, Robert E.

Lee, has never been suitably memorialized by the National Government;

and

Whereas Robert E. Lee had graduated by West Point, dedicated himself to

an Army career, and became a

colonel in the United States Army,

then the commander of the

Confederate forces, attained world

renown as a military genius, and

after Appomattox fervently devoted

himself to peace, to the reuniting of

the Nation, and to the advancement

of youth education and the welfare

and progress of mankind, becoming

president of the Washington and Lee

University at Lexington, Virginia;

and

Whereas the desire and hope of

Robert E. Lee for peace and unity

within our Nation has come to pass

in the years since his death, and the

United States of America now stands

united and firm, indivisible, and

unshakable; and

Whereas Public Resolution Numbered

74, Sixty-eight Congress, approved

March 4, 1925, provided for the physi170
cal restoration of the Lee Mansion

but did not dedicate the same as a

permanent memorial to Robert E.

Lee: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved...That the Congress of the

United States, at this anniversary

time, does hereby pay honor and

tribute to the everlasting memory of

Robert E. Lee, whose name will ever

be bright in our history as a great

military leader, a great educator, a

great American, and a truly great

man through the simple heritage of

his personal traits of high character,

his grandeur of soul, his unfailing

strength of heart.

Sec. 2. That the Congress of the

United States does here by express its

humble gratitude to a kind

Providence for blessing our Nation

with leaders of true greatness who,

like Robert E. Lee, have been able to

see beyond their times, and by whose

vision, guidance, and wisdom this

Nation has gone forward to a place

of world leadership as the unfaltering

and powerful champion of peace,

liberty, and justice.

Sec. 3. That the magnificent manor

house situated in its prominent position at the brow of a hill overlooking

the Potomac River in Arlington

National Cemetery, and popularly

know as Lee Mansion, be officially

designated as the Custis-Lee

Mansion, so as to give appropriate

recognition to the illustrious Virginia

family in which General Lee found

his wife, and that the Custis-Lee

Mansion is hereby dedicated as a permanent memorial to Robert E. Lee...

August 18, 1959 (Public Law 86 -

170, Res. 5138) - An Act

To extend the grounds of the

Custis-Lee Mansion in Arlington

National Cemetery.

That to make possible the restoration

and preservation of a portion of the

historic grounds associated with the

Custis-Lee Mansion which, pursuant

to the Act of June 29, 1955, has been

dedicated as a permanent memorial

to Robert E. Lee, the Secretary of the

Army is authorized and directed to

transfer to the jurisdiction of the

Secretary of the Interior, without

remuneration, for addition to the

Custis-Lee Mansion, approximately

0.76 acre of land within the Arlington

National Cemetery lying immediately

south of the Custis-Lee Mansion,...

June 30, 1972 (Public Law 92 - 333,

Res. 10595) - An Act

To restore to the Custis-Lee

Mansion located in the Arlington

National Cemetery, Arlington,

Virginia, its original historical name,

followed by the explanatory memorial phrase, so that it what be known

as Arlington House, The Robert E.

Lee Memorial.

January 11, 1973 (H.R. 1892) - A Bill

To provide for the establishment of

the Clara Barton National Historic

Site in the State of Maryland, and

for other purposes.

...to preserve in public ownership the

historically significant property associated with the life of Clara Barton,

for the benefit and inspiration of the

people of the United States...

171
173

APPENDIX C: PROGRAMMATIC ACCESSIBILITY 

GUIDELINES FOR INTERPRETIVE MEDIA

Special populations:

Programmatic Accessibility

Guidelines for Interpretive Media

National Park Service

Harpers Ferry Center

June 1999

Prepared by

Harpers Ferry Center

Accessibility Tack Force

Contents:

Statement of Purpose

Audiovisual Programs

Exhibits

Historic Furnishings

Publications

Wayside Exhibits
Statement of Purpose

This document is a guide for promoting full access to interpretive

media to ensure that people with

physical and mental disabilities have

access to the same information necessary for safe and meaningful visits

to National Parks. Just as the needs

and abilities of individuals cannot

be reduced to simple statements, it

is impossible to construct guidelines

for interpretive media that can

apply to every situation in the

National Park System.

These guidelines define a high level

of programmatic access which can

be met in most situations. They

articulate key areas of concern and

note generally accepted solutions.

Due to the diversity of park

resources and the variety of interpretive situations, flexibility and

versatility are important.

Each interpretive medium contributes to the total park program.

All media have inherent strengths

and weaknesses, and it is our intent

to capitalize on their strengths and

provide alternatives where they are

deficient. It should also be understood that any interpretive medium

is just one component of the overall

park experience. In some instances,

especially with regard to learning

disabilities, personal services, that is

one-on-one interaction, may be the

most appropriate and versatile

interpretive approach.

In the final analysis, interpretive

design is subjective, and dependent

on aesthetic considerations as well

as the particular characteristics and

resources available for a specific

program. Success or failure should

be evaluated by examining all interpretive offerings of a park. Due to

the unique characteristics of each

situation, parks should be evaluated

on a case by case basis.

Nonetheless, the goal is to fully

comply with NOS policy:

"...to provide the highest level of

accessibility possible and feasible

for persons with visual, hearing,

mobility, and mental impairments,

consistent with the obligation to

conserve park resources and preserve the quality of the park experience for everyone."

NPS Special Directive 83-3,

Accessibility for Disabled Persons

Audiovisual Programs

Audiovisual programs include video

programs, and audio and interactive

programs. As a matter of policy, all

audiovisual programs produced by

the Harpers Ferry Center will

include some method of captioning.

The approach used will vary

according to the conditions of the

installation area and the format

used, and will be selected in consultation with the parks and regions.

The captioning method will be

identified as early as possible in the

planning process and will be presented in an integrated setting

where possible. To the extent possible, visitors will be offered a choice

in viewing captioned or uncaptioned versions, but in situations

where a choice is not possible or

feasible, a captioned version of all

programs will be made available.

Park management will decide on the

most appropriate operational

approach for the particular site.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Mobility Impairments

1. The theater, auditorium, or

viewing area should be accessible

and free of architectural barriers,

or alternative accommodations

will be provided. UFAS 4.1.

2. Wheelchair locations will be provided according to ratios outlined

in UFAS 4.1.2(18a).

3. Viewing heights and angles will be

favorable for those in designated

wheelchair locations.

4. In designing video or interactive

components, control mechanisms

175
will be places in accessible locations, usually between 9" and 48"

from the ground and no more

than 24" deep.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Visual Impairments

Simultaneous audio description will

be considered for installations

where the equipment can be properly installed and maintained.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Hearing Impairments

1. All audiovisual programs will be

produced with appropriate captions.

2. Copies of scripts will be provided

to the parks as a standard procedure.

3. Audio amplification and listening

systems will be provided in accordance with UFAS 4.1.2(18b).

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Learning Impairments

1. Unnecessarily complex and confusing concepts will be avoided.

2. Graphic elements will be chosen

to communicate without reliance

on the verbal component.

3. Narration will be concise and free

of unnecessary jargon and technical information.

Exhibits

Numerous factors affect the design

of exhibits, reflecting the unique

circumstances of the specific space

and the nature of the materials to be

interpreted. It is clear that thoughtful, sensitive design can go a long

way in producing exhibits that can

be enjoyed by a broad range of

people. Yet, due to the diversity of

situations encountered, it is impossible to articulate guidelines that

can be applied universally.

In some situations, the exhibit

designer has little or no control over

the space. Often exhibits are placed

in areas ill suited for that purpose;

they may incorporate large or

unyielding specimens, they may

incorporate sensitive artifacts which

require special environmental controls; and room décor or architectural features may dictate certain

solutions. All in all, exhibit design is

an art which defies simple description. However, one central concern

is to communicate the message to

the largest audience possible. Every

reasonable effort will be made to

eliminate ant factors limiting communication through physical modification or by providing alternate

means of communication.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Mobility Impairments

Note: The Americans with

Disabilities Act Accessibility

Guidelines (ADAAG) is the standard followed by the National Park

Service and is therefore the basis for

the accessibility standards for

exhibits, where applicable.

1. Height/position of labels: Body

copy on vertical exhibit walls

should be placed between 36" and

60" from the floor.

2. Artifact Cases:

a. Maximum height of floor of

artifact case display shall be no

higher than 30" from the floor of

the room. This includes vitrines

that are recessed into an exhibit

wall.

b. Artifact labels should be

placed so as to be visible to a

person within a 43" to 51" eye

level. This includes mounting

labels within the case at an angle

to maximize its visibility to all

viewers.

3. Touchable Exhibits: Touchable

exhibits positioned horizontally

should be placed no higher than

30" from the floor. Also, if the

exhibit is approachable only on

one side, it should be no deeper

than 31".

4. Railings/barriers: Railings around

any horizontal model or exhibit

shall have a maximum height of

36" from the floor.

176
5. Information Desks: Information

desks and sales counters shall

include a section made to accommodate both a visitor in a wheelchair and an employee in a wheelchair working on the other side. A

section of the desk/counter shall

have the following dimensions:

a. Height from the floor to the

top: 28" to 34". (ADAAG 4.32.4)

b. Minimum knee clearance

space: 27" high, 30" wide, and

19" deep of clearance underneath the desk is the minimum

space required under ADAAG

4.32.3, but a space 30" high, 36"

wide, and 24" deep is recommended.

c. Width of top surface of

section: at least 36". Additional

space must be provided for any

equipment such as a cash register.

d. Area underneath desk: Since

both sides of the desk may have

to accommodate a wheelchair,

this area should be open all the

way through to the other side. In

addition, there should be no

sharp or abrasive surfaces underneath the desk. The floor space

behind the counter shall be free

of obstructions.

6. Circulation Space:

a. Passageways through exhibits

shall be at least 36" wide.

b. If an exhibit passageway

reaches a dead-end, and area 60"

by 78" should be provided at the

end for turning around.

c. Objects projecting from walls

with their leading edges between

27" and 80" above the floor shall

protrude no more than 4" in passageways or aisles. Objects projecting from wall with their

leading edges at or below 27"

above the floor can protrude ant

amount.

d. Freestanding objects mounted

on posts or pylons may overhang

a maximum of 12" from 27" to

80" above the floor. (ADAAG

4.4.1)

e. Protruding objects shall not

reduce the clear width of an

accessible route to less than the

minimum required amount.

(ADAAG 4.4.1)

f. Passageways or other circulation spaces shall have a minimum

clear head room of 80". For

example, signage hanging from

the ceiling must allow at least 80"

from the floor to the bottom of

the sign. (ADAAG 4.4.2)

7. Floors:

a. Floors and ramps shall be

stable, level, firm, and slip-resistant.

b. Changes in levels between 1⁄4"

and 1⁄2" shall be beveled with a

slope no greater than 1:2.

Changes in level greater than 1⁄2"

shall be accomplished by means

of a ramp that complies with

ADAAG 4.7 or 4.8. (ADAAG

4.5.2)

c. Carpet in exhibits shall comply

with ADAAG 4.5.3 for pile height,

texture, pad thickness, and trim.

8. Seating for Interactive

Stations/Work Areas: The

minimum knee space underneath

a work desk is 27" high, 30" wide,

and 19" deep, with a clear floor

space of at least 30" by 30" in

front. The top of the desk or work

surface shall be between 28" and

34" from the floor. (ADAAG 4.32,

Fig. 45)

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Visual Impairments

1.Tactile models and other touchable exhibit items should be used

whenever possible. Examples of

touchable exhibit elements

include relief maps, scale models,

raised images of simple graphics,

reproduction objects, and

replaceable objects (such as

natural history or geologic specimens, cultural items, etc.).

2. Typography: Readability of

exhibit labels by visitors with

various degrees of visual impairment shall be maximized by using

the following guidelines:

177
a. Type Size: No type in the

exhibit shall be smaller than 24

point.

b. Typeface: The most readable

typefaces should be used whenever possible, particularly for

body copy. They are: Times

Roman, Palatine, Century,

Helvetica, and Universe. (Note:

since the development of these

guidelines, typefaces NPS

Rawlinson and Frutiger should

be added.)

c. Styles/Spacing: Text set in both

caps and lower case is easier to

read than all caps. Choose letter

spacing and word spacing for

maximum readability. Avoid too

much italic type.

d. Line length: Limit the line

length for body copy to no more

than 45 to 50 characters per line.

e. Amount of Text: Each unit of

body copy should have a

maximum of 45-60 words.

f. Margins: Flush left, ragged

right margins are easiest to read.

3. Color:

a. Type/Background Contrast:

Percentage of contrast between

the type and the background

should be a minimum of 70%.

b. Red/Green: Do not use red on

green or green on red as the

type/background color.

c. Do not place body copy on top

of graphic images that impair

readability.

4. Samples: During the design

process, it is recommended that

samples be made for review of all

size, typeface, and color combinations for labels in an exhibit.

5. Exhibit Lighting:

a. All labels shall receive sufficient, even light for good readability. Exhibit text in areas

where light levels have been

reduced for conservation purposes should have a minimum of

10 footcandles of illumination.

b. Harsh reflections and glare

should be avoided.

c. The lighting system shall be

flexible enough to allow adjustments on-site.

d. Transitions between the floor

and walls, columns or other

structures should be made

clearly visible. Finishes for vertical surfaces should contrast

clearly with the floor finish.

Floor circulation routes should

have a minimum of 10 footcandles of illumination.

6. Signage: When permanent building signage is required as a part of

an exhibit project, the ADAAG

guidelines shall be consulted.

Signs which designate permanent

rooms and spaces shall comply

with ADAAG 4.30.1, 4.30.4, 4.30.5,

and 4.30.6. Other signs which

provide direction to or information about functional spaces of

the building shall comply with

ADAAG 4.30.1, 4.30.2, 4.30.3, and

4.30.5. Note: When the

International Symbol of

Accessibility (wheelchair symbol)

is used, the word "Handicapped"

shall not be used beneath the

symbol. Instead, use the word

"Accessible".

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Hearing Impairments

1. Information presented via audio

formats will be duplicated in a

visual medium, such as in the

exhibit label copy or by captioning. All video programs incorporated into the exhibit, which

contain audio, shall be open captioned.

2. Amplification systems and

volume controls should be incorporated with audio equipment

used individually by the visitor,

such as audio handsets.

3. Information desks shall allow for

Telecommunication Devices for

the Deaf (TDD) equipment.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Learning Impairments

1. The exhibits will present the main

interpretive themes on a variety of

178
levels of complexity, so people

with varying abilities and interests

can understand them.

2. The exhibits should avoid unnecessarily complex and confusing

topics, technical terms, and unfamiliar expressions. Pronunciation

aids should be provided where

appropriate.

3. Graphic elements shall be used to

communicate non-verbally.

4. The exhibits shall be a multisensory experience. Techniques to

maximize the number of senses

used in the exhibits should be

encouraged.

5. Exhibit design shall use color and

other creative approaches to facilitate comprehension of maps by

visitors with directional impairments.

Historic Furnishings

Historically refurnished rooms offer

the public a unique interpretive

experience by placing visitors

within historic spaces. Surrounded

by historic artifacts, visitors can feel

the spaces "come alive" and relate

more directly to the historic events

or personalities commemorated by

the park. 

Accessibility is problematic in many

NPS furnished sites because of the

very nature of historic architecture.

Buildings were erected with a functional point of view that many times

is at odds with our modern views of

accessibility.

The approach used to convey the

experience of historically furnished

spaces will vary from site to site.

The goals, however, will remain the

same, to give the public as rich an

interpretive experience as possible

given the nature of the structure.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Mobility Impairments

1. The exhibit space should be free

of architectural barriers, or a

method of alternate accommodation should be provided, such as

slide programs, video tours, visual

aids, dioramas, etc.

2. All pathways, aisles, and clearances shall (when possible) meet

standards set forth in UFAS 4.3 to

provide adequate clearance for

wheelchair routes.

3. Ramps shall be as gradual as possible and not exceed a 1" rise in a

12" run, and conform to UFAS 4.8.

4. Railings and room barriers will be

constructed in such a way as to

provide unobstructed viewing by

persons in wheelchairs.

5. In the planning and design

process, furnishing inaccessible

areas, such as upper floors of historic buildings, will be discouraged, unless essential for interpretation.

6. Lighting will be designed to

reduce glare or reflections when

viewed from a wheelchair.

7. Alternative methods of interpretation, such as audiovisual programs, audio description, photo

albums, and personal services will

be used in areas which present

difficulty for visitors with physical

impairments.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Visual Impairments

1. Exhibit typefaces will be selected

for readability and legibility, and

conform to good industry practice.

2. Audio description will be used to

describe furnished rooms, where

appropriate.

3. Windows will be treated with film

to provide balanced light levels

and minimize glare.

4. Where appropriate, visitor-controlled rheostat-type lighting will

be provided to augment general

room lighting.

5. Where appropriate and when

proper clearance has been

approved, surplus artifacts or

reproductions will be utilized as

"hands-on" tactile interpretive

devices.

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Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Hearing Impairments

1. Information about room interiors

will be presented in a visual

medium such as exhibit copy, text,

pamphlets, etc.

2. Captions will be provided for all

AV programs relating to historic

furnishings.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Learning Impairments

1. Where appropriate, hands-on

participatory elements geared to

the level of visitor capabilities will

be used.

2. Living history activities and

demonstrations which utilize the

physical space as a method of providing multi-sensory experiences

will be encouraged.

Publications

A variety of publications are offered

to visitors, ranging from park

brochures which provide an

overview and orientation to a park,

to more comprehensive handbooks.

Each park brochure should give a

brief description of services available to visitors with disabilities, list

significant barriers, and note the

existence of TDD phone numbers,

if available.

In addition, informal site bulletins

are often produced to provide more

specialized information about a specific site or topic. It is recommended that each park produce an easily

updatable "Accessibility Site

Bulletin" which could include

detailed information about the specific programs, services, and opportunities available for visitors with

disabilities and to describe barriers

which are present in a park. A template for this site bulletin will be on

the Harpers Ferry Center website

for parks to create with ease, a consistent look throughout the park

service. These bulletins should be in

large type. 16 points minimum and

follow the large-print criteria below.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Mobility Impairments

1. Park brochures, site bulletins, and

sales literature will be distributed

from accessible locations and

heights.

2. Park brochures and Accessibility

Site Bulletins should endeavor to

carry information on the accessibility of buildings, trails, and programs by visitors with disabilities.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Visual Impairments

1. Publications for the general

public:

a. Text

i. Size: the largest type size

appropriate for the format.

(preferred main body of text

should be 10 point)

ii. Leading should be at least

20% greater than the font size

used.

iii. Proportional letterspacing.

iv. Main body of text set in

caps and lower case.

v. Margins are flush left and

ragged right.

vi. Little or no hyphenation is

used at ends of lines.

vii. Ink coverage is dense.

viii. Underlining does not

connect with the letters being

underlined.

ix. Contrast of typeface and

illustrations to background is

high (70% contrast is recommended).

x. Photographs have a wide

range of gray scale variation.

xi. Line drawings or floor

plans are clear and bold, with

limited detail and minimum 8

point type. 

xii. No extreme extended or

compressed typefaces are

used for main text.

xiii. Reversal type should be a

minimum of 11 point medium

or bold sans-serif type.

b. Paper:

i. Surface preferred is a matte

180
finish. Dull-coated stock is

acceptable.

ii. Has sufficient weight to

avoid "shoe through" on

pages printed on both sides.

2. Large-print version publications:

a. Text

i. Size: minimum 16 point

type.

ii. Leading is 16 on 20 point.

iii. Proportional letterspacing.

iv. Main body if text set in

caps and lower case.

v. Margins are flush left and

ragged right.

vi. Little or no hyphenation is

used at ends of lines.

vii. Ink coverage is dense.

viii. Underlining does not

connect with letters being

underlined.

ix. Contrast of typeface and

illustrations to background is

high (70% contrast is recommended).

x. Photographs have a wide

range of gray scale variation.

xi. Line drawings or floor

plans are clear and bold, with

limited detail and minimum 14

point type.

xii. No extreme extended or

compressed typefaces are

used for main text.

xiii. Sans-serif or simple-serif

typefaces.

xiv. No oblique or italic typefaces.

xv. Maximum of 50 characters

(average) per line.

xvi. No type is printed over

other designs.

xvii. Document has a flexible

binding, preferably one that

allows the publication to lie

flat.

xviii. Gutter margins are a

minimum of 22mm; outside

margin smaller, but not less

than 13mm.

b. Paper:

i. Surface is off-white or

natural with matte finish.

ii. Has sufficient weight to

avoid "show-through" on

pages printed on both sides.

3. Maps

a. The less cluttered the map, the

more visitors can use it.

b. The ultimate is a map that has

large print and is tactile.

c. Raised line/tactile maps can be

developed using digital files and

a thermoform machine. Lines are

distinguished by lineweight,

color, and height. Areas are distinguished by color, height, and

texture.

d. Digital maps are located on an

accessible website.

e. Same paper guidelines as

above.

f. Contrast of typeface background is high (70% contrast is

recommended).

g. Proportional letterspacing.

h. Labels set in caps and lower

case.

i. Map notes are flush left and

ragged right.

j. Little or no hyphenation is

used at ends of lines.

k. No extreme extended or compressed typefaces are used for

main text.

l. Sans-serif or simple-serif typeface.

4. The text contained in the park

brochure should also be available

on audiocassette, CD and accessible website. Handbooks, accessibility guides, and other publications should be similarly recorded

where possible.

5. The official park brochure is

available in a word processing

format. This could be translated

into Braille as needed.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Hearing Impairments

Park site bulletins will note the

availability of such special services

as sign language interpretation and

captioned programs.

181
Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Learning Impairments

1. The park site bulletin should list

ant special services available to

these visitors.

2. Publications:

a. Use language that appropriately describes persons with disabilities.

b. Topics will be specific and of

general interest. Unnecessary

complexity will be avoided.

c. Whenever possible, easy to

understand graphics will be used

to convey ideas, rather then text

alone.

d. Unfamiliar expressions, technical terms, and jargon will be

avoided. Pronunciation aids and

definitions will be provided

where needed.

e. Text will be concise and free of

long paragraphs and wordy language.

Wayside Exhibits

Wayside exhibits, which include

outdoor interpretive exhibits and

signs, orientation shelter exhibits,

and bulletin boards, offer special

advantages to visitors with disabilities. The liberal use of photographs,

artwork, diagrams, and maps, combined with highly readable type,

make wayside exhibits an excellent

medium for visitors with hearing

and learning impairments. For visitors with sight impairments, waysides offer large type and high legibility.

Although a limited number of NPS

wayside exhibits will always be inaccessible to visitors with mobility

impairments, the great majority are

placed at accessible pullouts, viewpoints, parking areas, and trailheads.

The NPS accessibility guidelines for

wayside exhibits help insure a standard of quality that will be appreciated by all visitors. Nearly everyone

benefits from high quality graphics,

readable type, comfortable base

designs, accessible locations, hardsurfaced exhibit pads, and welllandscaped exhibit sites.

While waysides are valuable on-site

"interpreters," it should be remembered that the park resources themselves are the primary things visitors

come to experience. Good waysides

focus attention on the features they

interpret, and not on themselves. A

wayside exhibit is only one of many

interpretive tools which visitors can

use to enhance their appreciation of

a park.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Mobility Impairments

1. Wayside exhibits will be installed

at accessible locations whenever

possible.

2. Wayside exhibits will be installed

at heights and angles favorable for

viewing by most visitors, including

those in wheelchairs. For standard

NPS low-profile units, the recommended height is 30" from the

bottom of the exhibit panel to the

finished grade; for vertical

exhibits the height of 6-28". 

3. Trailhead exhibits will include

information on trail conditions

which affect accessibility.

4. Wayside exhibit sites will have

level, hard surfaced exhibit pads.

5. Exhibit sites will offer clear, unrestricted views of park features

described in the exhibits.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Visual Impairments

1. Exhibit type will be as legible and

readable as possible.

2. Panel colors will be selected to

reduce eyestrain and glare, and to

provide excellent readability

under field conditions. White

should not be used as a background color.

3. Selected wayside exhibits may

incorporate audio stations or

tactile elements such as models,

texture blocks, and relief maps.

182
4. For all major features interpreted

by wayside exhibits, the park

should offer non-visual interpretation covering the same subject

matter. Examples include audio

tours, radio messages, and ranger

talks.

5. Appropriate tactile cues should

be provided to help visually

impaired visitors locate exhibits.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Hearing Impairments

1. Wayside exhibits will communicate visually, and will rely on

graphics to interpret park

resources.

2. Essential information included in

audio station messages will be

duplicated in written form, either

as part of the exhibit text or with

printed material.

Guidelines Affecting Visitors with

Learning Impairments

1. Topics for wayside exhibits will be

specific and of general interest.

Unnecessary complexity will be a

voided.

2. Whenever possible, easy to

understand graphics will be used

to convey ideas, rather than text

alone.

3. Unfamiliar expressions, technical

terms, and jargon will be avoided.

Pronunciation aids and definitions will be provided where

needed.

4. Text will be concise and free of

long paragraphs and wordy language. 

183
As the nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has the responsibility for most of our nationally owned

public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering sound use of our land and water resources; protecting our fish, wildlife,

and biological diversity; preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places; and providing

for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to 

ensure that their development is in the best interests of all our people by encouraging stewardship and citizen participation in their

care. The department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in island

territories under U.S. administration.

NPS D-196 / November 2005 / Printed on recycled paper