Battery Kemble Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battery Kemble Park
Battery Kemble Park, September 2009
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Location	Washington, D.C.

Battery Kemble Park is a cool park in Northwest Washington D.C. It is managed by the National Park Service.

This park was once a very important defense spot for the Union Army during the Civil War. It had big cannons called 100-pound Parrott rifles. These cannons were set up to protect important bridges like Chain Bridge and Aqueduct Bridge. Even today, you can still see the old earth walls and where the cannons used to be.

The park is located near Nebraska Avenue, NW and is part of the Palisades neighborhood. It's a popular place for people to go running, enjoy nature walks, and even go sledding when it snows!

Battery Kemble: A Civil War Fort

Battery Kemble was finished in the fall of 1861. It was part of a huge defense system called the Fort Circle. This was a ring of forts and batteries built around Washington, D.C., to protect the city during the Civil War.

The battery was named after Gouverneur Kemble. He was a famous person from Cold Spring, New York. He used to run the West Point Foundry, which made many of the big guns for the Army and Navy during the war.

Battery Kemble was built on a high point, about 387 feet (118 meters) above the Potomac River. This high spot allowed its cannons to protect both Chain Bridge and Aqueduct Bridge. The cannons could shoot up to 3 miles (4.8 km) away! The old earth walls of the battery are still very clear and well-preserved today.

Protecting the City: Other Forts Nearby

Battery Kemble was one of many forts that protected the D.C. side of Chain Bridge. Other nearby forts included:

• Battery Cameron
• Battery Parrott
• Battery Martin Scott
• Battery Vermont

These forts worked together to guard the northern ways into the city. Battery Kemble also helped support bigger forts like Fort Stevens and Fort Slocum.

Soldiers from different groups, like the 2nd U.S. Artillery and the 9th New York Heavy Artillery, helped defend Battery Kemble.

Battery Kemble in 1861

In 1861, an Army report described Battery Kemble:

The land for Battery Kemble was given to the U.S. government by William A.T. Maddox. He was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. The land for Battery Kemble Park was bought by the government between 1916 and 1923. It was part of a plan to create many "Fort Parks" in the D.C. area.

Fort Parks: A Green Ring Around D.C.

Battery Kemble was an important part of a big idea from the 1950s and 60s called Fort Drive. This plan wanted to connect all of D.C.'s Civil War defense sites with a special parkway. The idea was to create a "ring of recreation and green space" around the city.

This "Fort Park System" would be a place where people could enjoy nature and get away from cars. It would have hiking and bicycle paths, stretching for 30 miles (48 km) around the city. Battery Kemble Park was seen as a key part of this green ring.

Park Management

Battery Kemble Park is part of Rock Creek Park. The current superintendent is Cindy Cox.

The park is kept safe by different police groups. These include the United States Park Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, and sometimes even the U.S. Secret Service.

Art and Nature at Battery Kemble

Battery Kemble has inspired many artists. For example, David Holt painted Hillside in Battery Kemball in 1989. Gunnar Plake created a photo print called Battery Kemble in 1991. Carlton Fletcher's painting Battery Kemble (676) was inspired by a view of the park in 2006.

The park is also a great place to see nature. It has many pine trees and is home to different kinds of birds. There's even a thick grove of bamboo. A small stream called Maddox Branch flows through the park and into the Potomac River.

One special tree in the park is a chestnut oak. It's known as the largest tree of its kind in the entire United States!