Fort Belvoir Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Fort Belvoir
Fairfax County, Virginia, U.S.
Emblems of units stationed at Ft. Belvoir
Fort Belvoir Show map of Northern Virginia Fort Belvoir Show map of Virginia Fort Belvoir Show map of the United States
Coordinates	38°43′11″N 77°09′16″W / 38.719737°N 77.154582°W / 38.719737; -77.154582
Site information
Controlled by	U.S. Army
Site history
Built	1917 (1917)
Garrison information
Current commander	COL Joseph V. Messina
Garrison	29th Infantry Division (Light) 9th Theater Support Command 1st Information Operations Command (Land) 12th Aviation Battalion (MDW) 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) 212th Military Police Detachment (MDW) 55th Ordnance Company (EOD) 75th MP Detachment (CID) Army Intelligence and Security Command Military Intelligence Readiness Command 902nd Military Intelligence Group Defense Logistics Agency Defense Contract Audit Agency Defense Threat Reduction Agency Missile Defense Agency National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Aerospace Data Facility-East
Occupants	Over 51,000 employees and 7,637 residents

Fort Belvoir is a large base for the United States Army. It is located in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. The base was built on land that was once a big farm called the Belvoir plantation. This farm belonged to the important Fairfax family, and Fairfax County is named after them.

The base was first called Camp A. A. Humphreys from 1917 to 1935. After that, it became known as Fort Belvoir. Today, Fort Belvoir is home to many important U.S. military groups. It has almost twice as many workers as The Pentagon, making it the biggest employer in Fairfax County. Fort Belvoir is made up of three main areas: the main base, Davison Army Airfield, and Fort Belvoir North.

History of Fort Belvoir
Groups and Agencies at Fort Belvoir
Climate
Notable People
Images for kids
See also

History of Fort Belvoir

From Plantation to Military Base

The land where Fort Belvoir now stands was once the home of William Fairfax. He was a cousin and land agent for Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who owned a large area of land called the Northern Neck. William Fairfax bought the land in 1738. He built a beautiful brick house overlooking the river and moved in with his family in 1740.

The Fairfax family lived at Belvoir for over 30 years. However, the house was destroyed by fire in 1783. Today, you can still see the ruins of the Belvoir Mansion and the Fairfax family grave site. These ruins are listed on the National Register of Historic Places because they are historically important.

Founding the Fort

An infantryman training at Fort Belvoir in November 1942, during World War II.

The military base started during World War I. It was named Camp A. A. Humphreys, after a Union Army general named Andrew A. Humphreys. He was also the Chief of Engineers. In the 1930s, the post was renamed Fort Belvoir. This was done to honor the old Belvoir plantation that used to be there. Part of the original name is still used by the nearby United States Army Corps of Engineers Humphreys Engineer Center.

Camp Humphreys was first set up as a training school for U.S. Army Engineers. It was a place for engineers from the U.S. Military Academy to get more training. It also prepared engineering troops before they went to war. The school later moved to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri in 1988.

Modern Changes and Growth

In 2005, a plan called the Base Realignment and Closure Commission caused many people and groups to move to Fort Belvoir. This made the base much larger. For example, all major facilities of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in the Washington, D.C. area moved to a new building at Fort Belvoir. This new center, called the NGA Campus East, cost $2.4 billion to build.

In 2017, the Army Historical Foundation announced plans to build the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir. This museum tells the story of the U.S. Army since 1775. It has historical exhibits, an interactive learning center, and a theater. There are also outdoor areas like a Memorial Garden and an Amphitheater. The museum opened to the public on November 11, 2020.

Discussion About the Name

In 2020, there was a discussion about renaming some U.S. Army bases. This was because some bases were named after people linked to the Confederacy. While Fort Belvoir was not named after a Confederate officer, its name came from a plantation once owned by George William Fairfax. He was a land owner who supported the British during the American Revolution.

A commission was created in 2021 to look into renaming military bases. At first, Fort Belvoir was on their list. However, in 2022, the commission decided that Fort Belvoir did not meet the rules for renaming. They did suggest that the Department of Defense should still review the fort's name based on their historical research.

Groups and Agencies at Fort Belvoir

Fort Belvoir is a very important base. It is the main office for many different groups. These include the Defense Logistics Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Many other military and government groups are also based here. These include the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command and the Missile Defense Agency. Fort Belvoir is also home to the Virginia National Guard's 29th Infantry Division (Light). In total, there are elements from ten major Army Commands, nineteen different Army agencies, and twenty-six Department of Defense agencies.

Climate

The weather in this area has hot, humid summers. The winters are usually mild to cool. Fort Belvoir has a climate known as a humid subtropical climate.