Fort Myer is a US Army installation on the high ground above Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, with a history stretching back to the Civil War. It is best known as the site where Orville Wright demonstrated the US Army’s first military airplane in 1908, a flight that ended in a crash killing the Army’s first aviation fatality. These posts explore Fort Myer’s history as a military post and a landmark in American aviation history.
On September 17, 1908, the Wright Flyer crashed at Fort Myer and killed Lt. Thomas Selfridge in the first fatality of powered aviation. Ten months later, Orville Wright returned and won the U.S. Army its first airplane.
A waterspout rose from the Potomac below Alexandria, came ashore, and tore a 15-mile path across Washington in under half an hour.
An unforgettable image of a smiling army cook at Fort Myer in 1917. We may not know his name, but his smile deserves to be shared with friends. Come take a look at this remarkable photo.
In September 1930, staff at the Mayflower Hotel found Lt. Col. Richard Creecy dead from a pistol shot and his wife dying from hatchet wounds inside a double-locked fifth-floor room. The coroner called it a suicide. Homicide detectives, the Marine Corps, and the Creecy family weren’t so sure.
Discover the 1911 story of Fort Myer, in Arlington, VA being used as a movie set for silent films. Murders, trains held up, and helpless women robbed – but it’s just moving pictures! Learn more about this amazing story.
I received an email from a reader saying she learned of Ghosts of DC through this post on Big Bear Cafe. She kindly asked if I would look into the history of her Bloomingdale condo building in, as she knew very little about it (other than old stories from local cabbies). I’m starting to see … Read more
The sword in Joan of Arc’s hand in Meridian Hill Park was stolen in 1978. It took until December 2011 to replace the blade.
Explore the history of 1036 Park Rd. NW in Washington D.C. through a historical sleuthing mission. Uncover the stories from the 1912 building permit, the marriage of Benjamin and Olga, Joseph Bryant’s Commerce Department career, and City Wide Learning Centers.
