The Church on the Hill: Inter-related Narratives and Conflicting Priorities for the Emory Church Property in Washington, D.C.

Matthew Palus; Lyle Torp

The Church on the Hill: Inter-related Narratives and Conflicting Priorities for the Emory Church Property in Washington, D.C.

Year: 2017

Summary

Fort Stevens was one of the only fortifications comprising the Civil War Defenses of Washington that saw combat, during Jubal Early’s raid on July 11-12, 1864. Prior to the Civil War, the land was sold by free African American woman Elizabeth Butler to the trustees of Emory Chapel in 1855 for construction of a church; when Fort Massachusetts was initially constructed in 1861, the church stood within it, but later was razed by the Union army when the fort was expanded and renamed Fort Stevens in 1862. The congregation rebuilt the church following the Civil War; today, amidst a decade-long struggle over the expansion of the Emory Church facility, archeology is confronted by warring priorities regarding use of urban land but also assessments of significance. Archeological mitigation takes the broadest possible view in order to recognize and support diverse heritage values and the communities that sustain them.

Cite this Record

The Church on the Hill: Inter-related Narratives and Conflicting Priorities for the Emory Church Property in Washington, D.C.. Matthew Palus, Lyle Torp. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Fort Worth, TX. 2017 ( tDAR id: 435223)