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Fort Hunt Oral History Project
P.O. Box 1142

Introduction

Fort Hunt Park, a popular National Park Service site located in Alexandria, Virginia along the George Washington Memorial Parkway is filled with hiking areas, picnic pavilions and sports fields popular with a wide range of park visitors. However, this beautiful site is home to incredible stories hidden in the ruins of its historic gun batteries and buildings. In the 1760s, Fort Hunt Park was part of President George Washington’s River Farm. As the United States westward expansion continued in the late 19th century, our eyes turned to the National Defense, in particular our coastal fortifications.

In the 1890s, the U.S. Military acquired the land where Fort Hunt sits, by then known as Sheridan’s Point to construct a gun battery of the same name. The Sheridan’s Point installation became known as “Fort Hunt” once the post was fully operational. The site was named in honor of Brevet Major General Henry Jackson Hunt (1819-1889), an artillery officer who served with distinction during the Mexican and American Civil Wars.

Some of the earliest structures built on the newly declared military installation that were constructed between 1898 and 1923, and included Gun Batteries that would later become known as Battery Mount Vernon, Battery Porter, Battery Robinson and Battery Sater. Remnants of these structures along with one of the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Quarters still stand today.

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OLIVER AYMAR

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Matthew Virta and Vincent Santucci,
January 3, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

JAMES AHRENS

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Matthew Virta, October 15, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

SILVIO BEDINI

Interviewed by Vincent Santucci, September 29, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

ALFRED BOMBERG

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Vincent Santucci, February 11, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

EDMUND N. CARPENTER II

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
May 5, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

EDGAR DANCIGER

Interviewed by David Lassman, November 8 [year unstated]
Audio Clips
Transcript

JOHN GUNTHER DEAN

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
October 7, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

LAURENCE DENNIS

Interviewed by David Lassman,
June 7, 2009
Audio Clips
Transcript

PAUL FAIRBROOK

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Vincent Santucci, February 15, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

RUDOLPH FELLNER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Vincent Santucci, November 30, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

HANS FICHTNER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Vincent Santucci Huntsville, April 22, 2010
Audio Clips

Transcript

GEORGE FRENKEL

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Sam Swersky and Doug Heimlich,
December 5, 2006 and January 18, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

FRANZ GAJDOSCH

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
October 25, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

ROBERT GALLUP

Interviewed by Vincent Santucci and David Lassman, September 27, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

WERNER GANS

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Sam Swersky, May 10, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

WERNER GANS, WERNER GUMPERTZ, AND HENRY SCHWAB

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, No date
Audio Clips
Transcript

NORMAN GRABER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
May 14 and 15, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

DIETER GRAU

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Vincent Santucci, and Jackie Dannenberg,
April 21, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

THOMAS GRIFFIN AND DAVID JONES

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
November 6, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

VICTOR HACKER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
January 16, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

WILLIAM HERSHBERGER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Vince Santucci, Steve Kleinman and Mark Jacobsen, September 13, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

WILLIAM HESS

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
November 21, 2006; March 9, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

OSCAR HOLDERER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Vincent Santucci, April 23, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

JOHN AND HERBERT KAHLER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Matthew Virta, and Vince Santucci, No date
Audio Clips
Transcript

RICHARD KLEEMAN

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Vince Santucci, Steve Kleinman and Mark Jacobsen, September 13, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

DIETER KOBER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
January 17 and 18, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

ROBERT KLOSS

Interviewed by Vince Santucci and David Lassman, May 6, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

JOHN KLUGE

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Matthew Virta and Vince Santucci, May 16, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

ARNOLD KOHN

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Vincent Santucci, February 13, 2008
Audio Clips

Transcript

HELEN AND ARNOLD KOHN

Interviewed by Karen Kinsey,
September 13, 2006
Audio Clip

Transcript

DR. HENRY KOLM

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Sam Swersky, May 7 and 8, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

ERIC KRAMER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
September 12, 2006
Audio Clips
Transcript

ERWIN LACHMANN

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Sam Swersky, February 6, 2007 and March 13, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

ANTON LEONHARD

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
April 2, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

MARVIN LEVINTHAL

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
September 5, 2009
Audio Clips
Transcript

VADER JIM LOOMIS

Interviewed by John Chambers,
January 10, 2008 and January 24, 2008 (by Brandon Bies, Vincent Santucci, Mathew Virta and Dan Gross)
Audio Clips
Transcript

GEORGE MANDEL

Interviewed by Brandon Bies Sam Johnson, Sam Swersky, Matt Virta, Vince Santucci and John Bardar, July 13, 2006 and January 29, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

DOMINICK MARLETTO

Interviewed by Vincent Santucci Hermitage, April 5, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

ARNO MAYER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Vincent Santucci, September 16, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

FRED AND LUCILLE MICHEL

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
May 30 and 31, 2006
Audio Clips
Transcript

WERNER MICHEL

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
April 2, 2009
Audio Clips
Transcript

WERNER MORITZ

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
July 23 and 24, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

LOUIS AL NIKPOW

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Vincent Santucci, and Steven Kleinman,
February 17, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

HOWARD NOTTINGHAM

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Matthew Virta, April 19, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

RALPH PATTON

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Vincent Santucci and David Lassman,
February 10, 2009
Audio Clips
Transcript

RUDOLPH PINS

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Sam Swersky, September 14-15, 2006
Audio Clips
Transcript

ELVIN POLESKY

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Vincent Santucci, Dana Dierkes, and Pam Fessler, June 16, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

DONALD PRITCHARD

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Vincent Santucci and George Weidinger
July 29, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

WALTER SCHUEMAN

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
September 17, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

ERNEST SOHNS

Interviewed by Brandon Bies
Audio Clips

AUGUSTUS SOULE

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Sam Swersky, May 9, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

WAYNE SPIVEY

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
August 30 and 31, 2006
Audio Clips
Transcript

GERALD STONER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Vincent Santucci, February 12, 2008
Audio Clips
Transcript

TIMOTHY SULLIVAN

Interviewed by Vincent Santucci, Brandon Bies and Dan Gross, January 28, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

NORTON TAYLOR

Interviewed by David Lassman, November 15, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

ANGUS MCLEAN THUERMER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies, Sam Swersky, and Vincent Santucci,
October 25, 2006
Audio Clips
Transcript

GEORGE WEIDINGER

Interviewed by Brandon Bies and Vincent Santucci, November 29, 2007
Audio Clips
Transcript

PETER WEISS

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
September 13, 2006
Audio Clips
Transcript

CHARLES WINICK

Interviewed by Brandon Bies,
September 16, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript

JOHN WYLDER

Interviewed by Vincent Santucci and David Lassman, joined 2nd day by Brandon Bies, Dan Gross, and George Coin, March 12 and 18, 2010
Audio Clips
Transcript