Parks

Built to honor the 499 District of Columbia residents who gave their lives in service in World War I, the DC War Memorial was dedicated in 1931 in a ceremony that included President Hoover and a performance by a band led by John Philip Sousa. The memorial and grounds were restored in 2010. Along the base of the memorial, the names of the men and women from the District of Columbia who gave their lives in the World War are inscribed.

Originally built to honor the 2nd Infantry Division's dead from WWI, the memorial was expanded in 1962 to include World War II and the Korean War.

The First Division Monument sits on a plaza in President's Park, west of the White House and south of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) at the corner of 17th Street and State Place, NW. The monument was conceived by the Society of the First Division, the veteran's organization of the U.S. Army's First Division, to honor the valiant efforts of the soldiers who fought in World War I.

What began as a burial ground for POWs who died during the Civil War continues to operate today. Andersonville is the only National Park Service national cemetery still open for new burials of eligible veterans. Over 20,000 military men and women, including veterans of Vietnam, WWII, Korea, the Civil War, and other conflicts, rest in honor in these hallowed grounds.

John Pershing (1860-1848) was commander of US forces in World War I. In 1919 he was awarded the rank "General of the Armies," the highest rank possible in the US military, which was created specially for him.

The bronze, seven and a half foot tall statue "Isis, Goddess of Life" is the work of Belgian sculptor Auguste Puttemans. It was a gift from the people of Belgium in gratitude for Hoover's famine relief efforts on their behalf during the First World War.

Shadowcliff is a mansion in Rockland County, New York that served as the longtime headquarters of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), an influential peace organization. In 1915, pacifist activists established FOR to oppose World War I and promote nonviolence in human affairs. In 1942, members of FOR founded the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to oppose racial segregation through nonviolent protest. These tactics became central to the civil rights movement.

The sea wall trail at Fort McHenry NM & HS is a scenic walk around the park that gives the visitor a general overview of the park.