Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall is on the western edge of Arlington National Cemetery
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online
Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall is on the western edge of Arlington National Cemetery
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online
Prior to the Civil War, Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee owned the land on Arlington Ridge now occupied by Fort Myer. It was part of the Arlington Plantation which she had inherited from her father, George Washington Parke Custis.
The Union government confiscated the plantation in 1864, claiming the wife of Confederate General Robert E. Lee had failed to pay the property taxes. Burials below the mansion house established the beginning of Arlington National Cemetery, while Fort Cass and Fort Whipple were constructed on the heights.
The Signal Corps occupied Fort Whipple after the war, since its relatively high elevation made it easier to see the flags waved from signal towers. In 1881, Fort Whipple was renamed to honor Gen. Albert J. Myer, the Army's chief signal officer between 1866-1880.
In 1886 the Army's cavalry took over Fort Myer, displacing the Signal Corps. At the start of World War II, there were 1,500 horses stabled on the base.
Orville Wright flew the first military test flight at Fort Myer on September 9, 1908. Another first occurred that day when the plane crashed, killing Lt. Thomas Selfridge. There had been aviation fatalities earlier in balloons and gliders, but he became the first person to die in the crash of a powered airplane.
Land for Henderson Hall was acquired between 1943-1954, adjacent to the new Pentagon, to provide space for the Marine Corps. It was named after Archibald Henderson, who served as Commandant of the Marine Corps for 38 years starting in 1820.1
The current consolidation of Fort Myer, Henderson Hall, and Fort McNair in Washington DC is a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) initiative. Two units based at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall receive much public attention.
The 3rd US infantry ("Old Guard") was formed originally in 1784 and is the oldest regiment in the US Army. It performs ceremonial duties at events in the Washington, DC area and in the transfer of human remains at Dover Air Force Base, and guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.2
The U.S. Army Band "Pershing’s Own" was based originally at Fort Hunt when General John J. Pershing organized an Army band in 1922 to rival those in Europe. It is seen nationwide on July 4 each year on the PBS broadcast of A Capitol Fourth.3
the Old Guard based at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall performs many ceremonial duties in the Washington, DC area
Source: National Archives, Inaugural parade, members from the US Infantry Old Guard march past Freedom Plaza
the US Army Band is based at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
Source: U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own," The United States Army Band