Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.

Marine Barracks Washington
Washington, D.C.
Marine Barracks logo
Type	Military base
Built	1801 (1801)
In use	1801 - present
Open to the public	During parades & ceremonies
Controlled by	United States
Garrison	Ceremonial Companies A & B Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon United States Marine Band United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps Marine Corps Institute
Current commander	Colonel Paul D. Montanus
Commanders	Charles Heywood, James Carson Breckinridge, Dennis Hejlik
Occupants	Commandant of the Marine Corps
Battles/wars	Burning of Washington
U.S. Marine Corps Barracks and Commandant's House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Coordinates:	38°52′49.5516″N 76°59′39.483″W / 38.880431°N 76.99430083°W / 38.880431; -76.99430083Coordinates: 38°52′49.5516″N 76°59′39.483″W / 38.880431°N 76.99430083°W / 38.880431; -76.99430083
Area:	6-acre (2.4 ha)
Architect:	George Hadfield
Governing body:	United States Marine Corps
NRHP Reference#:	72001435
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	December 27, 1972
Designated NHL:	May 11, 1976

Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. is located at 8th and I Streets, Southeast in Washington, D.C. Established in 1801, it is a National Historic Landmark, the oldest post in the United States Marine Corps, the official residence of the Commandant of the Marine Corps since 1806, and main ceremonial grounds of the Corps.

The U.S. Marine Corps Barracks and Commandant's House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. A 6-acre (2.4 ha) property with eight contributing buildings was included in the listing.^[1][2][3] It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.^[4]

History

Commandant of the Marine Corps' house at 8th & I SE

The buildings at the Marine Barracks are some of the oldest in Washington.^[5] In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson and Commandant LtCol William Ward Burrows rode horses about the new capital to find a place suitable for the Marines near the Washington Navy Yard.^[6] They chose a location within marching distance of both the Navy Yard and the Capitol^[7] and hired architect George Hadfield to design the barracks and the Commandant’s House.

When the British burned Washington during the War of 1812, they also captured the Marine barracks, whom they had defeated at the Battle of Bladensburg. It is traditionally held within the Marine Corps that, out of respect for the brave showing of the Marines at Bladensburg, the British refrained from burning the barracks and the Commandant's house. Another possible reason is that they intended to use it as a command post, but left the area before this could be done.^[6]

Square 927, now the block surrounded by 8th & I,^[8] and 9th & G Streets S.E., was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and was then designated a National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior in 1976.^[9]

8th and I has been the home of the Silent Drill Platoon and the Marine Band since the barracks' establishment in 1801 and the residence of the Commandant since 1806, when the Commandant's House was completed. The Commandant's house is the only original building left in the complex, the remainder having been rebuilt in 1900 and 1907.^[7] The Marine Corps Institute moved to the barracks from its previous home at Marine Barracks Quantico in 1920. The Drum and Bugle Corps has been based at the barracks since its formation in 1934.

The barracks complex is one of the oldest government buildings in continuous use in Washington, D.C., though some sources conflict on whether the White House is a year older.^[6] While traditionally known as the "oldest post in the Corps", Marines did serve at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston a year earlier, though they did not have a permanent detachment until 1805 nor a barracks until 1810, and it was vacated in 1974.^[7] The Tun Tavern is considered the birthplace of the Corps, having been used for one of the first Continental Marines' recruiting drives in 1775,^[10] though it is disputed if it occurred before one at Samuel Nicholas's family tavern, the Conestoga Waggon [sic].^[11][12]

Duties

• Funeral escort for Marines and dignitaries.
• Ceremonial honor guard for state functions.
• Security forces for Camp David and the White House.
• Parades:
  • Friday Evening Parade
  • Tuesday Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial
• Provide military correspondence courses for Marines and other services through tenant Marine Corps Institute.
• Training to maintain MOS proficiency and emergency preparedness.

The Marines assigned to the D.C. barracks must meet strict height, weight, and background check standards, since they perform in ceremonial parades, funerals, and other ceremonies for presidential and other national dignitaries. During the summer months, a sunset parade is held every Tuesday evening at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Rosslyn, Virginia near Arlington National Cemetery. In addition, an evening parade takes place at the Barracks every Friday evening from late spring until the end of summer.

See also

United States Marine Corps portal

• Latrobe Gate, the oldest continuously manned Marine sentry post in the United States
• List of United States Marine Corps installations
• List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C.
• Reportedly haunted locations in Washington, D.C.

Notes

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ "Form 10-300: National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. December 27, 1972. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/72001435.pdf. Retrieved 21 March 2011. 
3. ^ "Form 10-301A: National Register of Historic Places Property Photograph Form". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 4, 1973. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/72001435.pdf. Retrieved 21 March 2011. 
4. ^ "United States Marine Corps Barrack And Commandant'S House". National Historic Landmark. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail2.cfm?ResourceId=1291&Date=&Ownership=PublicFederal&priorityname=&ResourceType=District. Retrieved 21 March 2011. 
5. ^ "Barracks History". Marine Barracks Washington, United States Marine Corps. http://www.mbw.usmc.mil/barracks_historydefault.asp. Retrieved 2008-01-24. 
6. ^ ^{a b c} Dorr, Robert F.; Borch, Fred L. (2009-04-13). "Marine Barracks embodies rich history of the Corps". The Lore of the Corps (Marine Corps Times): pp. 38. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/. Retrieved 2009-04-09. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} Sanborn, James K. (April 26, 2010). "The Corps' Oldest Posts". Marine Corps Times. pp. 3. 
8. ^ "Marine Barracks 8th & I". Marine Barracks Washington, United States Marine Corps. http://www.mbw.usmc.mil/default.asp. Retrieved 2008-01-24. 
9. ^ "United States Marine Corps Barrack and Commandant's House". National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1291&ResourceType=District. Retrieved 2008-01-24. 
10. ^ Chenoweth, Col H. Avery; Nihart, Col Brooke (2005). Semper Fi: The Definitive Illustrated History of the U.S. Marines. New York: Main Street. ISBN 1-4027-3099-3. 
11. ^ Hoffman, Jon T. (2002). USMC: A Complete History. New York City, New York: Universe Publishing. 
12. ^ Simmons, Edwin Howard (2003). The United States Marines: A History, 4th Edition. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-790-5. 

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

• "Marine Barracks Washington website". http://www.mbw.usmc.mil/default.asp. Retrieved 2007-03-31. 
• Listing at the National Park Service

External links

• Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. official website
• GlobalSecurity Article on Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.
• USMC Marine Barracks Overview & PCS Information (MarineCorpsUSA.org)
• Photos of the USMC Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial