Fort Hunt, VA

Fort Hunt takes its name from a Potomac River fort whose military history extends from coastal defense to secret World War II intelligence work. The Fairfax County census-designated place had 17,231 residents in 2020. Within it, the National Park Service administers Fort Hunt Park as part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The land was once part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate; batteries built for the Spanish-American War complemented Fort Washington across the river in protecting the approach to Washington, D.C. A Civilian Conservation Corps camp occupied the site during the Depression. During World War II, the installation operated under the name P.O. Box 1142, where personnel interrogated high-value German prisoners, developed escape-and-evasion methods, and analyzed German documents.