Dahlgren Residential Historic District

History | Development | Architecture | Indian Head, MD | A Planned Community

	This Marine cannon fired the first shot at Dahlgren on October 16th, 1918.

History of Dahlgren

From 1890 until 1918, the United States Navy’s primary test range for heavy-caliber munitions was the Naval Proving Ground at Indian Head, Maryland. By World War I, the power of naval weaponry had outgrown the small range at Indian Head and a new location had to be found.

On January 18th 1918, Rear Admiral Ralph Earle recommended that the Proving Ground at Indian Head be officially relocated. The Navy purchased over 1,300 acres of land 20 miles down the Potomac River on a remote peninsula in Virginia. This site, originally called the “Lower Station” of Indian Head, became known as Naval Proving Ground Dahlgren and provided a new test range with over forty miles of open space.

The “Lower Station” was renamed after John A. Dahlgren, a famous Civil War cannon designer.

On October 16th 1918, Dahlgren began its role as a proving ground when the first shot was successfully fired – a 153-pound shell that flew 24,000 yards down the Potomac River. World War I ended only 26 days after this initial shot, but construction of the new installation continued. Dahlgren was one of the few construction projects undertaken by the Navy during the lean years immediately following World War I.

By the third year following Dahlgren’s founding, two civilian dormitories, an administration building, eight junior officer quarters and 49 civilian bungalows had been constructed, with eight well-appointed senior officer quarters nearing completion. This was a quite an accomplishment considering that Dahlgren was only accessible by boat at this time.

	New neighborhoods were built during Dahlgren’s World War II expansion.

Dahlgren’s remote location also required commanding officers to rely on local civilians to work at the Proving Ground. By February 1921, the thirteen officers and 65 enlisted men stationed at Dahlgren worked with over 363 civilian employees. A new chapter in Dahlgren’s history began in 1923 when Dr. L.E. Thompson was hired as a civilian physicist and launched Dahlgren’s research department. Civilian employees were crucial to Dahlgren’s success, especially as the installation evolved away from ordnance testing and into more advanced research and development activities.

Experimental work at Dahlgren steadily expanded during the Cold War, as the development of missile technology was prioritized over more traditional munitions. In 1959, Dahlgren became a Naval Weapons Laboratory, a name better suited for its research and development activities. In 1974, the operations for the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in White Oak, Maryland were consolidated to Dahlgren, forming one of the Navy's largest centers for research and development. In 2005, Dahlgren became a Naval Support Facility under Naval Support Activity South Potomac.

From its creation as the “Lower Station” of the Indian Head Naval Proving Ground to its current role as a leading research and development center, Naval Support Facility Dahlgren continues to advance the weapons systems of America’s armed forces.
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The Development of Dahlgren

	Nine identical two-story Colonials were constructed in 1939.

In May of 1918, only a farmhouse, barn and outbuilding stood at Dahlgren. The first new buildings to arrive were temporary structures. The barracks from the Marine Camp at Indian Head were floated by barge down the Potomac River and reassembled at Dahlgren. These provisional residences housed the construction workers hired to build a permanent community at Dahlgren.

The placement of Dahlgren’s earliest neighborhoods was dictated by the natural topography of the peninsula. A marshland separated the senior officer homes on Sampson Road from the junior officer homes on Welsh Road. The marsh was eventually backfilled with dredging material removed to create the wharf on the Potomac River and was developed into the golf course in 1927.

Completed in 1942, the enlisted barracks housed wartime staff.

The first permanent residential building campaign at Dahlgren occurred between 1918 and 1921. Among the first residences constructed were eight junior officer quarters on the east side of Welsh Road. By the end of 1920, 68 permanent buildings were complete, including the civilian bungalows and dormitories, and the administration building, laboratory and seaplane hangar.

The Colonial Revival homes on Sampson Road were completed in 1921. Due to scarce labor and materials, the homes exceeded their construction budgets and were subject to congressional inquiries. Each of the Dutch Colonial Revival homes cost over $10,000 to complete, while the commanding officers’ home at 501 Sampson Road cost approximately $60,000. The civilian bungalows, by comparison, were purchased from the U.S. Housing Corporation and built for less than $1,500 per home.

	809 Welsh Road was added with nine other junior officer homes in 1941 & 1942.

The United States’ mobilization for World War II brought about the second homebuilding boom at Dahlgren. The installation expanded by over 3,500 acres while workers rushed to construct additional housing for an enlarged wartime workforce. To accommodate the new civilian and military residents, some new homes were integrated into the existing neighborhoods.

New officer housing was constructed throughout Welsh Road, Sampson Road and Caffee Circle. These new homes were modest in comparison to those built after World War I, with simplified designs that reflected their wartime construction.

However, the need for additional housing exceeded the existing neighborhoods’ capacity and 94 temporary civilian quarters – collectively known as “Boomtown” – were constructed on the northeast side of Dahlgren Road. These short-term homes were funded by the National Housing Agency and built from standardized designs, which kept costs at $3,100 per home.
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Residential Architecture at Dahlgren

	501 Sampson Road

The architectural profile of Dahlgren’s historic neighborhoods depicts the Colonial Revival and, to a lesser extent, the Craftsman styling popular in the early twentieth century. The Colonial Revival style is present in the senior and field grade officer homes along Caffee Circle and at the southern end of Sampson Road. The term "Colonial Revival" refers to a renewed interest in the home designs of the early American Colonies, which had a large impact on both civilian and military architecture, especially throughout the Mid-Atlantic. The senior and field grade officer homes along Sampson Road and Caffee Circle display several different subtypes of Colonial Revival architecture.

508 Sampson Road

501 Sampson Road, constructed in 1921 for Dahlgren’s commanding officer, displays characteristics of Georgian Colonial Revival style with its square, symmetrical shape and decorative crown above the central front door. The interior incorporates a central stair hall, situated between a living room and a dining room and five second-floor bedrooms.

	520 Caffee Circle

The five Dutch Colonial Revival residences (Floor Plans) were constructed in 1921 for senior officers at the Proving Ground. The most impressive examples of this style are 503, 507 and 509 Sampson Road, positioned along the waterfront of Machodoc Creek. These two and one-half story residences follow identical building plans and exemplify characteristics of Dutch Colonial Revival design. The two-sided gambrel roofs and curving eves are the most distinguishing elements of this style.

A simplified Colonial Revival design was incorporated into the nine field grade officer homes (Floor Plans) built at Caffee Circle and Sampson Road during the mobilization for World War II. These two-story residences are less-ornate than their Dutch Colonial neighbors – characteristic of their construction during America’s early mobilization for World War II. All nine homes follow the same building plan and display gabled roofs, symmetrically-arranged windows and central front entrances, accented with pilasters.

802 Welsh Road

Two Craftsman style homes are also present at Dahlgren. Originating in southern California at the turn of the twentieth century, the Craftsman style gained popularity throughout the country during the 1910s and 1920s. These buildings are characterized by their low-pitched gabled roofs, wide overhangs and large porches. While the most ornate examples of the Craftsman style are not present at Dahlgren, Craftsman styling can be seen at 600 and 601 Sampson Road. Both senior officer quarters were constructed in the early 1920s.

	766 Hall Road

The Welsh Road neighborhood (Floor Plans) is separated from the Sampson Road homes and presents a more suburban streetscape. The homes were built at various times, starting in 1919 and continuing through the early 1940’s. They are Colonial Revival in style and generally single story or one and one-half story, but with significantly more refined architectural detailing than the bungalow neighborhood. The Greek Revival style porch columns, half-round gable windows and octagonal accent windows distinguish these otherwise very simple homes.

The neighborhood of small bungalows along Sampson Road and Hall Road (Floor Plans) are among the oldest houses at Dahlgren, most being constructed in 1919. The simple features of the bungalows include a one-floor design, low-pitched roof and oversized front porch. The most significant feature of the bungalow neighborhood is the site planning, which is irregularly sited in a style heavily influenced by the romanticism of the City Beautiful Movement. The heavily treed neighborhood has a very park-like feel, with the houses widely spaced between the trees.
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Dahlgren & Indian Head

	The Potomac River served as the only early means of transporting supplies from Indian Head.

Founded as a distant extension of the Indian Head Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren’s creation and early development were deeply influenced by its upriver colleague, now known as Naval Support Facility Indian Head.

Dahlgren was selected as the destination for a new, larger proving ground, as its unpopulated surroundings met the needs for safe ordnance testing. However, the underdeveloped roadways of King George County left the Potomac River as the only means of transportation to and from Dahlgren.

Indian Head’s commanding officers supervised the construction at Dahlgren, often worrying about constant labor and building material shortages. As the midway point between Dahlgren and the Washington Navy Yard, Indian Head also served as a transportation hub, where supplies and raw materials were taken by road before being loaded on to barges for the trip to Dahlgren.

The earliest housing brought to Dahlgren was temporary and included a relocated barracks from the Marine Corps Rifle Range at Indian Head. Many permanent one-story bungalows were also brought on barges from Indian Head. The bungalows were purchased from the U.S. Housing Corporation, a wartime institution that also built a 100-home village at Indian Head. Constructed in 1919, many of these early bungalows surround Sampson Circle and are still in use today. In 1939, Dahlgren received the homes at 800 and 801 Welsh Road when they were relocated from the Naval Powder Factory at Indian Head. These one and one-half story homes stand across from the Officers’ Club at the southern end of Welsh Road.

Despite the considerable distance between the two installations, Dahlgren and Indian Head maintained a strong working relationship for decades. During the interwar years, both installations worked in the Experimental Ammunition Unit and collaborated on the same ordnance programs. Today, Dahlgren and Indian Head are part of Naval Support Activity South Potomac, a component of Naval District Washington.
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Dahlgren as a Planned Community

Dahlgren’s historic neighborhoods depict suburban planning trends popular in both civilian and military communities built from the 1920s to the 1940s. These same themes were incorporated into other military neighborhoods constructed during this time. In 1920, the U.S. Housing Corporation completed a 100-home village at Indian Head, Maryland. This community was also a product of naval expansion during World War I and contained many similarities to Dahlgren’s residential area. The original site plans for Dahlgren and the now-demolished village at Indian Head were both designed by the same individual, town planner Stephen Child. Both display cohesive neighborhoods with curving streets and open recreational spaces.

This preliminary U.S. Housing Corporation site plan for Dahlgren was later modified, but reflects the suburban planning ideals and recreational amenities incorporated into the residential design.

	The U.S. Housing Corporation’s village at Indian Head was completed in 1920.

The senior officer neighborhoods at both Dahlgren and Indian Head were characterized by the open landscaping and curved streets fashionable during the 1920s. As with other military installations, homes within these high ranking neighborhoods were larger and more architecturally sophisticated than their civilian and enlisted counterparts. They also featured bigger yards, sited to provide the best waterfront views. Conversely, the junior officer, enlisted and civilian neighborhoods were placed closer to public meeting spaces, in a more regimented and linear fashion. As the design developed and was implemented, however, a more curvilinear and park-like site plan was utilized throughout the civilian bungalow neighborhood.

Open public spaces and recreational facilities were emphasized at Dahlgren, Indian Head and other military installations constructed during the first part of the twentieth century. During this period, the Navy placed great concern towards providing healthy suburban environments for on-base residents. Tennis courts, an assembly hall, and a golf course were completed early in Dahlgren’s development. The golf course, constructed on backfilled marshlands in 1927, was incorporated into the landscape of the officer neighborhoods. This parallels the design of Indian Head’s golf course. Originally constructed in 1919, Indian Head’s golf course was expanded in 1927, and flows through the landscape of the officer housing neighborhood.

Though similar to other Navy residential construction, Dahlgren’s residential design contrasts the communities developed by the United States Army during the same period. The Army’s Quartermaster Corps relied on a single set of standardized building plans for all residential homes, while Dahlgren possesses numerous architectural styles and designs.
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Dahlgren