thumb|Fort Washington
Fort Washington is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It borders the Potomac River, situated 20 miles south of downtown Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 24,261. The Fort Washington community is located west of Maryland Route 210, with some additional area to the east of the highway.
History
The Fort
thumb|A group of historical reenactors at Fort Washington in April 2008
The community is named for Fort Washington. The first Fort Washington was completed in 1809, and it was the only defensive fort protecting Washington, D.C. until the American Civil War. It consisted of a small earthwork embankment near the shore of the Potomac River. The failure of that fort to stop a British fleet from invading the national capital during the War of 1812 led to the construction of the current, larger, stone fortification. In 1844, a cannon exploded on the USS Princeton as it was passing Fort Washington. During World War II, the US Army's Adjutant General's School was located at the fort, and had billeting for 362 officers and 2,526 enlisted persons.
Civil War
Upon the outbreak of the American Civil War, fearing for the safety of Washington in case of attack, Secretary of the Navy Isaac Toucey ordered a detachment of US Marines to garrison the fort.
In May 1865 Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles ordered the Potomac Flotilla reduced to half strength due to cessation of hostilities. This included the removal of the Marines from Fort Washington.
Twentieth century to present
Near the fort are many riverfront homes, two marinas, two community pools, and National Golf Club. The area was rural until about 1960, when suburban growth began. Until the founding of the Oxon Hill post office about 1960, the Fort Washington area generally used the mailing address Washington, D.C., except for the few years that Friendly had a post office. In 1980, the postal service split the Fort Washington area from Oxon Hill, defining it as a separate town name. At that time, to make mail sorting easier, they drew the boundary between the two communities to conform to already existing zip code boundaries. The end result sometimes confuses people, since the northern end of the Fort Washington postal area (near the Beltway) identifies more with the communities of Oxon Hill or Temple Hills / Camp Springs but still uses a Fort Washington mailing address.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 16.8%, is water.
First-time visitors are often confused by the several "Livingston Roads", which repeatedly cross Route 210, as well as by the two separate "Old Fort Roads", causing them to make wrong turns off of Maryland Route 210. Eventually, all roads intersecting Route 210 in the Fort Washington area (from the Beltway as far south as the Highway 210 curve at Piscataway Creek) will be upgraded to controlled-access interchanges (eliminating all traffic signals) gradually during the 2020s.
The fort's land originally included 347 acres, which was last surveyed in June 1944.
Community institutions
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) maintains the Harmony Hall Regional Center [https://web.archive.org/web/20061016050738/http://www.pgparks.com/places/artsfac/hhrc.html], including the John Addison Concert Hall, site of community theater ("Tantallon Community Players"), art shows, frequent concerts, and a variety of classes for all ages. A YMCA fitness center operated from 2005 until 2016, and a community center facility opened in 2013 in Fort Washington Forest.
The 12,000-member Ebenezer A.M.E. Church is a large nursery/landscaping business and a popular motorcycle shop. There is a small 50-bed hospital (Fort Washington Hospital).
Government
Prince George's County Police Department District 7 Station in Fort Washington CDP serves the community.
The U.S. Postal Service operates the Fort Washington Post Office in Fort Washington CDP.
The Interagency Training Center, a training center for the National Security Agency, is based in Fort Washington CDP.