The walled facility at the foot of 8th Street SE was once the biggest builder of Navy ships in the country, and then became the biggest manufacturer of munitions. For roughly 150 years it was our neighborhood's largest employer and a much more significant driver of the community's growth than Congress and the Capitol.
Dr. Marolda is the author and editor of several books on U.S. Navy history and traditions, including The Washington Navy Yard: An Illustrated History.
