Events at Ivy Hill

During the Second World War, the United States Army’s Military Intelligence Service operated a top-secret intelligence facility known only as P.O. Box 1142, which was established less than ten miles from Ivy Hill Cemetery, on land now known as Fort Hunt Park. Three highly classified operations were conducted at P.O. Box 1142, including the creation of the ‘Red Book’ and the interrogation of more than 3,000 German prisoners of war.
After the war, the site became connected to Operation Paperclip, the covert program that brought German scientists—including rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun, buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery—to the United States. This lecture will explore Alexandria’s hidden role in World War II intelligence and its lasting impact on the Cold War and the Space Race.

Jenny Waters is the Museum Manager at the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden in Alexandria. She created the museum’s World War II Walking Tour of Alexandria and has become an avid researcher of the history of P.O. Box 1142, presenting lectures on the topic to public and academic audiences. In addition to her work on military intelligence history, she interprets the women’s history of the Lee-Fendall House and oversees the museum’s annual fundraiser, Wine & Art Night.
Jenny holds a degree from Bucknell University, and most recently completed the highly-regarded Graduate Certificate in Collections Management and Care from George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts & Design in 2024.