DC History Center

📸 A photograph taken in 1950 from the hilltop on Talbert Street, facing north. Note the Capitol building in the distance, partially obscured by the Navy Yard stacks. (John P. Wymer photograph collection, WY 3617)

📸 A Sanborn map excerpt from 1927 showing the land in Square 5807, including the Hillbright Episcopal Home for Children, and Square 5869 that would later become the Dexter Heights Residential Development. Courtesy, Library of Congress

📸 An early 2000s photograph showing reunion of AHRA members and neighbors who had established the Annual Block Party. The green space serves as a backdrop. Courtesy, AHRA Block Party Planning Committee.

Saving land isn’t only about nature. It’s about power, heritage, and the right of all communities to steward their own futures.

Roots of Resistance: Fighting to Save a Historic, Community-Owned Green Space in Anacostia Community members in Anacostia share the story of their fight to protect a historic, community-owned green space now threatened by development.

Join in:
✨ Read the full guest blog post from members of the Anacostia Homeowners and Residents Association and share widely.
✨ Attend local hearings or community meetings.
✨ Support advocacy efforts to maintain this space as a public, inclusive, historic, green space.

🔔 Community members are organizing, amplifying their voices, and pushing back against development pressures. Their fight is a reminder that history doesn’t only live in museums—it lives in everyday landscapes.

📌 This space belongs to the people—and its preservation honors the generations who shaped the land.
📌 It stands at the intersection of history, equity, and environmental justice.
📌 Preserving places means preserving stories, community, and sovereignty.

In Southeast DC, residents are fighting to protect a community-owned green space whose history, identity, and future are under threat. This isn’t just a park, it’s a living symbol of local power, memory, and resistance.

The Accokeek Foundation provides farm-based education, school field trips, historical and cultural interpretation, and public programs that promote environmental stewardship.

📸 Photos by Phillip Warfield

The land later became part of Piscataway Park, which the Foundation now stewards in partnership with the National Park Service. Open daily, the park offers opportunities for recreation, reflection, and meaningful engagement with nature and cultural heritage.

The Accokeek Foundation was established in the 1950s when Congresswoman Frances Payne Bolton purchased a 500-acre farm across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon with the goal of preventing industrial development and preserve the scenic view.

Piscataway Park | Accokeek Foundation | Maryland Discover the Accokeek Foundation in Piscataway Park. Explore nature and history in this unique national park. Honoring the Indigenous people and values that shaped this landscape. Sharing stories…

As we honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we celebrate the living history and ongoing contributions of Indigenous communities across the region and encourage you to do the same.

➡️ Learn more about the Accokeek Foundation and their cultural heritage programs: www.accokeek.org

They learned directly from tribal historian Mario Harley of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe. His in-depth overview of the Indigenous peoples of the DC region offered powerful insights into the land, its stories, and its enduring connections.

This summer, DC educators joined our Teach the District program—a weeklong experience connecting teachers to the local history and cultures that shape our region. The teacher’s visited Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park, where participants experienced their reimagined Land Echoes Field Trip.

Class Action: Education and Opportunity in the Nation’s Capital This exhibit features old-fashioned chalkboards, a library nook, and playful vintage furniture. A family friendly exhibition that will invite you to explore how DC’s Black communities advocated…

Learn more about pioneers like Charles Hamilton Houston and DC’s history of Black educational excellence by visiting our exhibit, “Class Action: Education and Opportunity in the Nation’s Capital,” open Thursday through Sunday from 12 - 6 pm.

dchistory.org/class-action/

Though he died in 1950, before these victories were realized, Houston’s vision and legal strategy changed the course of American history—earning him the title “The Man Who Killed Jim Crow.”

His legacy lives on in the ongoing fight for equal education and justice.

Houston & NAACP lawyers fought for equal pay for Black teachers and access to graduate education for Black students, strategic victories that ultimately led to the Supreme Court’s rulings in “Brown v. Board of Education” and “Bolling v. Sharpe,” declaring school segregation unconstitutional.

A graduate of the M Street School (now Dunbar) and later Harvard Law, Houston transformed Howard University’s Law School in the 1930s into a powerhouse for civil rights advocacy. As dean, he trained a generation of attorneys, including Thurgood Marshall, to use the courts as tools for justice.

Charles Hamilton Houston: “The Man Who Killed Jim Crow”

Born and raised in Washington, DC, Charles Hamilton Houston (1895–1950) was a brilliant legal mind whose work laid the foundation for the end of segregation in America.

💛 All proceeds support the DC History Center Resilience Fund—helping preserve inclusive histories and educational programs across the District.

From the vibrant energy of U Street and Columbia Heights to the historic landscapes of Rock Creek Park, Georgetown, and Walter Reed, each walk reveals a new side of the city you thought you knew.

🎟️ Tickets: $35 per person | Tours last ~2 hours | Sign-up: dchistory.org/events/

📣 This Weekend: Walks That Give Back! From October 10 to 13, during Indigenous People’s Weekend take a walk through history—and give back while you do it. Join Washington Walks for a special weekend of guided tours that bring DC’s neighborhoods and stories to life. 🌆

The booklets are designed not only to guide walking tours but also to invite neighbors and visitors alike to see these overlooked communities with new eyes.

Let’s keep DC’s stories alive, one neighborhood at a time. ❤️

📸 Photos by Cindy Centeno

The DC History Center, in partnership with the DC Public Library and the DC Public Library Foundation, set out to create resources that would bring neighborhood stories out of the archives and into the hands of residents.

The Hillcrest x Woodridge Neighborhood History Project was born from a commitment to make local history accessible and meaningful.

The People’s Archive of the DC Publoc library provided access to images and historical documentation. Branch library staff generously offered ideas, feedback, and community connections throughout. Local DC designer Carlos Carmonamedina transformed archival detail into engaging, navigable guides.

Seasoned walking tour guide and expert Briana Thomas of Black Broadway Travel supported both Byers and Montague in their efforts to create the narrative and route for their tours.

Relying on expertise rooted in the neighborhoods:
🗺️ In Hillcrest, community historian Jim Byers shaped the narrative of the “Silver Coast.”
🗺️ In Woodridge, historian Jeremiah Montague, Jr. with the Woodridge Civic Association provided essential knowledge of the community’s civic life and culture.

Discover Hillcrest and Woodridge with New Walking Tour Booklets Explore DC’s Hillcrest and Woodridge neighborhoods with new walking tour booklets featuring local stories, maps, and community-driven history.

Pick up your copies at:
📍 Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library (Hillcrest)
📍 Woodridge Neighborhood Library
🔗 Or dive in online. Download the Hillcrest and Woodridge booklets: dchistory.org/news-and-ins...

Behind these pages is a collaborative process that brought together community leaders, local historians, librarians, and designers to ensure that the history of these neighborhoods is shared with both accuracy and heart.