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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 1d

📸 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)

DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 1d

📸 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

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 1d

📸 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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 1d

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

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 1d

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.

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.

dchistory.org

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 1d

🔔 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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 1d

📌 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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 1d

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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 2d

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

DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 2d

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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 2d

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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 2d

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

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…

www.accokeek.org

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 2d

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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 2d

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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 5d

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/

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…

dchistory.org

DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 5d

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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 5d

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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 5d

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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 5d

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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 5d

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

DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 5d

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/

dchistory.org

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 5d

📣 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. 🌆

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 7d

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

DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 7d

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.

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DC History Center @dchistorycenter.bsky.social · 7d

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

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