By Frank Leone
This Fall, the Foggy Bottom Association History Project will offer an unprecedented number of live events. We’ll have three in-person walking tours, a talk at the historic DACOR-Bacon House, and a DC Preservation League webinar presenting our House History Map. These activities are in addition to our regular Funkstown posts, our on-line walking tours, our Historic District activity worksheet for families and educators, and our ever expanding House History Project.
For the third year in a row, we will lead a walking tour of the four-block Foggy Bottom Historic District as part of Events DC’s WalkingTown DC – that tour will take place on Saturday, September 14, 2024 from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. You can walk with us along tree-lined sidewalks as we tell the story of what made Foggy Bottom a Historic District. The area uniquely showcases a 19th century working class neighborhood, features 130-year-old alley dwellings, and streets lined with 12-foot-wide distinctive brick row houses. Listen to stories of the lives of Irish and German immigrants and African American residents who made the area their home. See a reputed Underground Railroad stop, German brewery worker houses, one of DC's most notorious alleys, and a 110-year-old livery stable. And, you'll learn why it's called Foggy Bottom! Register here (September 14, tour # lucky 13).
For the first time we are partnering with the George Washington University Museum to offer a two hour tour that includes the FB Historic District, rarely-open to the public St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, and sites on the GWU campus. The tour complements GWU Museum’s A Tale of Two Houses exhibit, which commemorates the 10th anniversary of the museum and explores the histories GWU’s Woodhull House and the Textile Museum’s original S Street House. Click on the dates/times to sign up for the tours which will be offered on October 19 at 10 am and later that day at 2 pm.
The DACOR-Bacon House is a historic building on 18th and F Streets, NW, just two blocks from the White House (but still in Foggy Bottom). The house will host a dinner and panel discussion on November 21 at 6:30. Mr. Leone will present on the history of the F Street neighborhood, focusing on the sometime upper-class area east of 23rd St. More details to follow.
Finally, on December 11, 2024 at noon, we will present a webinar as part of the DC Preservation League’s focus on DC’s neighborhoods month. We’ll discuss the FBA History Project and present the Foggy Bottom Historic District House Map. The Map project includes seven blocks in the Historic District area and shows trends using census and other information as well as details on 250 houses and their residents. The presentation will demonstrate how we can learn and share information about the history of DC neighborhoods and the role that such education plays in historic preservation. The FB News will circulate additional details when they become available.
Another important event coming up this fall is the DC History Center’s September 26th event in support of its new exhibit, “Class Action: The Fight for Black Education in the Nation’s Capital.” (Frank Leone and Denise Vogt are sponsors of this event.)
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