A Neighborhood Oasis

A Neighborhood Oasis (HM24PU)

Location: Washington, DC 20020
Buy District Of Columbia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 51.97', W 76° 59.349'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 328 views
Inscription
Follow Good Hope Road under the highway to your left to reach Anacostia Park, a longtime neighborhood oasis.

In 1914, after years of citizen requests, Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to "improve" the Anacostia River by scraping soil from the river bed and depositing it into the "flats," the marshes lining the banks. The improvement would eliminate mosquito-breeding ground and provide new land for parks. Construction on Anacostia Park started in 1923. Later Anacostia Citizens Association President George C. Havenner marveled: "Where is there another such town with a $4,000,000 park in its front yard with its homes sitting on hills like box seats in an amphitheater!"

The dramas that played out on that stage were not always pretty. In the hot summer of 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, some 15,000 ragged World War I veterans and their families known as the Bonus Army, set up camp in the park. They were part of a group of 45,000 that had come to Washington to try to collect — 13 years ahead of schedule — a bonus payment due in 1945. When Congress tabled their request, President Hoover feared their anger and directed the U.S. Army to clear out the camp. The troops chased people out and burned their shelters. Many were injured, and a child died.

Violence erupted



again in 1949 when the Department of the Interior desegregated the Anacostia Park swimming pool. Since opening in 1937, the pool had been restricted to white patrons. Some of them reacted violently to the arrival of African American swimmers, so officials closed the pool for the summer.

In the mid-1960s, the neighborhood lost a favorite vista when the Anacostia Freeway was constructed along the park's edge.
Details
HM NumberHM24PU
Tags
Year Placed2013
Placed ByCultural Tourism DC
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, January 18th, 2018 at 4:01pm PST -08:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 327424 N 4303805
Decimal Degrees38.86616667, -76.98915000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 51.97', W 76° 59.349'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 51' 58.2" N, 76° 59' 20.94" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)202
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 2006 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Washington DC 20020, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?