Jaybird's Jottings

Job Applicant Sues NPR

By Jaded Roberts

Special from The Garlic Times

 

Claiming he is a victim of “namism,” a Washington-based journalist has filed a unique discrimination lawsuit against National Public Radio.

William Jones, an award-winning reporter, has applied three times for a job with NPR in Washington.   Despite stellar recommendations and an impressive resume, he was turned down all three times.

Jones shows me a list of current NPR reporters and reads them off.

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, Lakshmi Singh, Yuki Noguchi, Sylvia Poggioli, Shanker Vedantum, Audie Cornish, Kia Ryssdal.

“Did you,” I ask him, “cherry-pick those?”

“No, these are straight from Amber Hubert’s article at Ranker, “Reporters Whose Names are the Most Fun to Say.”

“How is that discrimination?”

“Well, I could go on.  Steve Inskeep, Dina Temple-Raston, David Folkenflik.  It’s quite obvious they don’t want a plain-sounding name on their airwaves.”

“What about that morning traffic guy, Jerry?”

“Oh, they let him go several years ago.”

Jones tells me he is a big fan of NPR and likes all their reporters.   His beef is with the ones doing the hiring.

I tell Jones about something I read.   I suggest he change his name by adding an initial to his first name and taking away a letter in his last.

“I’ve already filed paperwork to do just that.”

“What will your new name be?”

“Willjiam Ones.”

Will your last name be pronounced, “wons?”

Oh, no, it’ll be “on-ez.”  The more syllables the better… 

 

 

 

The Commons of McLean: An Endangered Community

Howdy, folks.

I come to you today with a case of the blues.

I’ve been doing some research on the loss of Maplewood, a Second Empire-style house that stood for about 100 years in what was then known as Tysons Corner.   Demolished in 1970, its site is a construction site steps to the north of the McLean metro stop and within shouting distance of Capital One’s office tower.   

I will be publishing that story soon, but wanted to take some time to talk about something I learned along the way.

When Maplewood went down in 1970, Tysons Corner (renamed Tysons several years ago) was in full bore of transforming from the small, dusty crossroads where peach and dairy farmers stopped to swig a bottle of pop, to becoming an ever-growing place in Fairfax County filled offices and shopping malls.

Westgate, the company that bought then tore down Maplewood and carved out its hilly farm land, hired the famed architect Charles Goodman (1906-1992) to design both office and residential there.    

The office buildings he designed rose up within the triangle formed by the Beltway, the Dulles Access Road and Highway 123 (previously known as Chain Bridge Road and now Dolly Madison Boulevard).

Across the street, and about a half mile to the east, the Goodman-designed Commons of McLean (technically not in McLean but close enough) sprouted up.    

In “The Making of Virginia Architecture,” historian Richard Guy Wilson, wrote, “More than any other individual, Goodman brought modern architecture to mid-twentieth century Virginia.”

The famed architect, known for his modern/minimalist approach is best known for National Airport and the Hollin Hills neighborhood south of Alexandria.  His residence at 514 Quaker Lane in the city, a converted farmhouse, stands as testimony to his desire to turn away from the Colonial Revival so popular during his time.  

An Uncommon Architect website is the place to go to learn about Goodman and The Commons of McLean.  They write:

• There was no other residential property of its kind in the area.     
• Created not just a development but a real community.
• Combined elements of arches, beams and brick in a natural setting.
• Private recessed entrance with large-paned glass walls.

They go on to point out the welcoming neighborhood played a pivotal role at the very beginning of Tysons’ transformation.  Phase 1 won the garden apartment category from the Northern Virginia Builders Association.  

The HABS report describes the Commons as “the earliest dense residential development” in Tysons Corner and the “only known garden-apartment complex built to a Goodman design.”   

Fast forward to about five years ago.   The office buildings in the triangle were torn down.   In its place came the Capital One headquarters tower.  As we speak, the business campus is being built.   The Silver Line’s line McLean stop is there.   Smart growth is being infused all over within the tapestry of off ramps and busy streets. 

Note: In this photo, looking north and west, the pool is on the edge of the TCOM property.    

I can honestly tell you I feel that all of that is great.  And I should say once again that while I am a preservationist at heart, I also fully realize the need for new real estate.  Tysons is a growing city, a wonderful place to see the present and future.

But at what point of its on-going expansion, do we as preservationists say, wait a minute.    Of this part of the county consisting of about four and a quarter square miles, why does every single thing older have to be demolished?    

I visited the Commons of McLean yesterday.   Plenty of cars in the parking lots.   The pool inviting and clean.  One gathers these units are more affordable than other places in Tysons and the residents like living here.   A Safeway fits in nicely and was busy.  Starbucks couldn't make the coffee fast enough.  I talked with a lady who lives in nearby Pimmit Hills. She seemed interested in my write up.  I didn't want to tell her, but part of me was thinking her neighborhood could be Godzilla's next victim.

My reading before hand revealed those praises for Goodman’s work.  I will admit, however that I got out of the car, I thought to myself, ok, these are garden apartments.  Can’t say I ever fell in love with any of the ones I ever saw.

 

But after walking through this small neighborhood, that is exactly what happened.  I fell in love with the place.

You see, it’s not just the fact that these homes have aged well, and do stand out as something wonderful in terms of the design.  It’s the whole package.

Goodman designed Hollin Hills, a neighborhood south of Alexandria.  You should visit if you get the chance.  

I remember a great description someone gave them.   Most suburban neighborhoods sit on the landscape.   These sit in the landscape.

And so, too, with The Commons of McLean.   They sit so comfortably on a hillside sloping down to 123.   Large old trees provide shade.   A grove of them still hangs on, a natural buffer to that part of Tysons, a place which has precious few trees and greenery.   Yesterday was hot, but I took comfort knowing I was standing in a rare part of Tysons where the sun’s beating down had a natural filter.

And quiet.  Just to the east of the neighborhood towards McLean, the Dulles Access Road sends its daily rush of cars.   Standing anywhere in this neighborhood reveals nary a sight or sound of that ribbon of concrete.

You might think age has taken away a few of my marbles, but as I drove away yesterday, I said to myself, that place is some kind of heaven.    

Now to the blue part.

A new development, The Kingston at Anderson Park, has been approved by the County.   Already a portion of TCOM have been taken down.   More units are scheduled to be demolished next spring.   When all is said and done, all of The Commons at McLean will be no more.   My source was not certain, but said all will be gone in 3-4 years. Another source is checking.

Finding the rezoning application on-line, I read some of the document.    The Fairfax County Historic and Heritage Resources certainly did their due diligence.  They point out:

The application does not include the preservation of any existing buildings.

I hate to by cynical, but one wonders how much thought was given to their recommendation by the developers.   Do they know how great adaptive reuse can be in terms of win-win?   

 

I was ready to chalk this up as an — "It is what it is" — but I couldn’t stop thinking about the total package at TCOM. The lovely landscape, how the homes fits so comfortably, the contour of the hills, the lovely old trees, that public view of Tysons, all combined to make something wonderful and unique.   

The demolition of these homes will not just a loss of the buildings and the landscape.  It will be the total destruction of a community.

All this made me think:

How far do land ownership rights go?   

Who has the rights over the total package of landscape and everything at a place? 

Is this something preservationists have thought about protecting?

Is it too late for The Commons of McLean?

How can we let a whole community be destroyed?

I’d like to know your feelings and thoughts.   I have my doubts about trying to save a piece of this place for adaptive reuse, but I want future readers to know we at least noticed what was going on.   

 

 

Woodlawn Cultural Landscape National Historic District

Overshadowed by Mount Vernon and secluded by a curtain of tall trees, Woodlawn, the historic plantation home of Nelly Custis, George Washington’s step granddaughter, and designated a National Historic Landmark, has not gotten the attention it deserves.

Thanks to governmental agencies and people who care, Woodlawn is poised to gain more visibility.

On Thursday night at the Fairfax County South Government Center, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources held a public meeting on the nomination for what would become the Woodlawn Cultural Landscape National Historic District.  

Aubrey Von Lindern, Architectural Historian with the Northern Regional Preservation Office, briefed on the status of the nomination for the new historic district and answered questions.

Members of local historical groups and organizations provided additional comments and discussion matters.

The new historic district would include Woodlawn, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House, the Quaker Friend Meeting House, George Washington’s Grist Mill, the Otis Mason House and the Sharpe stable complex, which are already included in Woodlawn’s National Register for Historic Places.

Also in the new historic district will be the Woodlawn Baptist/Pillar Church and the Woodlawn United Methodist Church, and Grand View.

Although the word campus was not used, perhaps it will be.  Located about a half dozen miles south of Alexandria, the historic assets spread across dozens of acres.

If you’ve lived here a while and have used Richmond Highway/Route One, you may have wondered why it was rerouted near Fort Belvoir several years ago.  For many years, Route One kept its straight path and ran up a hill between Woodlawn and the Woodlawn Baptist Church.   

When the county announced its plan to widen the highway, concerns arose over its proximity to Woodlawn, the Quaker Meeting Hose and the Woodlawn Baptist Church and their cemetery.

The highway was rerouted, giving it the current belly-shaped segment.   This action was prompted by a “Section 106” process, which requires Federal agencies to work with the NPS on possible detrimental effect on historic properties.

The part of Route One no longer used and now a grassy ghost, would be used for access to the stable complex and parking. 

Dot gov’s are not the only parties interested in the Woodlawn historic district.  As noted by the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation, this historic landscape:  

has been re-imagined as a multi-use destination that is planned to include a farm-to-table restaurant and cafe, educational programs, a year-round farm stand, an enhanced event venue, and interpretive trails.

The National Trust and the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture, and Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG) have partnered to determine if the property can be re-zoned.

At the meeting, I spoke with Laura Arseneau, Senior Historic Preservation Planner with Fairfax County.    She said the process is coming along, slowly but surely.   It has good political support.  We once saw a micro-brewery mentioned as a possibility, but have not heard further on that one.

We like most aspects of the plans.  Nevertheless, we are concerned with the part that would allow a restaurant to be build in close proximity to Woodlawn.   Better, it seems to us, would be to place it at the stables site, where Arcadia has its plans.  

Comments on the proposed new district can be made at the Northern Regional Preservation Office website.  

A proposed state highway marker can be found here.

Additionally, Martha Claire Catlin, Historian for the Alexandria Quaker Meeting House at Woodlawn, will give a talk titled,  "The African American Community of Woodlawn: Discovering a Historic Free African American Community among Antislavery Quakers.”  (Tuesday, August 28, 2018 at Woodlawn, 9000 Richmond Highway).   

That history, too, has been overshadowed.

 

 

 

Cafe 44

Although it takes some patience to get there, we had a terrific first impression today of Cafe 44.  Breathtaking views, the hours generous, and James behind the counter called his customers by their first name.

This part of Old Town has been a bit of a sleepy backwater, which seems to explain why the city’s maritime museum and Mick Fleetwood’s bar had short runs. 

But with public art making it special, and the Old Town North Small Area Plan approved, these folks look to have a bright future.  

Our one recommendation is for a couple of black and white historic photos.    The Alexandria Canal’s site is in full view from the balcony, and when this part of the waterfront was redeveloped in the 1980s, old industrial uses were torn down.   In fact, historic aerials show a large structure where Building 44 is now.

Either way, a great new spot in Old Town and a sign of better days for this more quiet corner of the city.

Note:  From the waterfront, climb the steps and 44 is on your left.   From First Street and then Canal Center, it will be on your right.  I parked at the foot of Madison (two hours free) and walked over.

Enter the building and take the elevator to the fourth floor, then hang a left at the glass doors for the architecture firm.  There is also an underground parking lot.    If you enter the building from the south side, you will see drum sticks on the doors marking the old Fleetwood's bar. 

Book Review: Into The Raging Sea

In 1976, Gordon Lightfoot wrote and recorded the hauntingly beautiful song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”   Storm winds and flooding waters had led to the sinking of the ship, a freighter loaded with iron ore on Lake Superior.  As the lyrics of Lightfoot’s chart-topping hit tell us, “the church bell chimed till it rang 29 times for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.”   

40 years after that tragedy, a fully loaded freighter, also with the initials EF, and a crew of 33, was pummeled by the winds and waters of Category Four Hurricane Joaquin.   El Faro, making a familiar run from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico, fell to a watery grave off the coast of Bahama Island.

Penning the dirge this time is first-time author Rachel Slade who has written a book titled, “Into the Raging Sea, Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro.”   Beautifully written, it is equally haunting.  

Measures were taken after the wreck of the Fitzgerald, but what Slade uncovers is poor management and a woeful disregard for safety.    Ship owners for TOTE Marine might as well have had as its motto -  Rule One, Get to Port on Time.  Rule Two, When Making Decisions, See Rule One.

Unlike the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, technology allows us to have the transcripts of the crew’s conversations.   Slade weaves them in and out, as well as  her exhaustive research, into a full account of the disaster that took all 33 souls on board.    

The sinking of El Faro was one of the worst maritime disasters in recent history.  The captain certainly felt all the pressures of getting the cargo to port and was dealing with a rust bucket.  Nevertheless, he did not cover himself in glory.    

But neither did TOTE Maritime, the company that owned the 40-year-old freighter.   El Faro, built the year the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk, was a death trap.

If you read this book, be prepared to have a sore neck from shaking your head in disgust.   As just one example of Tote treating their crews like so much cargo, El Faro had open-top lifeboats like those on the Titanic.   

Legal to have them?  Yes.

Foolish to not replace them with modern types?  Sadly, yes.

Balancing the awful feelings one gets as we learn of the neglect by TOTE and the seemingly suicidal actions by the Captain, are the members of the Coast Guard Rescue team stationed in Clearwater.   

In particular are the heroic actions of Petty Officer 1st Class Ben Cournia.  Having lost its propulsion, El Faro was floundering near the core of the hurricane’s winds and could not be reached by helicopters.   Instead, the four man crew turned their attention to the Minouche, a 212 foot cargo ship in trouble off the coast of Haiti.

That story has been lost in the telling of El Faro, but Cournia and his mates will never forget it.   After rescuing four of the ships’s crew of twelve, Cournia had to wait in the cauldron of waters as the Apache refueled.  When the helicopter came back, he rescued the remaining eight.

Also uplifting is the bravery of the C-130 crew, who fought off sudden downdrafts near the eye of Joaquin, by then a Category Four hurricane. 

A sharp salute also goes to US Coast Guard Captain Jason Neubauer, who chaired the panel that investigated the accident and had to deal with vague answers from Tote’s top executives and bullying tactics of their high paid lawyers. 

Equally worthy of praise are the Norfolk-based crews of the Navy ships and underwater vehicles that found the wreckage of the ship 15,000 feet below, and those who operated the CURV 21 vehicle that found and retrieved the VDR black box.    

The author also covers the story of some of the crew, including Danielle Laura Randolph, described by Maritime Marine Academy as “tough as nails,” and “ a seaworthy mariner and loved by anyone who had the privilege of spending more than five minutes with her.”

We also feel the pain of the family members.  Maritime mourners are haunted by not being able to say their final goodbyes in the same way others do.    

My only negative comment about this book is that there are no images.   Photos of the main players would have helped the mind’s eye to follow along, as well as a color photograph of the ship.  The book is worth the $27.95 price tag, but including images seems appropriate for that price.   According to wiki, the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald “led to changes in Great Lakes shipping regulations and practices that included mandatory survival suits, depth finders, positioning systems, increased freeboard, and more frequent inspection of vessels.”

In the wake of this tragedy, one can hope that the key players in the shipping industry will act accordingly.      

After all, the last thing we need is another tragic accident and the sad song or poignant book that follows.     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archaeology at the Ramsey Homes Site

Last year the Alexandria City Council voted 5 to 2 for the demolition of the Ramsey Homes.   There were many of us who were disappointed, as the homes were on the National Register Historic Places.

The consolation prize is the hope that historical markers will tell some of their story as a place built for African American war time workers, and their unique architectural style.

There could also be the need for another marker or two.  A Quartermaster warehouse was located there during the Civil War.    Archaeologists on site have already uncovered two bullets and some pottery.

A first time discovery in Alexandria might also take place.  A foreman told me he was briefed to be on the lookout for the possibility of finding a limb pit.   

Limb pits were in the news last month after archaeologists at Manassas National Battlefield Park discovered about a dozen legs and arms.   

A hospital, Battery H, was located at 907 Pendleton Street in the Parker Gray neighborhood.  A home steps from the Ramsey Homes site sits on top of the hospital site, but perhaps something will be found near the Quartermaster portion.

Our sources at Alexandria Archaeology told us to their knowledge no limb pits have been discovered in Alexandria.

 

 

 

 

 

New Rails to Trail for the Fort Belvoir Area?

Across the globe, “Rails to Trails” is one of the most popular forms of adaptive use.   According to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the United States has converted more than 22,000 miles of abandoned track and right of ways into trails.   Here in the DMV, cyclists, joggers and walkers enjoy the W&OD Trail and the Capital Crescent Trail.  There are also on-going efforts to build new trails from abandoned railways such as the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Trail.

Although no one has yet discussed it, there is the possibility that the old Fort Belvoir Military Railway, a seven-mile long spur that ran from the tracks in Newington to Fort Belvoir, could join the list.

Let me say from the beginning that as far as I can tell from a google search, no one in any official capacity has broached the subject.    

But the thought occurred to me after seeing the news that the Virginia Department of Historic Resources selected the railroad as a Virginia Landmark.  

The question then is what do you do with the old right of way.

I think some folks would agree that converting it to a trail could be the best form of its preservation.

The Wash Cycle blog, which carries the cyclist torch better than anyone in the region, has a couple of posts on the FBHRR, but he sounded pessimistic in the most recent one.

Nevertheless, he adds that a trail could built and lays out the possibilities.

There are certainly hurdles, but the infrastructure is there, including the bridges over Cedar Block Road and Accotink Road.    The old span and dangerously narrow underpass over Route 1 were demolished, but a newer bridge goes over about a thousand feet from the old one.

Another roadblock would be NIMBY.   Part of the old Right of Way runs within shouting distance of suburban homes along Tiddle Way.    When I was walking along the tree line there, a home owner walled up and introduced himself.  He said he is ready to fight back against any plans.

Nevertheless, in terms of NIMBY, one would think residents would not object as vehemently to a trail as they would to the noise that would come from mass transit, if that is proposed, or some other use involving mechanized transportation.  

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, there’s a fascinating history behind this railroad spur.   The Army laid the tracks down in 1918, a line that carried material and troops to and from what was then called Camp Humphreys.  Ramping up quickly to support the war effort, the new installation trained Army engineers.   The service was decommissioned in the 1980s.    

The kicker with any plans for converting this railway to a trail is, as WashCycle said, the getting across the Richmond Highway to Fort Belvoir.

Nevertheless, a short path could be added on along Meade Road that would send the trail along Gunston Road bridge and into Fort Belvoir. 

For those not allowed on Fort Belvoir, a short path could be built to hook up with the southbound lanes of Route One.   (Ou la, la, downhill!)

There already exists an asphalt trail along the Fairfax County Parkway, but the rails to trail option would be much safer and more enjoyable.  The ROW runs right past where the Army is building their new Museum.    The trail would be a terrific way to get there.  

Additionally, an electric-powered shuttle could run from the Museum to the Embassy Suites, just steps from the start of the line in Newington.

One can see the right of way on google maps, but getting close enough to take photos is  is pretty tough in these summer months when we have no desire to step where jitterbugs are waiting for a feast, or even trespassing.

Nevertheless, our bird dog mission paid off.   

Here are the photographs we took.   Please note that the first three are on the installation.    

 

Historical Marker, located at 16th and Gunston.

 

Looks like an old loading area at 21st and Lowen.

 

 

Spur off the spur, located on Meade Road on the north side of Richmond Highway.  

 

Bridge over road and Accotink Creek

 

 

This one, taking near intersection of Fairfax County Parkway and Kingman, might be running parallel to the ROW.  But it gives a good sense of the natural beauty and canopy of trees that covers a lot of the rail bed from Newington to the point where the old span was located. 

 

 

The prize every time...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Pendleton Kennedy

Ironically, at the moment of its birth, Whig culture was already signaling the fatal indecisiveness that would cause its demise in just two decades.  Nowhere is this more apparent than in “Swallow Barn.”  Kennedy would side step the issues of race and slavery in his next two novels, but would return to them in the 1851 edition of Swallow Barn, just as the Whig party and its revered principle of compromise was collapsing. — Andrew R. Black.

 

Currently reading, “John Pendleton Kennedy: Early American Novelist, Whig Statesman & Ardent Nationalist” by Andrew R. Black.   

I had not heard of Kennedy (1795-1870), but he came up ever so briefly during my reading of John Wayland’s book on Washington homes.

Kennedy is not a top-shelf historical figure, but I felt the need to learn more about the Whig era, the antebellum period between the 1830s to the 1850s when Whigs won three Presidential elections and wrestled away some power from the Jacksonian Democrats.  

During this time, one sees the growing divide between the North and the South, and more and more indications of the terrible collision that would rip the country apart during the Civil War.       The Democrats (conservative) were very effective with nativism, and appealing to the working class and farmers. President Jackson’s overstepping, however, and mishandling of the National Bank issue opened the door for the Whigs in 1834.

The Whigs’ key issues were internal improvements and support of tariffs.   The party was strongest in the North, but as Harold Hurst puts it, Alexandria, ever protective of its mercantile interests, was “a citadel of the Whig Party.”

The setting for the book is Maryland, DC and Virginia, so that gave it added appeal for me.   

Using this terrific book, let’s take a brief look at the life John Pendleton Kennedy.

Born, raised, lived and buried in Maryland’s biggest city, Kennedy was a son of Baltimore.  Before turning his attention to reading classic literature, he spent a childhood taking in the bustling seaport.    By the time Kennedy was old enough to sneak away to the water’s edge, Baltimore had surpassed Alexandria in trade activity. 

His father immigrated from Ireland.  His mother’s family tree showed the Pendletons living in what would become Berkeley County, West Virginia.   What he saw on those Virginia plantations planted the seeds for the stories he would write about the antebellum south.

Despite being located not that far from the Mason-Dixon line, Baltimore was a hotbed of pro-slavery activity.   Kennedy could have easily fell fully into the conservative Southern way of thinking, but his love of reading took him to other places and widened his world view.

Kennedy was influenced by the rigid right and wrongs of Scottish moralists, and developed a distaste for the provincialism of the South.   He was a progressive thinker, but never an abolitionist.   He fought proudly in the War of 1812, but did not want to see blood spilled in Mexico.

Kennedy started out as a lawyer, but his mind drifted to satire.  When he was 23, he penned articles for the magazine, “Red Book.”   His three major novels were historical fiction — Swallow Barn, Rob of the Bowl, and Horse-Shoe Robinson.  

Kenned also wrote a biography of William Wirt (1772-1834), longest serving Attorney General of the United States and the one who helped prosecute Aaron Burr for treason.

The strength of Black’s book is his analysis of Swallow Barn.   He points out that the events of the day disrupted Kennedy’s style for the novel.   

Swallow Barn has been called a pioneer contribution to plantation literature, but Black exposes its weaknesses.   In this regard and others, he makes certain not to write hagiography.    

Kennedy’s views of African Americans were shaped by the common beliefs in his time.  Even some scientific literature said they were inferior human beings.    He agreed sending them to Liberia was the best solution.

In 1831, almost a century before the Algonquin Round Table clinked glasses and traded quips in Manhattan, Kennedy established “The Monday Club,” in Baltimore.  His pen pals included Washington Irving.  He also exchanged letters with Charles Dickens, James Fenimore Cooper and Charles Dickens.

In 1833 Kennedy judged Edgar Allen Poe’s “MS. Found in a Bottle” as a best short story.   The two corresponded for over a decade and Kennedy gave Poe money from time to time.

Kennedy supported the supremacy of the U.S. Congress over the president and internal improvements.  He campaigned for Henry Clay and wrote a “Whig Manifesto.”

On the personal side, we learn that Kennedy lost his first wife to childbirth and the child less than a year later.  He married again to Elizabeth Gray, whose father Edward was a prosperous mill owner and textile manufacturer near Baltimore.  Gray built his mill and country home overlooking the Patapsco River south of Ellicott City, whose site is near the intersection of Frederick Road and River Road.   Kennedy added an Italianate style wing with a campanile turret and arched windows.

After a visit there, Irving wrote:

“The evening passed delightfully: we sat out in the moonlight on the piazza, and strolled along the banks of the Patapsco; after which I went to bed, had a sweet night’s sleep, and dreamt I was in Mahomet’s Paradise.”

Portending future disasters that would rock the communities in and near Ellicott City, a torrent of flood waters swept away most of their paradise in 1868.

Kennedy writes:

… here we witness the terrible desolation of the great flood of last July.   Every tree, every shrub, the conservatory, the fences, the out-building, are all swept away.   A great part of the dwelling house is in ruins, the porches carried away, my library entirely taken off, leaving no vestige of books, prints, busts and other articles. The Factory shockingly injured, the manager’s house lifted up from its foundation.  The devastation has so completely altered the aspect of the place that I should not know it.   It has been an overwhelming affliction to many families here.  The loss of life extended to forty-two persons.

 

Two years later, Kennedy took his last breath and was laid to rest in at Green Mount Cemetery in his beloved Baltimore.   Kennedy had given its dedication address.    

Elizabeth joined him there in 1898, her sculptured marker a thing of artistic beauty.    Close by are their daughter Eliza, Edward, his wife and Elizabeth’s sister Martha.

By the time of Kennedy’s passing, the Whig Party’s run had ended.  The election of President Lincoln had changed the course of history.  

Kennedy, Black tells us, voted for the Illinois senator in the 1864 election. And yet, he did not believe that emancipation equaled racial equality.

Of course, he was not alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landmark Status for Fort Belvoir Military Railroad

For those in the area who remember the dangerously narrow underpass and the old bridge that spanned Route One near the main gate at Fort Belvoir, it’s our guess you were over the moon when the county tore them down in 2014.   

On the other hand, perhaps for some it was a case of teary eyes.   The bridge was part of a seven-mile spur that slithered from the installation up to the main tracks in Newington.  After the last locomotive chugged along in 1993, memories of its hey day and service faded away.   

But good news soldiers, preservationists, rail buffs and perhaps rails to trails fans.  In a 2016 story that didn’t seem to get much coverage here (reported by NBC29 in Charlottesville), the Virginia Department of Historic Resources has selected the railroad as a Virginia Landmark.

Note:  The other sites selected have been forwarded to the NPS for nomination to the National Register for Historic Places.   The Fort Belvoir Military Railroad Historic Corridor will not be.  Not sure why.)

The right of way for the track still exists.  Although no plans for it have been announced, the Federal Highway Administration is planning on erecting historical markers, whose drafts can be seen here.   

There’s a fascinating history behind this railroad spur.   The Army laid the tracks down in 1918, and built a wooden trestle across Route One.  The line carried materiel and troops to and from what was then called Camp Humphreys.  Ramping up quickly to support the war effort, the new installation trained Army engineers.   

The service was decommissioned in the 1980s.   The bridge over Route One, which replaced the first wooden span in 1928, was taken down in 2013 for the widening of Route One.  The bridge over Cinder Bed Road in Newington still exists.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the right of way.   There are NIMBY concerns, but a biking trail would be a great re-use.   

 

Additional Reading: 

Urban Decay Blog

 

 

 

 

Georgetown

The DMV’s best neighborhood?

Best answer to that is the old saying —  different strokes for different folks…

Of course, Georgetown is a perennial contender, and I was reminded yesterday of why.   For one thing, it came through as a place you can walk through on a hot summer day and find relief with plenty of shade.

Georgetown also gets a pat on the back for having a terrific cat cafe.  You will find Crumbs & Whiskers, at Wisconsin and O.

If you go, make sure you secure a reservation, as slots for walk-ins seem scarce.    The 11 am time frame was booked, so I’m glad I made one.  The wonderful thing about this place, in addition to getting your kitty on, is the number of adoptions they have secured.   

Georgetown is known for its movie settings.   As I walked towards the cat cafe, I stumbled across a set in the making.  A filming company from Burbank was prepping for a shoot to be held there tonight.   The working title is “Magic Hour," but the cat is out the bag (sorry, couldn’t resist) on that one.   The filming for the Wonder Woman sequel in Washington and Alexandria has been all over the news and Twitter. 

According to one of the set assistants, this scene will be an outdoor cafe.   Their lips were sealed on any further info.

Another prize yesterday was coming across the Halcyon House.   Unlike the other mansions in Georgetown that were built further up the hill, this one sits just one block away from the neighborhood's pulsing M Street.

Despite its lack of surrounding lawns and such, I marveled at this one.  Not sure I have ever seen such a commodious urban mansion.   It was built in 1787 by Benjamin Stoddert, the first Secretary of the Navy.   

As I was appreciating its beauty, I thought to myself, I bet it holds residential units.

But as it turns out, the house is home to Halcyon, a new public nonprofit foundation that "supports a diverse group of changemakers in art, science, and social enterprise."

Cool beans there, some kind of special combination --  a place that helped usher in the new capital and now an incubator for those who are working towards what will hopefully be a brighter future.

It was hotter than a firecracker yesterday, but I kept walking in the shady spots, and returning to the car to cool down and hydrate.   The final stop was up the hill to find one of Georgetown’s best kept secrets.   Nestled on one of the high spots, and almost completely hidden by walls, gates and greenery is Dumbarton Oaks.

Not to be confused with Dumbarton, this is another jewel built in the early days of the new Federal city.  William Hammond Dorsey (1764–1818) put this one up in the Federal style.   In 1920, Ambassador Robert Woods Bliss and his wife Mildred, collectors and patrons of art and scholarship in the humanities, donated their collections of books and Byzantine and Pre-Columbia art. In 1944, the music room was the site of the Dumbarton Oaks conference, which helped start the United Nations.

Back outside, the mercury had reached the 90s.  Georgetown is awesome for its shady walks, but still, one last walk seemed unwise.  Then I saw a trail leading down hill on the east side of Dumbarton Oaks.  Completely canopied in shade, and straddling a rocky stream of water with tiny waterfalls, this trail is yet another feather in the cap for Georgetown.

The last leg of the trial takes you out of the canopy, the return to civilization and Wisconsin Avenue.   As I lumbered up the hill, I was greeted by a small, four legged critter.

Perfect ending.