Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in Georgetown
This lecture is part of two series:
Our D.C. lunchtime lecture series continues with Georgetown, a unique neighborhood that predates the establishment of the federal district and Washington City by 40 years. Founded in 1751 on 60 acres along the Potomac River in the province of Maryland, Georgetown was the farthest point upstream still navigable for oceangoing boats. After the establishment of the federal capital, Georgetown became an independent municipal government within the District of Columbia.
Georgetown is bounded by the Potomac River on the south, Rock Creek to the east, Burleith and Glover Park to the north, with Georgetown University on its west end. Much of Georgetown is surrounded by parkland and green space that serve as buffers from development in adjacent neighborhoods.
Featured Topic: Tudor Place
With an inheritance from George Washington, Thomas and Martha Custis Peter purchased 8 1/2 acres of farmland on Georgetown Heights. William Thornton, architect of the first U.S. Capitol and a family friend, designed the grand neoclassical house, which was completed in 1816.
The estate remained under continuous Peter family ownership through six generations spanning 178 years, its rooms a destination for leading politicians, military leaders, and dignitaries. The site was opened to the public in 1983 in accordance with family wishes. Now a historic house and garden museum, it remains one of the nation’s few historic urban estates retaining the majority of its original landscape.
Speaker Grant Quertermous is curator of collections at Tudor Place.
