This lecture is part of two series:
When Washington was built, the streets in the Northeast quadrant were laid out in the grid system designed by Pierre L’Enfant, with Florida Avenue (then known as Boundary Street) forming the northern border of the city. However, nearly all of the land remained undeveloped in the early 19th century, used as farmland to cultivate fruits and vegetables for the more developed sections of the city.
In the 1830s, the B&O Railroad constructed its Washington Branch, which entered the city at roughly 9th and Boundary Streets and proceeded through the neighborhood to the downtown area. Its presence gradually led Northeast to evolve into a working-class neighborhood: wood and coal yards appeared to serve the railroad and its terminals, with houses subsequently built for the employees of the railroad industries. Sites covered in the series include those with historic connections to the railroad and public markets, as well as education and social change, a president, and a neighborhood once known as Swampoodle.
Featured Topic: President Lincoln's Cottage
The estate on which this Gothic-Revival house, designed by for banker George W. Riggs in 1842, was purchased by the government in 1851 for the purpose of building a home for army veterans. During the Civil War, President Lincoln and his family relocated to the Soldiers’ Home for the “hot season.” Here Lincoln visited with wounded soldiers; spent time with self-emancipated former slaves; and developed the Emancipation Proclamation. Now a historic site and museum, President Lincoln’s Cottage covers a wide range of our 16th president’s history.
Presenter Michelle Martz is the program coordinator at President Lincoln’s Cottage.
