AU has attracted policy wonks for centuries.
George Washington visited what are now Ward Circle and the Katzen Arts Center in the early 1800s at the invitation of Tenleytown landowner John Murdock.
This part of Tenleytown later became Fort Gaines during the Civil War, where President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary feasted on French food, pronouncing the camp’s cuisine the best in Washington.
Sign 17 of the “Top of the Town: Tenleytown Heritage Trail,” talks about these presidential visits and other AU history. The trail commemorates Tenleytown’s history since its founding in the late 1700s.
Cultural Tourism D.C. unveiled the trail Saturday on the site of sign five, the highest point in D.C., which was once a Civil War fort.
Chris Gordon, reporter for NBC4, and Rebecca Sheir, host of WAMU’s “Metro Connection,” hosted opening remarks before Tenleytown Heritage Trail Working Group members guided mini-tours of the trail. Speakers included Judith Beck Helm, author of the book “Tenleytown, DC: Country Village into City Neighborhood,” and Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh.
Carolyn Long, chair of the Tenleytown Heritage Trail Working Group, previously told The Eagle that Helm’s book provided much of the research used for the trail.
“I applaud the people who made this tremendous effort to put this together,” said David Parker, a seventh generation D.C. resident of the prominent Harry family.
John B. Harry, Parker’s grandfather, was a grocer whose produce was favored by the Roosevelts. Sign 11, which features Parker’s picture, designates his late-grandfather’s once extensive property.
“It’s such a wonderful area. I lived here, around here, all my life,” Parker said. “I’ve seen a lot of changes but the basic core of this place is the same.”
The Tenleytown Heritage Trail Working Group members also guided mini-tours of select parts of the trail, which is nearly three miles long.
Four sites on the trail held open houses, including Katzen Arts Center, which stayed open an hour later for visitors and is offering a 10 percent discount on merchandise until Dec. 31 for viewers who present a trail guide or event program.
Guidebooks for the self-guided trail, available in English and Spanish, are located in Katzen and the library.
kdakin@theeagleonline.com
