Indigenous Histories of the Anacostia Watershed
Washington, D.C. is Native Land. Indigenous peoples have stewarded the lands of the Anacostia watershed for millennia, spanning some 10-20 thousand years, according to archaeological evidence.The word Anacostia itself is a variant of the Indigenous word, Nacotchtank, and was used by early European settlers of the region. The Nacotchtank (Anacostan) tribe that lived around what is now Washington, DC, was part of the Piscataway chiefdom, all of whom spoke the Algonquian language. The name likely referred to a "village of traders" at the confluence of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. Therefore the name of this river refers to the Indigenous inhabitants and caretakers of this region when Europeans first arrived.In the 16th century, the Nanticoke, Piscataway, and Powhatan peoples - who all spoke related Algonquian languages - were some of the first in the Chesapeake region to encounter European peoples. Disease, war, and illegal settlement and dispossession of Native lands ravaged the Indigenous populations of the region.Nevertheless, Indigenous peoples continue to assert cultural and political power in the region. Their resilience reminds us that this is, and always has been, Native land.
Port of Bladensburg
The Port of Bladensburg, located along the Anacostia River in Maryland, was once a critical port for tobacco exports in the 18th century. As the surrounding land was concentrated into large agricultural plantations, Bladensburg was the vital outlet for exporting products like Tobacco. Ironically, despite the importance of this port to the colonial economy, public knowledge of this history is limited. This irony speaks to how key pieces of history can sometimes fade from collective memory, even ones that once shaped entire regions. Knowing the history of the Port of Bladensburg is essential as it provides insight into the region's colonial past and the economic systems that shape the environmental challenges present there today.
Riversdale Mansion
The land encompassing Riversdale mansion (some 729 acres!) was originally purchased by Henri Stier in order to create an agricultural plantation. The operation was intended to take advantage of the adjacent Port of Bladensburg to export agricultural products. Construction began around 1801 and finished in 1807. Ownership of the property was eventually granted to Rosalie Calvert (daughter of Stier) by 1816.The Calvert family at Riversdale were descendants of the Calvert family that is known as the founding family of the Maryland colony. The site was also home to enslaved families who were forced to labor on the estate, families like the Plummers. You can learn more about the Plummer family here. Part of the land eventually became the Maryland Agricultural College, now known as the University of Maryland.
George Washington House/Indian Queen Tavern
George Washington House, or Indian Queen Tavern, is located on Baltimore Avenue and Upshur Street in Bladensburg, Prince George’s County, Maryland. It was built in the 1760s as part of a commercial complex by Jacob Wirt. Even though it was never used as a tavern during George Washington’s life, local lore makes the assumption that he may have slept there as he traveled between Mount Vernon and cities like Philadelphia to the north. This lore led to its designation as the “George Washington House.”The building also gained additional significance in 1894 because it was used as a stopover for Jacob Coxey’s army of unemployed citizens in their protest march on Washington DC in 1894. It has long served various roles for the Bladensburg community. Currently, it serves as the Anacostia Watershed Society headquarters and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It has a legacy not just in local Maryland history but also in American history.
Bostwick House
The Bostwick house is an important part of Maryland’s early African American experience and tied to the initial explosion in economic activity in Bladensburg, MD with the founding of the port in 1742. After the port gained in importance, English-born merchant Christopher Lowndes built a prominent structure on the Eastern Branch of the Anacostia River called Bostwick House (originally Bostock), establishing an important commercial center for the import and sale of dry goods, rope, and enslaved peoples.The Lowndes resided there until 1813, after which the property transitioned through several families, including the Stephens from 1822 to 1901 and the Kyner family from 1904 to 1997. In 1997, the town of Bladensburg acquired the site, initiating efforts to restore its historical significance and preserve the diverse narratives that have unfolded on this land. While much of the early history of plantation life at the estate has been lost, the physical and emotional evidence of the history remains. Archaeologists have been essential in recovering these stories to preserve the memory and resilience of the enslaved peoples on the property.
Washington Navy Yard
Starting operation in the early 19th century, the Washington Navy Yard is the US Navy's oldest shore establishment, which acts as home to the Chief of Naval Operations and headquarters for the Naval Historical Center. The site was originally designated for shipbuilding but has since been used for more administrative roles.Years of ship manufacturing left the land and nearby river highly contaminated and littered with waste. This pollution later led Navy Yard to be added to the “National Priorities List” by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Today, the Navy Yard also acts as a tourist and entertainment area that attracts visitors with dining and professional sports.
Anacostia Seawall
The Anacostia Seawall is a man-made barrier lining the banks of the Anacostia River. The seawall stretches over 8 miles long with some areas as deep as 25 feet. Its construction began in 1891 by the US Army Corps of Engineers as a dredging project in which sediment and natural materials from the bottom of the river were excavated and deposited on the adjacent river flats. This dredging was done in two phases, the first phase included areas from the mouth of the Anacostia river to Navy Yard and the second phase from Navy Yard to the “DC line." The primary purpose of constructing the seawall was to make the river more navigable and accessible for commercial boats and Navy defense since surrounding agricultural activity caused major erosion of silts into the river. The other objectives in creating the wall included improving accessibility to DC and creating Anacostia Park, where the seawall created space to fill the swampland that the park is situated on. The construction of the Anacostia Seawall continued throughout the early-mid 1900s and it still stands today. While it still stands, it is crumbling in many areas and likely will not be repaired as to allow for a more natural living environment for wetland habitats and creatures.
Washington Gas Light Company
The Washington Gas Light Company was established in 1848 through an act of Congress. The company was founded to power the growing city and provide the energy needed for gas lamps and heat. Early in its history, the company had a West Station site in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of DC (1850s-1940s) and an East Station site along the Anacostia River, which produced gas continuously between 1888-1948 and intermittently from 1949 - mid 1980s.Gas was manufactured there through a variety of methods, most often through the heating of coal and oil. Coal gasification emitted toxic fumes into the air and by-products of the process were disposed of on adjacent property and the shores of the Anacostia River. The National Park Service and the DC Department of Energy and Environment are overseeing environmental investigations and remediation work there.
Pepco Buzzard Point & Benning Road Power Plants
PEPCO (the Potomac Electric Power Company) was historically comprised of two sites: The Benning Road Power Plant and the Buzzard Point Power Plant. The Benning Road Power Plant was a 19-acre facility built in 1906 and was eventually demolished in 2012. It was powered by coal until 1976, when it was converted to petroleum. Most recently in 2007, the plant burned 49% coal, 43% natural gas, and 8% of oil. The plant produced electricity to power around 180,000 homes in the District of Columbia and certain suburbs of Maryland through its oil-fired steam turbine. The plant become dangerous when spills and equipment leaks, as well as intentional releases of water contaminated with petroleum and polychlorinated biphenyls, polluted the water.The Buzzard Point Plant was built in 1932, with construction continuing through the 1940s. This site also produced electricity, specifically to power the Navy Yard through World War II as well as serving as a gas and oil storage plant. It also helped connect long distance transmission lines through neighboring states, which created what we now know as the power grid. The discharge of contaminated water through spills and leaks into storm drains directly led to the pollution of the Anacostia River. The water was mixed with petroleum from structures in the plant, and this pollution continued for decades until action was taken to shut down the plant. The Buzzard Point Plant was categorized as an “industrial brownfield” because of the dangerous contaminants such as arsenic, lead, and benzo(a)pyrene.
Historic Anacostia- Barry Farms
Barry Farm is a neighborhood in Southeast Washington DC located just east of the Anacostia River. The area gained prominence following the civil war as it became a haven for Black Americans. The now 24-acre town started off as 375 acres purchased in 1867 by the Freedman’s Bureau from Julia Barry, a white enslaver and landowner. Around this time many prominent figures in the Black community resided in Barry Farm. Over time the area became a cultural hotspot for Black Americans. In the 1940’s as there were no high schools in the Barry Farm area, residents fought for the integration of schools leading to the landmark supreme court case Bolling v. Sharpe. Today the area is still dealing with the controversial topic of redevelopment and gentrification.
Kenilworth Landfill
“Every afternoon, sometime after 4pm, Kenilworth was lit, and its flames could be seen from the east steps of the capital building.” - Hickman, H. Lanier (2003)
Anacostia Park
In 1914 the Anacostia River and Flats Act was passed to dredge (dig) up the bottom of the Anacostia River to make it deeper. The solution for what to do with the resulting sediment was to dump it on the side of the river and fill in DC’s wetlands. The plan then called to create Anacostia Park on top of the dredged up land. In the years that followed, Anacostia Park became a recreational park where you can enjoy a walk and other sports, such as golf, basketball, boating, and roller skating.Additionally, Anacostia Park is home to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and Langston Golf Course. Langston Golf Course, the first golf course for African-Americans, was founded amid segregation in DC. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, in contrast, had been at the site of Anacostia Park before its founding; what became the aquatic gardens started out as the gardens of the Shaw family home in the late 1800s. When the dredging of the river made it to the Shaw Gardens in the 1930s, the government bought the Shaw family’s land but decided to preserve the gardens. Today, you can experience beautiful plants and wildlife all over at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.
