While we all know know that we live in a historically rich neighborhood, our busy lives may cause us to speed past those places and rooms where history happened. While glitzy and modern buildings are springing up around us, we are still a community with rich stories to be told. As we have learned through the Soul Strolls series at Congressional Cemetery, all lives are stories waiting to be told– People and places are inherently interesting.
Robert does an excellent job of uncovering the history all around us, but the Hill has long been a feast for local historians, of which Ruth Ann Overbeck was one. Though a Texas transplant, she spent decades researching the neighborhood and worked hard to preserve it. Overbeck researched the histories of hundreds of neighborhood homes and also designed walking tours for the Smithsonian Residents Association. Before she passed away from cancer in 2000, she recorded hours of conversations about the neighborhood and its past which have been preserved here.
Her work lives on in the Overbeck History Project and Lecture Series which continues to explore the neighborhood and educate residents in the process. The next lecture in the series will be this Monday, November 7th at 7:30 p.m. at the Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.
John P. Richardson will present a lecture on Alexander R. Shepherd, the man often credited with helping to transform Washington from its post-Civil War mess into a contemporary city. The lecture will be based on Richardson’s biography, Alexander Robey Shepherd: The Man Who Built the Nation’s Capital. Books will be available at the lecture for sale and a book signing will follow the lecture.
Admission is free but a reservation is required due to limited seating. Register here or call 202-549-4172.