Georgetown Time Machine: Wading In

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, I’m dipping back into the wonderful DC Historical Society archives. In particular, I’ve found a snapshot from the Wymer collection, which is a priceless trove of photos taken around the city circa 1950 by Bill Wymer. This photo is of a pool and playground in Georgetown.

Wymer describes the scene as “Wading pool, Georgetown Playground, 32nd Street and Volta Place NW. July 1, 1950.” The problem, of course, with that description is that there is no playground at 32nd St. and Volta Place. In fact, there is no 32nd and Volta. The streets don’t intersect.

Wymer likely got his streets mixed up and meant to say 33rd or 34th. The photo appears to show what is now called Volta Park. It also seems to show a wading pool, which I personally had no idea was ever there. Which makes me slightly suspicious that this isn’t really Volta Park after all?

Here is an aerial photo of Volta Park from 1951, I’m not sure it correctly lines up with the photo above:

If the top photo is to make any sense, it would appear that we’re standing just southwest of the tennis courts looking north towards Q St. But in the aerial photo, there’s nothing but a grass field southwest of the tennis courts. Moreover, the homes in the back of the picture don’t line up with Q St.

I was ready to write this off as not being in Volta Park at all, but then I realized that the white house in the background actually lines up fairly well with 1558 34th St. That would mean the photo was taken from the southeast of the courts looking west. There still does not appear to be corresponding structures in the aerial shot, but it is hardly a high resolution shot. So perhaps the wading pool and the house next to it are hard to pick up.

In either event, a wonderful summer shot nonetheless!