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Yesterday afternoon, GM posted the photo above for his daily afternoon Georgetown Metropolis post. It’s a photo of the Teddy Roosevelt Memorial on Roosevelt Island. But GM almost always limits himself to posting photos only of Georgetown for these posts. Had he broken his own rule? Is Roosevelt Island part of Georgetown or not?

To answer this, GM has to travel all the way back to the 17th century. That’s because it was in 1682 that the island was first claimed by a European: Captain Randolph Brandt. It had been previously occupied by a group of Nacotchtank Indians who had relocated from Anacostia. As a result the island was known as Anacostine Island (however, Brandt called it Barbadoes Island). His descendants sold the island to the Mason family in 1717, at which point it gained the name Mason’s Island, which it bore until the creation of the Roosevelt Memorial in 1967.

But was it Georgetown?

Georgetown was created from land taken from two Georges: George Beall and George Gordon. (Hence one theory that George Town was named after them not King George.) Neither of these men owned the island, so obviously it was not included in the first creation of the land. And none of the subsequent additions to Georgetown in the colonial era included the island.

But what about in the DC era? According to this article, the island was part of Washington County, which was the part of DC that was on the Maryland side of the Potomac River, but wasn’t part of either Washington City or the City of Georgetown. Continue reading →

Photo by Vincent.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• A nice piece on Dumbarton Oaks Park and the accomplishments of Beatrix Farrand.
• GU bringing some seniors back on-campus in the spring.

Roosevelt Island

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, GM explores the rebirth of the Georgetown waterfront. No, not the most recent rebirth, where it was transformed from a parking lot to a lovely glade. This was a rebirth 100 years prior: the transition from commerce to industry.

It’s easy to think of the waterfront’s history as one long story of centuries of vaguely industrial uses finally giving way to recreation uses. That’s broadly correct, but there are some nuances to that, which an article from 1912 helps illuminate.

Georgetown was founded as a port town. It was located where it is because this is about as far up the Potomac that 18th century ocean-going vessels could navigate. And for the first 150 years or so, the primary use of the waterfront was for goods sent from afar to be unloaded while raw materials (mostly tabacco) were loaded in return.

But by the beginning of the 20th century, the port commerce of Georgetown declined. This coincided with the decline of the C & O Canal, which was made obsolete by the railroad before it was even completed in 1850. Continue reading →

Photo by Vincent.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Aviary Hotel on P St. is seeking to add restaurant space.
• GU students complaining about harsh penalties for non-Covid related infractions.

Dumbarton Oaks Park

In June, GM told you the story of a masked intruder who slept one of on top of his bike shed. The intruder was, of course, a raccoon. After getting alarmed at finding a raccoon in such an urban setting and calling animal control, GM learned that they are a lot more common than he thought, and the city doesn’t think they’re cause for alarm.

After the raccoon left that night, GM thought it have moved on, since he saw no evidence of it returning.

Cut to a couple weeks ago, at least.

Well, before we get to that, GM should first mention that he found a couple dead rats on or near the shed in August. The location made him a bit suspicious, particularly since they were the first dead rats he ever found in his garden. But he didn’t want to make any assumptions. Yet.

Now we can cut to a couple weeks ago, when GM noticed a couple watering cans and other things inexplicably knocked over. He had an “a ha” moment and checked the security cam footage. And low and behold: the raccoon was back. It seemed to show up every night and just chill on the shed for a few hours. It didn’t stick around for the daytime, like it did in June, but it seemed to find the place a comfy spot to hang.

At this point, GM honestly didn’t mind. It appeared healthy. And hey, maybe it would kill or otherwise deter some rats. Continue reading →

Photo by Angela N.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• The Vice-President elect stopped by Dog Tag Bakery yesterday.
• Despite the surging Covid numbers, GU is easing back into in-person classes.

3400 block of Water St.

As we celebrate Veterans Day, GM wants to revisit a famous veteran from Georgetown’s past: Stubby.

As the Smithsonian explains:

Stubby the dog, known to many as “Sgt. Stubby”…was the mascot of the 102 Infantry 26th Yankee Division in World War I. He showed up at training camp one day on the grounds of Yale University, and was such a hit with the soldiers that he was allowed to stay (he would drill with them, and even learned to salute). When it was time to ship off for Europe, Stubby went along for the ride to Newport News, Virginia, and was smuggled by Private J. Robert Conroy aboard the SS Minnesota. Upon discovery by Conroy’s Commanding Officer, the story goes, Stubby saluted him, and the CO was so impressed he allowed Stubby to remain with the troops. Stubby took to soldiering quite well, joining the men in the trenches. He was gassed once, and wounded by shrapnel another time, and once he disappeared for a while, only to resurface with the French forces who returned him to his unit. Stubby even captured a Hun (that’s WWI slang for a German soldier)!

After the war, Stubby’s caretaker enrolled at Georgetown University. Stubby, already a celebrity, became the mascot for the Hoyas. Stubby passed away in 1926 and was the subject of multiple newspaper obituaries. He was stuffed and eventually donated to the Smithsonian, where you can see him today, draped in about a dozen medals.

In the photo above, Stubby is being inspected by none other than the great Gen. John “Black Jack” Pershing.

So here’s to Stubby, the original Georgetown bulldog.