On Wednesday, the Rock Creek Nature Center at 5200 Glover Road NW will open for the first time since March 2020. Covid-19 was, of course, the reason for the initial closure. The National Park Service says staffing shortages were also a factor in keeping the facility closed for this long. It’s a partial reopening. The […]
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Plan your Saturday: Morris dancers greet spring at Peirce Mill; Join the Rock Creek “Extreme Cleanup,” Shop the “Books and Blossoms” pop-up
4/7/2022 update: Friends of Peirce Mill says the mill will not be running on April 9th after all, due to a “recently identified safety issue.” “The gears will be still, but the Mill will nevertheless be open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with volunteers and park rangers on hand to provide […]
This spring, plant pollinator-friendly blooms, shop pop-up markets, and tour the world without leaving the neighborhood
Spring can get here any day now. And it’s not like we can hurry it along. But we can plan to make spring in Van Ness and Forest Hills more colorful, and more lively, and more fun. Enjoy live jazz: On Thursday, March 17th at 6 p.m., UDC Jazz Studies director Allyn Johnson is hosting […]
Watch: A short film on Hattie Sewell, one of Peirce Mill’s historical figures, and Black Washington of the early 20th century
One century ago, Hattie Sewell, a Black woman, was awarded the contract to operate a teahouse at Peirce Mill. By many accounts, she was a successful businesswoman who increased the sales and profitability of the teahouse, which had been in operation since the early 1900s. Her contract was terminated in October 1921, after a prominent […]
At Peirce Mill, the long pandemic shutdown is over
This week, Peirce Mill welcomed its first field trip since 2019. Friends of Peirce Mill and the National Park Service restarted the mill and resumed visiting hours in mid-July, after a 15-month Covid-19 shutdown. The shutdown did not mean downtime. The mill hosted a virtual Heritage Day celebration, as well as virtual programs on cider […]
Peirce Mill’s bike and pedestrian trails are getting a makeover as part of a major Rock Creek trails revamp
DDOT’s Rock Creek trail rehabilitation project is starting a new phase. Starting today, the bike and pedestrian trail between Peirce Mill and Broad Branch Road will be reconstructed, and the nearby “social” trail (created over the years by people making their own way) is being replaced with a new paved trail. DDOT, which is handling […]
Hillwood Museum reopens to members; public welcomed March 2
Today brings an opportunity to change up the covid routine. The Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens (4155 Linnean Avenue, between Upton and Tilden Streets) has reopened for members, and on March 2nd, the museum and its grounds will be welcoming the general public as well. In both cases, reservations are required at least a day […]
This MLK weekend, do something good for the national park in our backyard
Rock Creek Park has been an oasis for many of us during the long months of the pandemic. This weekend is a good time to return the favor. The Martin Luther King Day of Service is usually Rock Creek Conservancy’s second largest cleanup event of the year (after the springtime Extreme Cleanup). This time, a […]
Watch: Peirce Mill’s virtual Heritage Day videos
Saturday, October 10th was to be Heritage Day at Peirce Mill, the National Park Service historical site on Tilden Street near Beach Drive. Like so many other events this year, this Heritage Day went virtual. NPS and Friends of Peirce Mill created videos with demonstrations and tours of the 200-year-old mill. The activities at Peirce […]
On 36th Street, an oasis reopens
In 2013, Margery Elfin wrote about the “secret park” at 36th and Yuma Streets NW (map). She and her late husband Mel enjoyed taking their dog, Emmy, on walks through the pocket park’s shaded paths. But they were concerned that the park had been forgotten by its caretakers. The walkways were littered with broken flagstones. […]