We don’t know of any royal visits to this neighborhood, by Queen Elizabeth II or any other monarch (and we hope you will tell us if you do). But Forest Hills did have a wealthy cereal heiress who rubbed shoulders with the royals. In 1953, two years before Marjorie Merriweather Post purchased the Hillwood estate […]
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Neighborhood August to-do list: Learn about trees, frogs and the moon, and picnic like a Hillwood heiress
Rock Creek Conservancy’s 2022 summer fellows put their own spin on the organization’s community engagement efforts in July, organizing a spoken word performance and a “full moon gathering.” They’re not done yet. On Thursday, August 11th, when the “Sturgeon Moon” will be making an appearance, the conservancy is hosting another gathering and discussion of the […]
Neighborhood in the News: Whittle School’s DC campus is shutting down; Van Ness food pantry needs new home
Whittle School closing in DC: Faculty and families at Whittle School and Studios were notified on Friday, July 8th that the just-ended school year was its last. The Washington Post and Washington Business Journal saw the email ed-tech entrepreneur and school founder Chris Whittle sent to the families and staff. “We concluded [Thursday] night that […]
Peirce Mill’s longtime miller, Jeanne Minor, retires
Historic Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park is notable, in part, for being the only surviving mill along Rock Creek, and until recently, for employing one of the few female millers in the U.S. Jeanne Minor retired at the end of 2021. Minor had been a National Park Service ranger since 2008, and was Peirce […]
Plan your Saturday: Create by the Creek; Shop at a pop-up used bookstore; Clean up a mini-oasis
Create by the Creek: For decades – centuries, even – People have been drawn to Peirce Mill to sketch, paint and create. Friends of Peirce Mill and partners including the National Park Service celebrate that tradition this Saturday with “Create by the Creek.” From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you’re invited to participate in free […]
After a long pandemic-related closure, the Rock Creek Nature Center is now open again
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 […]
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 […]
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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 […]