History of Anacostia by Thomas Cantwell

Object Details

Creator: Anacostia Neighborhood Museum
Names: Anacostia Community Museum; Anacostia Neighborhood Museum; Cantwell, Thomas J.
Collection Creator: Anacostia Community Museum

Place: Barry Farms (Washington, D.C.); Anacostia (Washington, D.C.); Washington (D.C.); United States

Topic: African Americans; Communities; African American neighborhoods; Neighborhoods; Housing; Social history

Custodial History: Created for Anacostia Neighborhood Museum. Presented at Columbia Historical Society.

Citation: History of Anacostia by Thomas Cantwell, Record Group AV09-023, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Scope and Contents: Thomas Cantwell speaks of the history of Anacostia and how the government has treated the neighborhood of Anacostia through efforts to isolate and divide the community. Lecture on history of Anacostia includes the meeting of John Smith and the Nacotchtank Indians; the establishment of Uniontown; development of Barry Farms by the Freedman's Bureau; the opening of St. Elizabeth's Hospital; refugee camps operated by the Freedman's Bureau; unmet housing needs of civil war refugees; formation of Hillsdale civic association; purchase of Cedar Hill by Frederick Douglass; establishment of Birney School, Garfield School, Anacostia High School, and Dunbar High School; movement against segregated schools; organization and role of the church; and public services in Anacostia and Hillsdale. Second part of lecture includes understanding the present - housing, education, unemployment, crime, and drug addiction in Anacostia. Focus on housing conditions; the interrelationship of housing conditions with education, unemployment, crime, and drug addiction; the influence of housing development, or lack of development, in the evolution of Anacostia; and the effects of the FHA 608 program on the community of Anacostia.; Presentation/Lecture. Part of ACM Museum Events, PR, and Ceremonies Recordings. Dated 19730116.

Collection Restrictions: Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.