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{{Infobox settlement
]
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
'''Eckington''' is a ] in ] ] located south of the Prospect Hill and Glenwood Cemeteries. Eckington is less than one mile southeast of ] and exactly one mile north of the ]. Eckington is also the home of ].
| name = Eckington
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| settlement_type = ]
| image_skyline = MG 5355 (8374191111).jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Houses in Eckington (2013)
| image_flag =
| flag_alt =
| image_seal =
| seal_alt =
| image_shield =
| shield_alt =
| nickname =
| motto =
| image_map = map eckington.jpg
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Eckington within the District of Columbia
| pushpin_map =
| pushpin_label_position =
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| coordinates = {{coord|38.9153|-77.0017|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint =
| coordinates_footnotes =
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = ]
| subdivision_type1 = District
| subdivision_name1 = ]
| subdivision_type2 = Ward
| subdivision_name2 = Ward 5
| subdivision_type3 =
| subdivision_name3 =
| established_title =
| established_date =
| founder =
| seat_type =
| seat =
| government_footnotes =
| leader_party =
| leader_title = Councilmember
| leader_name = ]
| unit_pref = US<!-- or UK or Metric -->
| area_footnotes =
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| area_water_sq_mi =
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| area_note =
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| elevation_ft =
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| population_total =
| population_as_of =
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| population_note =
| timezone1 =
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| postal_code_type =
| postal_code = ]
| area_code_type =
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| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| footnotes =
}}


'''Eckington''' is a ] in ], located south of the ] and ] Cemeteries. Eckington is less than {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} southeast of ] and exactly one mile north of the ]. Eckington is also the home of the District of Columbia office of ].
The boundaries of Eckington are ] to the north, ] to the south, ] to the west, and ]'s ] Yard to the east.

Eckington is bordered by:
*] and the ] neighborhood to the north
*] and the ] neighborhood to the west
*] and the ] and ] neighborhoods to the south and
*The ] and the ]'s ] Yard to the east

The closest metro stations serving Eckington are ], located south of Eckington, and ], located northeast of Eckington.


==History== ==History==
The land which became Eckington was the country home of ], owner of the '']'' newspaper and ] from 1827 to 1830. Gales bought the Northeast tract in 1815, and in 1830 erected a two-story house on the hilltop, about where Third and U Streets intersect today. Gales named his estate ''Eckington'' after ] in which he was born. The land which became Eckington was the country home of ], owner of the '']'' and mayor of Washington from 1827 to 1830. Gales bought the Northeast tract in 1815, and in 1830 erected a two-story house on the hilltop, about where Third and U Streets intersect today. Gales named his estate Eckington after ] in which he was born.
During the ], the house was used as a hospital for the 7th Regiment of New York. After the war, Eckington, commonly known as Gales Woods, was a popular picnic ground. According to the '']'' newspaper, February 25, 1934, "immense cans of ice cream and barrels of lemonade were always on hand to refresh the children with, when they were tired out from running in the woods, playing games and swinging in the grapevine swing."{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
In 1887, Eckington was bought by ] and his wife Frances, who subdivided the property, improved it substantially for habitation, sold lots, and built several houses. Truesdell undertook extensive grading operations to level the landscape of his 87-acre Eckington subdivision. He laid down water and sewer pipes, paved streets in asphalt and concrete, and erected a stand pipe near the old Gales house. A steam pump brought water to the stand pipe, which distributed water throughout the new neighborhood. Truesdell erected five “pretty cottages” which, according to an 1888 newspaper account, were “all fitted up as city houses,” with steam heat and hot and cold running water. Eckington was wired for electricity in 1889, two years before electricity was installed in the ]. In three years Truesdell spent $500,000 improving the subdivision.


During the ], the house was used as a hospital for the 7th Regiment of New York. After the war, Eckington, commonly known as Gales Woods, was a popular picnic ground.
The contractor for Truesdell’s houses was John H. Lane, who moved from ] into one of those houses at 1725 Third Street. From 1889 to 1897, Lane developed nearly twenty properties in Eckington. None of Truesdell’s original five houses exists today, although several detached houses from the late 1800s, by Lane and others, dot the streetscape of Eckington. The first three decades of the twentieth century brought a boom in rowhouse construction to Eckington, as it did in many parts of the District.
Truesdell placed restrictive covenants in the deeds of Eckington’s residential properties which required that each house cost at least $2,000 and be set back 15 feet from the building line. There was to be no manufacturing, “nor shall spirituous liquors be sold therein.”{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The Union Army veteran did not place racial restrictions in the deeds, although as late as 1930 there were no African American families living in Eckington.
The Eckington & Soldiers Home Railway Company began service on ], ]. It was Washington’s first electric railway and followed by just a few months the first practical electric railway in ]. The line ran from Seventh Street and New York Avenue NW to Fourth and T Streets NE in Eckington, then was extended in 1889 up Fourth Street to Michigan Avenue and the new ].
Col. Truesdell’s subdivision straddled the narrow tracks of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad. The Met Branch was a line which brought commuters into the city from Maryland beginning in 1873. In 1888 the B&O bought 13 acres just north of Florida Avenue and built a passenger station. Passengers were to disembark and ride the new electric line into the city. A few years later the B&O built a huge freight depot next to the passenger station. This freight center spurred the development of manufacturing and warehousing along the west side of the tracks from Florida Avenue north to Rhode Island Avenue, Truesdell’s covenants notwithstanding. The National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) was at 4th and S Streets and Judd and Detweiler printers was at Florida Avenue and Eckington Place. There were as many as 20 warehouses, mostly for groceries and home and building supplies. When the tracks were greatly expanded after the construction of Union Station, the east side of Eckington disappeared under them, including two of Truesdell’s original houses. One could no longer travel east from Eckington between New York and Rhode Island Avenues.


In 1887, Eckington was bought by ] and his wife Frances, who subdivided the property, improved it substantially for habitation, sold lots, and built several houses. Truesdell undertook extensive grading operations to level the landscape of his {{convert|87|acre|m2|adj=on}} Eckington subdivision. He laid down water and sewer pipes, paved streets in asphalt and concrete, and erected a stand pipe near the old Gales house. A steam pump brought water to the ], which distributed water throughout the new neighborhood. Truesdell erected five "pretty cottages" which, according to an 1888 newspaper account, were "all fitted up as city houses," with steam heat and hot and cold running water. Eckington was wired for electricity in 1889, two years before electricity was installed in the ]. In three years, Truesdell spent $500,000 improving the subdivision.
Although the streetcar had been a community center for both Eckington and ], the adjacent neighborhood to the west, after the streetcar line was removed in the ] ] was dug into a trench to facilitate high-speed, high-volume traffic. The entrenched highway created a stark separation between Eckington from Bloomingdale. North Capitol Street remains noisy and difficult to cross; this, along with the railroad tracks on its east, gives Eckington its relatively isolated quality.

The contractor for Truesdell's houses was John H. Lane, who moved from ] into one of those houses at 1725 Third Street. From 1889 to 1897, Lane developed nearly 20 properties in Eckington. None of Truesdell's original five houses exists today, although several detached houses from the late 19th century, by Lane and others, dot the streets of Eckington. The first three decades of the 20th century brought a boom in rowhouse construction to Eckington as it did in many parts of the District of Columbia.

Truesdell placed restrictive covenants in the deeds of Eckington's residential properties that required that each house cost at least $2,000 and be set back {{convert|15|ft|m}} from the building line. There was to be no manufacturing. The Union Army veteran did not place racial restrictions in the deeds, although as late as 1930, there were no African American families living in Eckington.

The ] began service on October 17, 1888. It was Washington's first ] and followed by just a few months the first practical electric railway in Richmond, Virginia. The line ran from Seventh Street and New York Avenue NW to Fourth and T Streets NE in Eckington, then was extended in 1889, up Fourth Street to Michigan Avenue and The ].

Col. Truesdell's subdivision straddled the narrow tracks of the ] of the ]. The Met Branch was a line that brought commuters into the city from Maryland beginning in 1873. In 1888, the B&O bought {{convert|13|acre|m2}} just north of Florida Avenue and built a passenger station. Passengers were to disembark and ride the new electric line into the city. A few years later, the B&O built a huge freight depot next to the passenger station. This freight center spurred the development of manufacturing and warehousing along the west side of the tracks from Florida Avenue north to Rhode Island Avenue, Truesdell's covenants notwithstanding. The National Biscuit Company (]) was at 4th and S Streets and Judd and Detweiler printers was at Florida Avenue and Eckington Place. There were as many as 20 warehouses, mostly for groceries and home and building supplies. When the tracks were greatly expanded after the construction of ], the east side of Eckington disappeared under them, including two of Truesdell's original houses.

In 1907, a bridge at 4th and T St. NE was built over the tracks to connect Eckington with the ] neighborhood to the east. It was designed to carry motor traffic and pedestrians. A trolley connection at the west end of the bridge stopped in 1962, and the bridge was demolished in the late 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 8, 2016|first=Edward|last=Russell|title=A bridge used to connect Eckington and Brentwood|url=https://ggwash.org/view/40898/a-bridge-used-to-connect-eckington-and-brentwood|access-date=2021-09-01|website=ggwash.org|language=en}}</ref>

Although the streetcar had been a community center for both Eckington and ], the adjacent neighborhood to the west, after the streetcar line was removed in the 1950s ] was dug into a trench to facilitate high-speed, high-volume traffic.<ref>{{cite news|title=Five Years' Work On North Capitol St. Will End This Week|work=The Washington Post|date=November 17, 1963|id={{ProQuest|141974230}}}}</ref> The entrenched highway created a stark separation between Eckington from Bloomingdale. North Capitol Street remains noisy and difficult to cross; this, along with the railroad tracks on its east, gives Eckington its relatively isolated quality.

==References==
{{Reflist}}


== External links == == External links ==
{{Commons category|Eckington, Washington, D.C.}}
*
*
http://eckingtontour.blogspot.com/
*
*
*
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Reporters_Debate_Congressional_Record.htm]
*
* http://www.congressionalcemetery.org/PDF/Obits/G/Obits_Gales.pdf


{{Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.}} {{Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.}}


{{geographic location
]
|Centre =Eckington
]
|North =]
|Northeast =]
|Southeast =]
|South =]
|Southwest =]
|West =]
|Northwest =]}}
{{Authority control}}

]
]

Latest revision as of 04:45, 26 September 2023

Place in the United States
Eckington
Neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Houses in Eckington (2013)Houses in Eckington (2013)
Eckington within the District of ColumbiaEckington within the District of Columbia
Coordinates: 38°54′55″N 77°00′06″W / 38.9153°N 77.0017°W / 38.9153; -77.0017
CountryUnited States
DistrictWashington, D.C.
WardWard 5
Government
 • CouncilmemberZachary Parker

Eckington is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C., located south of the Prospect Hill and Glenwood Cemeteries. Eckington is less than one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Howard University and exactly one mile north of the United States Capitol. Eckington is also the home of the District of Columbia office of Sirius XM Radio.

Eckington is bordered by:

The closest metro stations serving Eckington are NoMa–Gallaudet U Station, located south of Eckington, and Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood Station, located northeast of Eckington.

History

The land which became Eckington was the country home of Joseph Gales Jr., owner of the National Intelligencer and mayor of Washington from 1827 to 1830. Gales bought the Northeast tract in 1815, and in 1830 erected a two-story house on the hilltop, about where Third and U Streets intersect today. Gales named his estate Eckington after the village in Derbyshire, England in which he was born.

During the American Civil War, the house was used as a hospital for the 7th Regiment of New York. After the war, Eckington, commonly known as Gales Woods, was a popular picnic ground.

In 1887, Eckington was bought by George Truesdell and his wife Frances, who subdivided the property, improved it substantially for habitation, sold lots, and built several houses. Truesdell undertook extensive grading operations to level the landscape of his 87-acre (350,000 m) Eckington subdivision. He laid down water and sewer pipes, paved streets in asphalt and concrete, and erected a stand pipe near the old Gales house. A steam pump brought water to the stand pipe, which distributed water throughout the new neighborhood. Truesdell erected five "pretty cottages" which, according to an 1888 newspaper account, were "all fitted up as city houses," with steam heat and hot and cold running water. Eckington was wired for electricity in 1889, two years before electricity was installed in the White House. In three years, Truesdell spent $500,000 improving the subdivision.

The contractor for Truesdell's houses was John H. Lane, who moved from Dupont Circle into one of those houses at 1725 Third Street. From 1889 to 1897, Lane developed nearly 20 properties in Eckington. None of Truesdell's original five houses exists today, although several detached houses from the late 19th century, by Lane and others, dot the streets of Eckington. The first three decades of the 20th century brought a boom in rowhouse construction to Eckington as it did in many parts of the District of Columbia.

Truesdell placed restrictive covenants in the deeds of Eckington's residential properties that required that each house cost at least $2,000 and be set back 15 feet (4.6 m) from the building line. There was to be no manufacturing. The Union Army veteran did not place racial restrictions in the deeds, although as late as 1930, there were no African American families living in Eckington.

The Eckington and Soldiers' Home Railway began service on October 17, 1888. It was Washington's first electric railway and followed by just a few months the first practical electric railway in Richmond, Virginia. The line ran from Seventh Street and New York Avenue NW to Fourth and T Streets NE in Eckington, then was extended in 1889, up Fourth Street to Michigan Avenue and The Catholic University of America.

Col. Truesdell's subdivision straddled the narrow tracks of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad. The Met Branch was a line that brought commuters into the city from Maryland beginning in 1873. In 1888, the B&O bought 13 acres (53,000 m) just north of Florida Avenue and built a passenger station. Passengers were to disembark and ride the new electric line into the city. A few years later, the B&O built a huge freight depot next to the passenger station. This freight center spurred the development of manufacturing and warehousing along the west side of the tracks from Florida Avenue north to Rhode Island Avenue, Truesdell's covenants notwithstanding. The National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) was at 4th and S Streets and Judd and Detweiler printers was at Florida Avenue and Eckington Place. There were as many as 20 warehouses, mostly for groceries and home and building supplies. When the tracks were greatly expanded after the construction of Union Station, the east side of Eckington disappeared under them, including two of Truesdell's original houses.

In 1907, a bridge at 4th and T St. NE was built over the tracks to connect Eckington with the Brentwood neighborhood to the east. It was designed to carry motor traffic and pedestrians. A trolley connection at the west end of the bridge stopped in 1962, and the bridge was demolished in the late 1960s.

Although the streetcar had been a community center for both Eckington and Bloomingdale, the adjacent neighborhood to the west, after the streetcar line was removed in the 1950s North Capitol Street was dug into a trench to facilitate high-speed, high-volume traffic. The entrenched highway created a stark separation between Eckington from Bloomingdale. North Capitol Street remains noisy and difficult to cross; this, along with the railroad tracks on its east, gives Eckington its relatively isolated quality.

References

  1. Russell, Edward (March 8, 2016). "A bridge used to connect Eckington and Brentwood". ggwash.org. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  2. "Five Years' Work On North Capitol St. Will End This Week". The Washington Post. November 17, 1963. ProQuest 141974230.

External links

Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.
Ward 1
Ward 2
Ward 3
Ward 4
Ward 5
Ward 6
Ward 7
Ward 8
Places adjacent to Eckington (Washington, D.C.)
Bloomingdale Edgewood Brentwood
Truxton Circle Eckington
NoMa Near Northeast Gallaudet University
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