At least 78 viewers logged into our first Zoom conference on May 12 entitled, “The History of Your House,” by HCCDC President Carl Lankowski. Carl, who bought his house on McKinley Street with his wife Pam in 2010, used his own house’s story to talk about what a house history entails, the types of things you might want to know about your house’s history, and where to look for information.
Hosted by HCCDC’s Chas Cadwell, the one-hour conference was the kick-off of our new series of Zoom conferences on topics related to local history.
Our next Zoom event, scheduled for June 16, will feature a conversation with George Derek Musgrove, co-author of Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation’s Capital. RSVP to hccdc@comcast.net to attend.
The House History presentation included fascinating information on the unique local architecture of Chevy Chase in the early part of the 20th century, the explosion of “kit” houses, the racist origins of Chevy Chase in both DC and Maryland, and the string of owners of his home.
Carl concluded his talk with a brief note about steps HCCDC is taking to research and recognize the 1928 dispossession of an African-American neighborhood along Broad Branch Road where Lafayette School, Playground and Recreation Center now stand. The last 15 minutes of the conference featured a robust question-and-answer session moderated by Chas.
Watch a YouTube video presentation here to see the topics Carl covered. The running time is slightly longer than the live event at 1:06. Future events will be recorded live, with a link provided on our website.
We have included a list of resources for researching a DC house that you can use to start looking into your own home’s story. And, if you would like to read Carl’s actual house history, you can find it on the HCCDC website here. Our archive includes three additional house histories.
As an all-volunteer organization, HCCDC relies on community support for all our events and activities. We welcome new members with an annual $25 membership fee and are always appreciative of donations. You can give here. Thank you!