A commercially printed brochure containing the historical narrative can now be viewed as a PDF. A black and white version formatted for letter-sized paper is also available as a PDF. The printed versions contain captioned photos which were not available for the web version of the narrative. Check out these PDFs for some rare glimpses of Eckington's yesteryear – also additional present day photos of historical buildings.
The previous piece by Paul K. Williams (which does contain photographs) is still available in PDF form via a link at the bottom of the narrative page.
Plans for the oral history project are still on. We need help compiling a list of elderly and long-term neighborhood residents, so if you know – or know of – any on your block, please get their names and/or addresses to Charlene McCullers or Jean Larkin. We also need the use of a digital recorder or a laptop with similar capabilities.
And, please, when you talk to your neighbors who have lived in Eckington a long time, ask if they have any photos lying around. If they aren't comfortable loaning them out to be scanned, grab a digital camera and take some photographs of them. (We’ll need the highest resolution available, so don’t forget to adjust your camera settings if you’re used to capturing images just for onscreen viewing.) Though it’s far from the preferred method, it’ll do in a pinch!
Word is that Washingtoniana, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library downtown, is a history enthusiast’s dream. According to the site, “It houses a comprehensive collection of material on Washington, DC, from the late 18th century to the present, including the reference library, the photograph collections and the DC community archives.”
Also, check out:
Historical DC maps from David Rumsey Map Collection
Historical DC maps from DC Vote
History of the Metropolitan Branch Of The Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company between DC and Rockville.
The Historical Society of Washington, DC
Historic DC neighborhoods from Cultural Tourism DC
Georgia Avenue/Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail
DC Gallery from the National Archives Research Catalog (ARC)
Prints & Photographs Reading Room at the Library Of Congress
KL, July 2010