Museums: The George Washington University Museum

Not far from our apartment building is George Washington University, which has a museum with a collection of Washingtoniana--rare maps, letters, prints and artifacts relating to the District of Columbia.  

Because Greg enjoys viewing maps, especially antique maps, visiting the GWU Museum was a must.  

Most of the collection was given by Albert H. Small.  "Mr. Small, a third-generation Washingtonian, first became interested in historical collecting after serving in the Navy during World War II. In 2011, Mr. Small donated his unrivaled Washingtoniana collection—nearly sixty years in the making—to GW. The collection documents the formation, development and history of Washington from the eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century."  (Museum.GWU.edu.)

Below is a virtual tour of the exhibition.  The first map dates from 1790, the beginning of Washington, D.C.'s history.  The map (pictured below) depicts the "Potomack" River and its eastern branch, along the right side of the map.  What makes the map especially interesting is the creek in the middle of the map.  The creek still exists but has been buried under Constitution Avenue and the large federal office buildings that line the avenue.   

Another map, this one from 1794, generally roughly depicts the original, diamond-shaped boundaries of the District of Columbia.  The "Diamond" map shows the creek that ran near the planned location of the White House and emptied into the Potomac River.  Below, a close up photo of the "Diamond" map shows where the creek once flowed.

Close up of the "Diamond" map

Another map, actually a bandana from 1796, depicts Washington as planned by Pierre Charles L'Enfant.  The map is interesting not only because it is an early D.C. souvenir but also because it depicts how close the Potomac River once was to the White House.  Above and to the right of the "P" in "Potomak" is the future site of the White House (the shaded rectangle).  In fact, during the 1800's, several presidents walked out of the White House's front door to the edge of the lawn and went swimming in the Potomac River.  Who knew?    

A later map of D.C., the "Boschke" map, shows not what was planned, but what was actually constructed as of 1857.   

The "Boschke" map depicts the city block where we currently live, Block #13 in the photograph below.  Our building is located in the bottom, right corner of Block #13.  It 1857, the land was filled with trees and bushes.

Detail of the "Boschke" map

Even as late as 1857, a creek ran emptied into the Potomac River near the White House.

Detail of the "Boschke" map

George Washington University is today located on land that once served as a Union military encampment during the Civil War.  Camp Fry occupied many city blocks south of Washington Circle.  Below, a lithograph depicts Campy Fry in 1863, looking south from Washington Circle to the Potomac River in the distance.   

What does the same view look like today?  You can see for yourself in the photograph below.

Looking south from Washington Circle, a view of 23rd Street, NW (2018).  Most of the buildings in the photo are part of George Washington University, including the hospital and medical school on the right.  In the distance is the barely visible Lincoln Memorial sitting on land reclaimed from the Potomac River.    

Thanks for indulging Greg's love of historical maps.