Images of Brookland: September 2011

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Brookland book featured in Washington Post

The Washington Post's, John Kelly, has featured the book in his column, John Kelly's Washington. Here is the link: A fond look back through Brookland’s history

Kelly writes:

Part of the fun of a book like this is staring at the pictures and trying to place them mentally into today’s streetscape. For Rosie, such books are reminders that photographs are nice, but people’s memories are just as important.

“You have that greatest generation dying off,” she said. “Our housing stock is opening up, but our elderly are dying. What they’re taking is our understanding of our neighborhood. We experience this personally when our older relatives die and we realize the questions we wished we had asked them. I think a neighborhood’s the same way.”

So, if you’re interested in Brookland, get this book. And if you’re interested in your neighborhood, find some old people and make them talk.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Book signing Sunday, October 9th

Meet the authors John Feeley Jr. and Rosie Dempsey at St. Anthony’s Cafeteria, 3400 12th Street, NE, from 12:00 AM to 4:00 PM, on Sunday, October 9th. Books will be available for purchase. No RSVP necessary.

Beginning Monday, September 26th, you can order the book from the companion website to this blog: http://brooklanddchistory.com.

Remember to check this blog for upcoming events, errata, great photos and tidbits that didn't make it into the book.

And remember that you can add your memories of Brookland by emailing Rosie at BrooklandBook@Gmail.com. She will post them on the website blog.

Rosie on WAMU radio talking about Brookland

Rosie was on WAMU radio talking about Brookland the neighborhood. Rosie's interview/Brookland piece first aired today, Friday, September 23rd, at 1pm. It will air Saturday morning at 7am. It will also be accessible online after that at WAMU.org.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Lots of good photos could not be included in the book. Here are some of the extra ones.

About the Book

Brookland is a new publication in the Images of America series published by Arcadia Publishing. Like the other books in this series, it uses archival photographs to present distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Its images and text celebrate Brookland and bring to life its fascinating history.

Brookland D.C. is located in the North East corner of Washington, D.C. It is a neighborhood with strong connections to Howard and Catholic Universities, the Catholic Church, and Washington's black intelligentsia. Its rich past is well preserved in its architecture, historic sites, and social institutions. It is a thriving middle-class neighborhood and a place full of family stories. It is a place graced by beautiful institutional open spaces, woods, and large backyards. Above all, Brookland is a place of history. The Brooks' Mansion, the Twelfth Street business corridor, the Franciscan Monastery, Fort Bunker Hill, and the Ralph Bunche House — each site tells another story of Brookland.

About the Authors

John J. Feeley Jr. is a Brookland native. He grew up roaming around Turkey Thicket, the woods of Sisters College, Fort Bunker Hill, and all the sites of old Brookland. When he took the 1965 Brookland Tour, an insatiable interest in all things Brookland was sparked that has yet to be satisfied.

Rosie Dempsey's Brookland roots date back to her parents, who met and married there. Rosie and her husband bought their c. 1896 home 25 years ago and joined numerous relatives in Brookland. The example of her cousin, Helen D. Young, inspired Dempsey to embrace civic life and neighborhood history.