Jaybird's Jottings

Potomac Corridor.   Colonial and Civil War Sites.  Nature Areas.  Exit 7A

If you’re a frequent traveler on the Capital Beltway/Interstate 95 between Alexandria and Andrews AFB, you’ve likely seen this sign.  There’s actually two of them, one just south of and one just north of Branch Avenue/Highway 5. (Exit 7)

I’ve seen it too, and like you, had other things on my mind to think much about it.   

After seeing this sign again the other day, I came home and thought to myself — Prince George’s County has its share of historic sites, but it seems to me they are scattered about. 

The mighty google will solve this, I thought to myself.

Apparently not… 

I let the curiosity go for a few days, but then decided to try and get an answer.  I thought about using email but my luck this way has not been very good lately.    

Ignoring fear of failure, I went old school.  Took a deep breathe, picked up the phone, and crossed my fingers for luck.

Got very lucky and talked with a very nice lady with the Prince George’s County Visitors Bureau.  She didn’t know anything about the Potomac Corridor, but recommended I contact the National Park Service.     That made sense, as the sign’s subdued brown color suggested they made the sign.

Back in the day the standard operating procedure at every home and every office and every business in the country was picking up the phone after two or three rings.   Would my luck hold?

Yes.   On the other end was a human with a voice that sounded genuinely wanting to help.   

But he, too, did not know about the Potomac Corridor.  We briefly discussed the park’s system of walking and biking trails in the DMV, but no clues emerged from our conversation.   

Disappointed and still wanting an answer, I decided to take a look at the list of places in Prince George’s County that are on the National Register of Historic Places.

So, how did Route 5, Branch Avenue fare?  

Not too good.   Upper Marlboro (20), Bowie (7) and Bladensburg (6) were the clear winners.   Clinton, about three miles from the Beltway and lying along Branch Avenue, has four places.  But there’s a caveat.  Woodyard Archaeological Site has restricted access and The Piscataway Village Historic District is located on Livingston Road about five miles to the west of Clinton. 

The other two are the Surratt House and Wyoming.  The former is certainly a place worth touting.  The latter appears to be privately owned.

Ok, what about the nature areas?  

South of Clinton lies Piscataway Creek Stream Valley Park, a nice long ribbon of greenery on both sides of Branch Avenue.  But whether or not that stands on par with a Huntley Meadows, we're not sure.   

In the grand scheme of things, we know this is not a big deal.  But one has to wonder how many cars have taken the bait and tried to find this mysterious Potomac Corridor. 

We love ya Prince George’s County, but we are miffed on this one.   It seems if there is a case to be made for a Potomac Corridor, it could be the Indian Head Highway (Highway 210).   Oxon Hill, Fort Washington and Accoceek combine for a dozen sites and Accoceek has a wonderful green space.

It’s Presidents Day and nowhere is the spotlight as hot as in Alexandria.

We found this article in the Alexandria Gazette and transcribed parts of it.

February 23, 1876

Washington’s Birth-Day

Grand Military & Civic Parade

Banquet and Speeches

The Blue and the Gray

Full Account of the Procession

The 22nd of February is always an occasion of rejoicing by the people of Alexandria.  They seldom fail to hail the anniversary of Washington’s birthday without some public demonstration in honor of the departed statesman and hero, and as time wears on and year after year passes, bringing with his birthday renewed demonstrations of honor to his virtues and valor, society might indeed to pause to contemplate the spectacle of the imperishable fruits of his example that continues to pass down the generations and centuries, and to receive the public plaudits of his grateful and admiring countrymen and the encomiums of the liberty-loving world. 

The day was of all others a gala day for Alexandria.  The city was arrayed to all her beauty, and dressed out in her loveliest hues to gratify her citizens and to entertain her illustrious guests.  

Banners kissed the gale and floated in glee, and as the Fifth Regiment and Company A, Washington Light Infantry, and Columbia Cadets arrived from Baltimore and Washington, their approach was greeted by the deep boom of the cannon’s opening roar.

Nearly every building in the line of march was more or less ornamented with flags and other decorations, and from every balcony and window eyes dark as midnight, or blue as ether, shown down like stars upon the splendid pageant below.

Ten thousand visitors, it is estimated, swelled the native population in dense crowds of delighted spectators that thronged the streets and presented a panorama of breathing humanity, buoyant with animation and exciting in spectacle unique and entertaining.

Note: The population of Alexandria in 1870 and 1880 was about 13,500.

Looking down King Street it seemed to be fairly lined with bunting.   “Welcome to Virginia,” “Virginia Greets her Guests,” Welcome Fifth Maryland,” were among the hundred of mottoes displayed.

The Banquet

About two o’clock p.m. the Fifth and Washington Light Infantry stacked arms in front of the Corn and Exchange Building and then filed up stairs.  

Note:  The Corn and Exchange Building is at 100 King.

The festivities of the day closed with a grand dance for the benefit of the Alexandria Library.  Dancing was kept up to four in the morning.   

We have to admit.  Today’s post is not an easy one.    We’re poking fun of and criticizing somebody who is a very important person.

But we’re motivated by feeling the need to do something about the mess and the madness that keeps appearing in our screens and radios, something that is both frightening and disturbing.

We were thinking about this person and what makes him tic.   What came to mind are defense mechanisms.   We found the below descriptions and liked them.

We pass them along here.  Use as you please.   As the Reader’s Digest used to say, “Laughter is best medicine.”   Then again, this situation is far from funny…

DENIAL

When a situation or fact becomes too much to handle, you may simply refuse to experience it. By denying reality, you are essentially protecting yourself from the having to face and deal with the unpleasant consequences and pain that accompany acceptance.   

And while this may alleviate any short term pain, in the long run, denial can prevent you from making positive change and can have potentially destructive ramifications.

REPRESSION

There is a fine line between denial and repression. But where denial involves the outright refusal to accept a given reality, repression involves completely forgetting the experience altogether. With repression, your mind makes the decision to bury the memory in the subconscious, thereby preventing painful, disturbing or dangerous thoughts from entering awareness. 

While repression, much like denial, may serve immediate purposes, particularly if you were tormented by a painful experience, if you do not eventually process and deal with the experience it can have severe consequences later on.

DISPLACEMENT

Have you ever endured a stressful day at work, then come home and taken out your frustration on your loved ones? What about a time where you had an argument with your partner, then got in your car and found your patience waning with every driver on the road?

With displacement, you transfer your emotions from the person who is the target of your frustration to someone or something else entirely. Subconsciously, you believe that to confront the source of your feelings may be too dangerous or risky, so you shift the focus towards a target or situation that is less intimidating or dangerous. While displacement may protect you from losing your job, burning a bridge, or saying or doing something that could irreparable damage, it will not help you handle the emotions you are experiencing, and you will also end up hurting someone completely innocent.

PROJECTION

Imagine you find yourself in a situation where you feel like a fish out of water. You feel uncomfortable and a bit anxious. You start to see that others are staring at you, with what you perceive as a critical, judgmental eye. They do not say anything or do anything that is objectively negative, but your insecurity about yourself causes you to “project” your feelings onto others. And the feelings may even become so intense that you caustically question, “What are you staring at?”

Most of us have found ourselves in a situation in which we project our feelings, shortcomings or unacceptable impulses onto others. And the reason we do so is because to recognize that particular quality in ourselves would cause us pain and suffering. While projection can also work in a positive way, when you project feelings of love, confidence and care onto others, when it impacts us in a negative way, it only compounds the stress and anxiety and prevents us from dealing with the root of the emotions.

REACTION FORMATION

With reaction formation, you are going beyond denial and behaving in the opposite way to which you think or feel. Typically, reaction formation is marked by a blatant display. 

REGRESSION

In times of stress, you may find that your behavior becomes more childish. This is known as regression. With regression, you revert back to an earlier level of development and earlier, less demanding behaviors, as a way of protecting yourself from having to confront the actual situation. Imagine, for example, having an argument with your partner, and instead of using conflict resolution tools, you stomp off, slam the door and give your partner the cold shoulder. The problem with regression is that you may regret letting your childish behavior become self-destructive. And this can eventually cause even more problems than you started out with.

RATIONALIZATION

In the simplest terms, rationalization occurs when you try to explain your bad behavior away. Consider, for example, that you have an irrationally angry reaction to a situation in front of someone you like and want to respect you. Then to try to justify your behavior, you blame someone else for provoking you. Even if that may be true, it is not the actual reason for your outburst, it’s an excuse. Rationalization is a particularly common mechanism for those with more sensitive egos.

Assertiveness

Assertiveness is the emphasis of a person’s needs or thoughts in a manner that is respectful, direct and firm. People who are aggressive and communicate in an aggressive manner tend to be good leaders, but often at the expense of being able to listen empathetically to others and their ideas and needs. 

Splitting

Splitting occurs when the ego attempts to reconcile multiple aspects or rationales, but resorts to understanding the world in “black and white” terms. A person who experiences splitting may take an “either-or” approach when making evaluations of the world around them, including objects, situations, and people. They tend to view ideas as either right or wrong, with no middle ground or compromise.

We are celebrating Black History Month by publishing texts of historical markers in the Old Town and Parker Gray Historic District.   

So far we have covered neighborhoods and individuals, and are now focusing on churches. 

Today we visit St. Joseph’s Church, a beautiful one whose full edifice has been seen while construction is completed on the new mixed use project behind it.

The church’s history primer speaks of the challenges black catholics faced in Alexandria.   

The congregation today is diverse and the church recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.

St. Joseph’s Church, 711 North Columbus Street

1915 – Saint Joseph’s Church – 1990, Alexandria, Virginia

Under the guidance of the most reverend Denis J. O’Connell, Bishop of Richmond, Saint Joseph’s Church was built by Father Joseph J. Kelly, of the Society of Saint Joseph (The Josephites) with assistance of many benefactors, among them being the Drexel and Morrell families of Philadelphia, for the glory of God and the good of the African American people of Alexandria, Virginia.   October 14, 1990.

Currently reading “The Blood of Emmett Till.”  Didn’t want to initially, due to the sadness of the story and the gruesome ness of his murder.   Plus, the facts of the story have been known.

But with a late life confession, we now have a better understanding of what happened in 1955 in Mississippi.    The author gained not only an interview with Carolyn Bryant, but also the notes from interviews with her lawyer.   Tyson went beyond the extra mile and found post-trial interviews with the jurors.   He also brings experience to the story in that a horrible lynching occurred nearby when he was growing up.

This new knowledge is perhaps not enough for some to be motivated to read this book.  For me, I felt we owe it to Emmitt Till to understand his story.  

Tyson tells us Till grew up in a hard-nosed Chicago neighborhood.   The African American community there swelled in numbers during the Great Migration.  The author quotes Isabel Wilkerson, who wrote what sure seems like the definitive account of that mass exodus of people during the Jim Crow era.

What might have been.  Till liked to play baseball.   He rooted for the Dodgers because Brooklyn had Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe.   Till had some talent himself as a sandlot pitcher.

Tyson weaves in and out from his interview with Bryant to what happened to Till.  He also lays down the context of life in Jim Crow south and Mississippi.  More lynchings took place in Mississippi than any other state.   These were crimes that were not prosecuted.   

Blacks were supposed to abide by what one might call “rules of engagement.”  This was especially true when a black man interacted with a woman.    The defense lawyers for Till’s two murderers used this a part of their pleas to the jury.  The jurors should have cast it aside, but did not.    

The ledger of life is filled with way too many other Emmett Till’s.    But as the author reminds us, the vicious murder of this fourteen-year-old and the outrage that followed put down stepping stones for the Civil Rights movement.   

About a month after the trial was over, a black lady stepped into a church in Birmingham and became part of an overflow audience that filled Martin Luther King’s Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.   They came to hear Dr. T.R.M. Howard, a surgeon, speak about Till and the injustice of the not guilty verdict.    Four days later, this lady refused to move from her seat in the whites only section of a bus.  She would later say she was thinking of Emmitt Till when she resisted. 

That lady was Rosa Parks.

We are celebrating Black History Month by publishing texts of historical markers in the Old Town and Parker Gray Historic District.   

So far we have covered neighborhoods and individuals, and are now focusing on churches.  Several have received attention lately with the erection of a State Highway Marker.   

Yesterday we looked at  Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church at 606 S. Washington Street.   Today we walk three blocks northward and lend our eyes to Beulah Baptist Church (320 S. Washington).   

Once again, the story is a lesson in Civil Rights.   Like Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church, Beulah Baptist is on the National Register for Historic Places.  The two have in common a significance of education and civic importance.   One of the teachers at Beulah Baptist was Sarah Gray (1846-1893), who distinguished herself as a founder of schools, teacher for many years and principal at Hallowell School, the city’s first public school for African American girls.  

We probably don’t think of Buelah’s story as part of Reconstruction, but it was.   The joys of freedom for the formerly enslaved and their families were perhaps expressed more poignantly in churches than anywhere else.

Beulah Baptist Church

African Americans escaping slavery found refuge in Alexandria after Union troops occupied the city in 1861.  The Rev. Clement “Clem” Robinson established the First Select Colored School in 1862.  Hundreds of students registered for day and evening classes and for courses at the associated Beulah Normal and Theological Institute.  In Oct. 1863, Robinson organized Beulah Baptist Church, the first African American church founded in Alexandria after Union occupation.  The congregation constructed its brick sanctuary here on the edge of the African American neighborhood known at The Bottoms.  The school then moved to this site, and education remained central to Beulah’s mission.

Department of Historic Resources, 2015.

We are celebrating Black History Month by publishing texts of historical markers in the Old Town and Parker Gray Historic District.   

So far we have covered neighborhoods and individuals, and are now focusing on churches.  Several have received attention lately with the erection of a State Highway Marker.

Today we look at Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church at 606 S. Washington Street.   Built in 1834, this brick building is the oldest African American church structure in Alexandria and is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.  Also known as the Roberts Chapel, it is a Category A property, one associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.   Its story tell us not only about ethnic heritage, but also educational and civic development.

This church has a fascinating history, one that touches on segments of Civil Rights resistance that gets little attention.   Members of the Davis Chapel (the prior name) organized a school that operated under certain restrictions.   As the nomination form points out, African Americans overcame these roadblocks and continued to assemble.

Some congregations, including this one, experienced a schism over slavery.   

Char Bah tells us:

Prior to 1830, the Black Methodist in Alexandria, Virginia was members of the white Trinity Methodist Church.  By 1830, the Black Methodist established their own Church called Davis Chapel after their white Minister.  After 1844, Davis Chapel Church renamed their Church to Roberts Chapel due to a split within the Methodist Church on the issue of slavery.   

Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church

At the end of the 18th century, African Americans contributed almost half the congregations at Alexandria’s Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church.  With support from Trinity, black members founded a separate congregation early in the 1830s, and their sanctuary was completed here in 1834.  The church, initially known as Davis Chapel, was renamed in 1845 for Bishop Robert Richard Roberts, a former pastor of Trinity.  Members quickly established a Sunday school that offered general education and religious training.  Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington lectured here late in the 19th century.  The sanctuary was remodeled in the Gothic Revival style in 1894.

Department of Historic Resources, 2016

Roberta and I had a great time last night at the MGM Resort at National Harbor.    I keep saying this but if you haven’t gone, put aside your mental image of a casino.  It’s much more than that.

By the way, it’s worth mentioning the thing that made National Harbor possible was the new Wilson Bridge, and the associated work of widening I-95/495 and separating the local and thru lanes.   Before the new span opened in 2008, you crossed the old bridge with bated breath.  I remember one epic back up that forced me to cancel an appointment at Andrews.   A trip up to Baltimore to see the Orioles or other sight seeing could be spoiled this way.

There are still slow downs during rush hour but if you avoid those times, it’s a smooth and pleasant ride over like the one we had last night.   Each approach and each exit has its own dedicated ramp.  Parking is swift and easy and for now free.   A quick elevator ride and you’re up on the main floor.   

Anyway, on this second trip, we noticed some very unique public art.   I don’t even know what to call it -  Tube art?

Here is a photo of one of them.  I’ll leave alone their location so you can be surprised as we were.

Has anyone ever seen anything like this?  They run from the floor downward.   

We are celebrating Black History Month by publishing texts of historical markers in the Old Town and Parker Gray Historic District.   

So far we have covered neighborhoods and individuals, and are now focusing on churches.  Several have received attention lately with the erection of a State Highway Marker.

We start with Shiloh Baptist Church on Duke Street.

Alexandria, occupied by Union troops during the Civil War, became a refuge for African Americans escaping slavery. Before the war ended, about 50 former slaves founded the Shiloh Society, later known as Shiloh Baptist Church. Members held services in U.S. government buildings until Sept. 1865, when their new frame church on West Street was dedicated. The congregation flourished under the leadership of the Rev. Leland Warring, pastor for more than 20 years. The brick Gothic Revival sanctuary was completed here in 1895. Prominent visitors have included Rep. John Mercer Langston, Dr. Dorothy Height, and Pres. George W. Bush.

Roberta and I took a long overdue day trip to Richmond yesterday.  Founded in 1737 along the James River, the capital city traces its roots back to the powerful Powhatan peoples and the voyage of Captain Christopher Newport, who arrived on a scouting mission in 1607.    

Streets were laid out in 1742, a seven year jump on Alexandria.   Located more in the center of the state, Richmond replaced Williamsburg as the seat of government in 1782.   Ravaged by the Civil War, the city slowly recovered and grew to a population high mark of 249,000 in 1970.  Its current population of about 220,000 makes it the fourth largest behind Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Chesapeake.   The greater region’s population is 1.2M.  

Economically, it’s a suit and tie city with jobs in law, government and banking.   Downtown falls silent on the weekend but we found life over in Shockoe Bottom.

Going back several years ago, Shockoe Bottom was in the news after the Richmond Squirrels baseball team (AA for the Giants) proposed building a new ballpark on part of its grounds.   The starting pitcher was knocked out on that one and the bull pen got hammered too.  Now the team is looking at the area near the current ballpark.  Its less  urban location will not be cozy confines, but for fans driving down from Washington and points northward, the experience will not mean adding on more driving time (although the ballpark would have been steps from the train station).

Shockoe Bottom is easy to find, lying east of I-95 and the train station.   If you are a fan of adaptive re-use, Shockoe Bottom is a must see.  Right now the neighborhood looks like an incubator for that cause, as old brick buildings are being saved.   Brunch lovers are swarming to LuLu’s near the Farmer’s Market, while a sign on East Main advertises Bottom Burgers “Coming Soon.”   

Historical markers dot the hood, including an impressive new one (2012) that includes the wording "the War Between the States" but not the Civil War (filed under The Lost Cause). 

Historically, Shockoe Bottom delivers the goods.  A recent article by the National Trust for Historic Preservation observes it “might just be the best place in the nation to understand the history of slavery and its ongoing legacy.”

Shockoe Bottom was part of the original layout of the city in 1737.   Tons of tobacco made its way here, as well as enslaved humans.   More blacks souls went to die in New Orleans, but Richmond was the next largest.   At the end of the Civil War, departing rebel forces torched this part of the city, destroying its wooden structures.

But that has worked out to a positive, as all the late 19th-Century and early 20th Century buildings are good material for saving.

In addition to LuLu’s, the main player we saw open for eating was Southern Kitchen on E. Main street --  fresh tea in mason jars with an added handle, terrific service and the best cornbread ever.

Virginia State Capitol

We wanted to stay longer in Shockoe Bottom but the state capitol beckoned as another must see.  Perched high on Shockoe Hill and fronted with tall white columns, the Greeks would be impressed.   

The aura one might feel for the capitol is tempered by the knowledge this was the place where so much oppression was hammered into law and where great power tried to maintain a way of life that kept human flesh as chattel property.   Before being defeated, the Byrd Administration tried to tamp down equal rights with "Massive Resistance."  

All in all a good trip.   At both ends, I-95 did not clog up like it will once the weather warms up.   We bet Shockoe Bottom will too...