[Lincolnparkdc] Lincoln Park oral history transcript

[Hilary Benson]

Thank you, Noah, this is fascinating.  A reminder that we are all living
on the site of a future archaeological excavation.  Thank you for digging
that up!

On Sun, Jan 12, 2025 at 1:38 AM Noah Bopp <noah_bopp at yahoo.com> wrote:

> The race track was a bicycle track!  A movement to create one in our
> neighborhood apparently began in 1897 and was lead by Robert "R.M."
> Dobbins, a bicycle merchant (1425 Pennsylvania NW and later 1206 F Street),
> backed by several unknown investors.  The *Post* referred to the location
> - one of a few possibilities - as in "the Harlem of Washington" "near the
> terminus of the Metropolitan Railroad" (which you can see across the street
> in the map shared earlier).  It seems that another site was selected, but
> after it fell on hard times the local cycling community came back here.
>
> The *Post* and* Evening Star* record the public opening of "Coliseum
> Park" and its six-laps-to-the-mile bowl track as the 18th of May, 1901.
> The location given was 14th and East Capitol, but later articles about the
> same park give a more precise proper address - 15th (or 14th) and A.  At
> the time the track was considered "one of the finest in the country," "the
> most perfect in the country," and it was "brilliantly illuminated" by
> thousands of overhead electric lights at night.  The entrance to the park
> was "unusually picturesque and substantial, large pillars and bracket work
> being used with decorative effect,"  2000 could squeeze into the grandstand
> (likely outlined on the map) with an extension serving 2,000 more. (A few
> days before the opening, the *Star* breathlessly claimed that 5,000 had
> seen "crack" world champion Harry Elkes take practice runs on the
> still-incomplete track; later that month an article said "nearly 4,000"
> attended a race at the Park.)  Many world records were broken on the
> Coliseum track - there is some indication that the quality of the race
> track helped with this.
>
> At the time, bicycles used in racing were sometimes called "motorcycles"
> and there were "motor-paced" and "motor" races - I would need to research
> this more to understand the difference and what was meant by "motor."
>
> Various other sporting events were held at the park over the years,
> including football and baseball, and over time there is less and less
> mention of cycling there.  Black and white alike used the park, though
> sometimes separately - a 1904 *Evening Star* article about an African
> American athletic meet starts, "Colored help was scarce in the nation's
> capital yesterday afternoon, nearly everyone of African descent who could
> raise the price wending his or her way eastward to Coliseum Park."
>
> The grandstands were taken down in 1906, according to classified ads in
> the *Evening Star* asking for bids on the lumber.  (The lumber had
> originally been used at President McKinley's second inauguration - you may
> be able to see those stands in the firm of that event made by Thomas
> Edison.)   I would not be surprised if someone with a bit more time than I
> discovered that homes were built on Square 1056 soon after.
>
> I hope this was half as fun for some to read as it was for me to research!
>
>       --Noah
>
> On Friday, January 10, 2025, 04:00:26 PM EST, Hilary Benson <
> hilarywinklerbenson at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Thank you, John!   Which building were you in?  I know the building at the
> SE corner of the intersection was, earlier in the century, another market
> called Mike's.
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 10, 2025 at 11:40 AM John Hirschmann <hirschj154 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> 
> We lived opposite it starting in 1973. There was no activity there at the
> time related to making sledge hammers. I recall hearing the same history
> you apparently did that it had been a sledge hammer factory. The two
> components were mated there.
>
>
>
> John
>
> John F Hirschmann
> hirschj154 at gmail.com
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Jan 10, 2025, at 09:09, Hilary Benson <hilarywinklerbenson at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> 
> Thank you, Peter.  I have not met Hazel.  I seem always to have a shift
> scheduled when we find out about the KY Ave. block party!  Maybe better
> luck this year.
>
> Having brought coals to Newcastle, I'm happy to have started this thread
> about local house histories.  Our building at 201-203 13th Street SE was
> built in 1910 by Albert Carry as a commercial development.  It was
> originally a notions or sewing supplies shop; the proprietor, Mamie Paulus,
> died in 1934 after complications from a fractured hip she sustained after
> falling on the ice at Kentucky & C SE!  Then it was the Try-Me Market up
> through at least 1960.
>
> However, I have heard from neighbors that in the late 60s-70s there was
> some kind of sledgehammer production going on at this address.  They
> mentioned seeing sledgehammers outside "drying."   Any chance anyone has
> any knowledge of this?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Hilary
>
> On Thu, Jan 9, 2025 at 9:09 AM Peter Barclay <barclaypj at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Hilary,
>
> Thank you for sharing.  This interview was conducted by Hazel Kreinheder,
> who is also a long-time resident of the Hill and KY Ave.  If you have been
> to a KY Ave Block party, you have probably met her.  They bought their
> house in 1963, which, I believe, makes her the longest-living resident of
> Kentucky Ave., if not more than most folks on the hill.
>
> She shared her oral history of living on the hill, using the same outline
> from the “74 interview, back in 2015.  You can read her story here -
> https://www.capitolhillhistory.org/interviews/hazel-kreinheder.  It is
> quite interesting.  Hazel talks about the fires on H street during the
> riots, bootlegging, the creation of the Historical District (she was
> instrumental in establishing it), her involvement with the Capitol Hill
> Village, when the metro arrived. etc.  Lots of very interesting
> information.
>
> There’s so much great information on this website. I am looking forward to
> reading the stories of the Canales (of Easter Market fame)
>
> Thanks and enjoy.
>
> Peter
> KY Ave.
>
>
>
> On Jan 8, 2025, at 09:57, Hilary Benson <hilarywinklerbenson at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I ran across this oral history from 1974
> <https://www.capitolhillhistory.org/interviews/w-milton-sladen>.  It
> mentions many neighborhood addresses which may be of interest to people on
> this listserv.
>
> Cheers,
> Hilary
>
> https://www.capitolhillhistory.org/interviews/w-milton-sladen
> transcript -
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EmcIDrEvORtZpB3ZWlnB7wzaXAT2GOm8/view
>
>
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