Deanwood in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Whirl on the Ferris Wheel
A Self Reliant People
— Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail —
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, August 14, 2009
1. A Whirl on the Ferris Wheel Marker
To your right it is the former Merritt Educational Center which operated from 1943 to 2008. However, if you were standing here in the 1920s or '30s, in its place you would have seen exuberant crowds of fashionably dressed African Americans enjoying Suburban Gardens Amusement Park.
The park was built in 1921 by architectural engineer Howard D. Woodson, writer John H. Paynter, theater magnate Sherman H. Dudley, and other investors of the black-owned Universal Development and Company. It was the first and only amusement park within the District boundaries. Suburban Gardens park provided seven acres of recreational haven for the region's African Americans, who due to racial segregation, were barred from white-owned amusement parks such as Maryland's Glen Echo.
The public flocked to Suburban Gardens by streetcar, commuter train, private automobile, and even on foot. The park was so popular that on one Monday in 1921, jostling crowds waiting to pay the 10-cent admission fee actually knocked down the gate. Park-goers enjoyed the Deep Dipper roller coaster, Ferris wheel, aero swing, swimming pool, games of chance, picnic grounds, and children's playground. The park's large dance pavilion presented both lesser-known musicians and well-known jazz artists such as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. After entertaining
this page online
The U.S. government built temporary barracks for soldiers here in 1943. Soon after the building served as Emma F. G. Merritt Elementary School, honoring the educator, civic leader and former president of the local NAACP chapter. The current school building went up in 1976.
Erected 2009 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 5.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Entertainment • Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1943.
Location. 38° 53.981′ N, 76° 55.896′ W. Marker is in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Deanwood. Marker is on 49th Street Northeast south of Hayes Street Northeast, on the right when traveling north. Marker is one block north of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue - and about half a mile east of Minnesota Ave Northeast and the Anacostia Freeway (DC Route 295). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 725 49th Street Northeast, Washington DC 20019, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, August 14, 2009
2. A Whirl on the Ferris Wheel Marker - 49th and Hayes Streets, NE
This view is east toward the former site of Suburban Gardens Park - the marker is visible in the shadows, far right.
More about this marker. Photo captions, front side:
The view from atop the Deep Dipper roller coaster. (Washingtoniana Division, D.C. Public Library.)
This advertisement ran in the black-owned Washington Tribune in 1921. (Washingtoniana Division, D.C. Public Library.)
Two unidentified young women and a baby pose on the catwalk of the Deep Dipper roller coaster. (Collection of Wells Family.)
"Look at the camera, son!" An off-season view of Suburban Gardens Amusement Park, ca. 1925. (Collection of Richard A. Cook.)
Duke Ellington Performed at Suburban Gardens. (Washingtoniana Division, D.C. Public Library.)
More than 40 years after Suburban Gardens closed, Col. John Woodson, U.S. Army, Ret., and son of Howard D. Woodson, drew this map of the amusement park from memory. (Drawing by Col. John Woodson, U.S. Army, Ret.)
Revelers rode this type of streetcar from all over Washington to Suburban Gardens. The streetcar followed Deane (now Nannie Helen Burroughs) Avenue. (The Historical Society of Washington, D.C.)
Merritt Elementary's first facility, the former Army barracks. (Washingtoniana Division, D.C. Public Library.)
Ready to learn, Merritt School students smile with their teacher, Mildred Greene in 1956. (Collection of Alice Chandler.)
Lifeguard and esteemed Howard University swimming coach Clarence Pendleton, Sr., center, competed at Suburban Gardens. (Collection of Jim Ferguson.)
[Photo caption, reverse side:]
This rare photo was taken just inside the front gate of Suburban Gardens around 1935. The caterpillar ride at left appears on Col. Woodson's map on the opposite side of this sign. (Scurlock Studio Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.)
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Glen Echo Park remained segregated until 1961, after the arrest of Howard University students staging a merry-go-round sit-in in June 1960 prompted extensive demonstrations by multiracial activists.
Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia entry for Suburban Gardens. (Submitted on November 8, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
2. Suburban Gardens Site, African American Heritage Trail. (Submitted on December 22, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)
Additional keywords. "The Capital's Playground" black enterprise black swimmers
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,203 times since then and 37 times this year. Last updated on March 7, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1. submitted on November 6, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 2. submitted on November 7, 2009, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A photo of the marker reverse. • Can you help?
