Mahaning Heights in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
"We're Not Forgotten"
A Self-Reliant People
— Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail —
Formerly known as the Bladensburg Piscataway Road, Minnesota Avenue has long served as an eastern gateway into Washington. Since the original wooden Benning Road Bridge across the Anacostia River was erected nearby in 1800, countless people have crossed the river here. During the Civil War (1861-1865), Fort Mahan, named for U.S. Military Academy Professor Dennis Mahan, defended this entry point against Confederate attack. Union soldiers searched the wagons of everyone entering the city from checkpoints at the foot of the bridge.
In the early 1970s, brightly painted shops and markets operated here. Yet the nearby junkyard, numerous boarded-up buildings, vacant lots, and electric power plant smokestacks gave the area a bleak feeling. Many local merchants and residents, unable to attract support of area banks, believed that city officials would never show interest in this long-neglected section of the city.
Things changed when the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority began construction on Metro's Orange Line, linking Vienna, Virginia, with New Carrollton, Maryland, through here. Deanwood stood to benefit
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The Metro station was once the site of Benning Elementary School, established in 1883 for the area's white children under the city's segregated public school system. The school closed in 1952 and stood empty for many years.
Erected 2009 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 15.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Forts and Castles • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Defenses of Washington, and the Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1978.
Location. 38° 53.899′ N, 76° 56.787′ W. Marker is in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Mahaning Heights. Marker is at the intersection of Minnesota Avenue Northeast and Grant Street Northeast, on the left when traveling south on Minnesota Avenue Northeast. Touch for map.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. From Gambling to Garden Apartments (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mayfair Mansions / Albert I. Cassell (approx. ¼ mile away); “What Magic Has Been Wrought Here” (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fort Mahan (approx. 0.3 miles away); 100 Years of Afro-American History (approx. 0.4 miles away); Eastland Gardens (approx. 0.4 miles away); Designed to Compete (approx. half a mile away); Lewis Giles, Sr.'s Home and Office (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northeast Washington.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 182 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 4, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
