American University Park in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Harry Country
Top of the Town
| | Tenleytown Heritage Trail | |
By 1900, 12 large families often intermarried came to dominate the village that was Tennallytown: the Burrows, Chappell, Harry, Hurdle, Paxton, Perna, Poore, Queen, Riley, Robey, Shoemaker, and Walther clans.
This is Harry country, home to five generations of the Harry clan. You are standing at the edge of what once was "Harry's field," a favorite community playground.
The first Harry in Tenleytown was John O., a U.S. postmaster who died in 1864. His grandson John B. Harry, known as Bernard, was born at 4509 Wisconsin Avenue in 1867. At age 12 Bernard quit school. At age 20, he and a partner opened a grocery store in Foggy Bottom. For the next 69 years, Brooke and Harry's served neighbors and delivered to the local elite, including J. Pierpont Morgan and occupants of the White House. Their home-grown strawberries were a favorite of President Franklin Roosevelt. Decades before, that earlier Roosevelt president, Theodore, was known to stop at the Harrys' apple orchards here. Brooke and Harry also operated an ice company, a bakery, and a car showroom on nearby Wisconsin Avenue.
According to family lore, when Bernard built 4301 River Road in 1907, it was still "out in the country" on "a dirt road." Four of his six children later built homes on his land, and their offspring recalled running
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Bernard's house and his son John's house next door came down when Georgetown Day High School purchased Harry's Field for a new campus.
Erected 2010 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 11.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #26 Theodore Roosevelt, the Former U.S. Presidents: #32 Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Tenleytown Heritage Trail series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 38° 57.068′ N, 77° 5.002′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in American University Park. It is at the intersection of Chesapeake Street Northwest and River Road Northwest, on the right when traveling west on Chesapeake Street Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4230 Chesapeake St NW, Washington DC 20016, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Set in Stone (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Early Inhabitants (about 700 feet away); Luis Alves de Lima e Silva
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 469 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 31, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
