Georgetown in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

“… on a high, dry, & handsome situation”

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 31, 2021

1. "… on a high, dry, & handsome situation" Marker

Inscription.

“… on a high, dry, and handsome situation”. . , Built in 1799, Dumbarton House stands as an example of Federal period architecture, a popular style in the United States from 1780 to 1820. Americans sought inspiration from classical Greece and Rome, in architecture as well as politics, to suggest legitimacy, inspire, and forge a national identity. In this new, untested republic, ideals of freedom often conflicted with realities of inequality., Joseph Nourse, his wife Maria, and ten people, free, indentured, and enslaved, lived here from 1804-1813. As a career civil servant, Joseph's post as first Register of the Treasury required moving fro Philadelphia to help establish the new nation's capital in D.C. Ultimately, Nourse served through six presidential administrations. This home, situated on the fashionable heights of the thriving port city of Georgetown, served as the centerpiece of an 8-acre urban farm. The family relied on the enslaved labor of Juba, Dinah, and Bacchus, as well as other enslaved, indentured, and free servants to run the farm and household., [Captions:] , This view of Georgetown from 1838 bears many similarities to the present-day view. To the left is Georgetown University and to the right are the pylons for the aqueduct's bridge, which used to carry cargo boats from the C&O Canal across the Potomac to the Alexandria Canal. , The Potomac, Analostan Island and Georgetown College, Caroline Rebecca Nourse (1838), Joseph's handwritten mortgage document dated April 22, 1805 for this land and the buildings on it for $7,472.93, noting that the mortgage was paid in full on May 21, 1808., 1. Minimal information remains about the enslaved people who worked on this site. These artist renderings attempt to imagine their silhouettes., 2. These sketches are the only depiction remaining of Joseph (1754-1841) and his wife Maria (1765-1850), a deeply religious couple who lost five of their six children., 3. This romantic view from what is now Wisconsin Avenue emphasizes the farms of Georgetown rather than the bustling port and warehouses located down on the Potomac. , Prospect of Georgetown from the Tenleytown Road, Rebecca Wistar Morris Nourse (1820), "[The House sits] on a high, dry, and handsome situation" Description of Dumbarton House at auction, Washington Federalist, March 26, 1804

Built in 1799, Dumbarton House stands as an example of Federal period architecture, a popular style in the United States from 1780 to 1820. Americans sought inspiration from classical Greece and Rome—in architecture as well as politics—to suggest legitimacy, inspire, and forge a national identity. In this new, untested republic, ideals of freedom often conflicted with realities of inequality.

Joseph Nourse, his wife Maria, and ten people—free, indentured, and enslaved—lived here from 1804-1813. As a career civil servant, Joseph's post as first Register of the Treasury required moving fro Philadelphia to help establish the new nation's capital in D.C. Ultimately, Nourse served through six presidential administrations. This home, situated on the fashionable heights of the thriving port city of Georgetown, served as the centerpiece of an 8-acre urban farm. The family relied on the enslaved labor of Juba, Dinah, and Bacchus, as well as other enslaved, indentured, and free servants to run the farm and household.

[Captions:]
This view of Georgetown from 1838 bears many similarities to the present-day view. To the left is Georgetown University and to the right are the pylons for the aqueduct's bridge, which used to carry cargo boats from the C&O Canal across the Potomac to the Alexandria Canal.
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Potomac, Analostan Island and Georgetown College, Caroline Rebecca Nourse (1838)

Joseph's handwritten mortgage document dated April 22, 1805 for this land and the buildings on it for $7,472.93, noting that the mortgage was paid in full on May 21, 1808.

1. Minimal information remains about the enslaved people who worked on this site. These artist renderings attempt to imagine their silhouettes.

2. These sketches are the only depiction remaining of Joseph (1754-1841) and his wife Maria (1765-1850), a deeply religious couple who lost five of their six children.

3. This romantic view from what is now Wisconsin Avenue emphasizes the farms of Georgetown rather than the bustling port and warehouses located down on the Potomac.
Prospect of Georgetown from the Tenleytown Road, Rebecca Wistar Morris Nourse (1820)

"[The House sits] on a high, dry, & handsome situation" Description of Dumbarton House at auction, Washington Federalist, March 26, 1804

Erected by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Government & Politics

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 31, 2021

2. "… on a high, dry, & handsome situation" Marker

• Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the The Colonial Dames of America, National Society of series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 26, 1804.

Location. 38° 54.644′ N, 77° 3.337′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Georgetown. It can be reached from Q Street Northwest just west of 27th Street Northwest, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2715 Q St NW, Washington DC 20007, 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: In Grateful Commemoration of the Signing of the Constitution (a few steps from this marker); Dumbarton House (within shouting distance of this marker); Tulip Poplar (within shouting distance of this marker); "…a headquarters to call our own" (within shouting distance of this marker); "The bramble and trees…had made them invisible" (within shouting distance of this marker); Eastern Redbud (within shouting distance of this marker); Georgetown Refuge (within shouting distance of this marker); Mt. Zion Cemetery / Female Union Band Society Cemetery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.

Dumbarton House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, March 23, 2025

3. Dumbarton House

Credits. This page was last revised on March 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 31, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 315 times since then and 15 times this year. Last updated on June 26, 2023, by Bruce Guthrie of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 31, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on March 23, 2025, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.