Woodley Park in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Woodley Road Neighbors
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 16, 2015
1. Woodley Road Neighbors Marker
An Irish priest and the Duchess of Windsor each separately played a part in Woodley Park's history. In 1912 Father Thomas A. Walsh bought the present site of St. Thomas Apostle Church and Rectory on Woodley Road for $16,750. It was here that he established the first Catholic parish in the new suburb of Woodley Park. It was known as the church of the catacombs because it remained a basement church from 1923 until 1951 when the current structure was built. St. Thomas was also known as the diplomatic parish serving embassies within its boundaries ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
The international celebrity of Wallis Warfield Simpson also had connections to this neighborhood. In the 1920s, her mother, Alice Montague Warfield, ran a boarding house on Woodley Road across the alley from the school building that was originally built to house St. Thomas School. Mrs. Simpson, an American socialite and double divorcee, married Edward VIII of England after their relationship created an international scandal that led to his abdication from the British throne in 1936.
Erected by Cultural Tourism DC.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Women.
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Location. 38° 55.603′ N, 77° 3.315′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Woodley Park. Marker is on Garfield Street Northwest near 27th Street Northwest, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2807 27th Street Northwest, Washington DC 20008, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Harry Wardman (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Walsh Memorial (about 300 feet away); A Long and Winding Road (about 400 feet away); Long & Winding Woodley Road (about 700 feet away); Redwood (approx. 0.2 miles away); Million Dollar Bridge (approx. ¼ mile away); Anup Joshi (approx. ¼ mile away); Conservation Geography (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 16, 2015
2. Woodley Road Neighbors Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 16, 2015
3. Woodley Road Neighbors Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 16, 2015
4. Father Thomas A. Walsh
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 16, 2015
5. Wallis Simpson and her mother, Alice Montague Warfield
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 16, 2015
6. Saint Thomas Catholic Church
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 22, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 518 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 22, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
