Barry Farm Dwellings

Barry Farm Dwellings. An East-of-the-River View. Just beyond this sign is the edge of Barry Farm Dwellings, built during World War II for African American families. The war had caused acute housing shortages, so people divided large homes into rooming houses, took in boarders, or crammed into apartments. In addition, the government built racially segregated dormitories and housing projects. This section of the old Hillsdale neighborhood was razed for Barry Farm Dwellings, one of ten projects built east of the river to house African American families. Residents had to show they had jobs, marriage licenses, and the ability to pay rent., Hannah Hawkins was one of Barry Farm's first residents, arriving as a child in 1942. "It was a wonderful place," she remembered, though one with many rules: no laundry on the lines on Sundays and no playing on the grass., Residents shopped in Almore Dale's market across Sumner Road (since razed). In turn the Dales and their neighbors enjoyed the activities of the Barry Farm Recreation Center., The rec center brought residents together for movies, team sports, arts and crafts, and concerts. Dances and homework kept young people busy and out of trouble. Adults came for social and political activities. Junkyard Band, known for its hit single "Sardines," got its start at the center before making its name on the city's Go-Go scene., Eureka Park, DC's first black-owned amusement park, occupied part of the Barry Farm site from 1895 to 1918. The park offered picnic areas, a merry-go-round, dancing, and live music. Both Eureka and its next-door rival Green Willow Park hosted conventions featuring nationally prominent African American speakers.