Bet you didn’t know Washington D.C. was almost a real swamp. I’m talking about Pages Swamp. Forget the political creatures for a moment. We are going on a historical journey. The story of D.C. being a swamp is largely a myth. Only a small percentage of the city was ever truly swamp-like.
But some areas definitely felt like a swamp. Ask anyone who has been here in August. Tiber Creek caused problems. It was poorly designed. The creek often stagnated and smelled horrible. The base of Capitol Hill near the reflecting pool regularly flooded.
Swampoodle was an Irish neighborhood. It was aptly named. Two branches of Tiber Creek met there. Flooding was common. Streams from the hills in LeDroit Park saturated the land. Rain turned dirt roads into a mess.
Even so, D.C. wasn’t really built on a swamp. Pierre L’Enfant found variety when he surveyed the city. There were tobacco fields and cornfields. He found small forests. He saw waterside bluffs and wetlands. Marshy areas were mostly near the rivers. These areas were subject to tides and flooding. But most of the Federal City’s core was not marshy.
D.C. was and still is water-rich. There is Rock Creek and the Tiber Creek. The Potomac and Anacostia Rivers flow here. Countless creeks wind through the city.
The varied landscape helped L’Enfant choose sites for important buildings. Jenkins Hill became the Capitol Building site. A bluff by the Tiber River became the White House site. The Potomac River was much wider back then. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials would have been in the river’s middle. Much of the National Mall was flat. It was often used for grazing animals.
The area now known as Pages Swamp tells a different story. This area was a haven for wildlife. Imagine the sounds. Picture the sights. This was nature’s refuge.
Consider Swampoodle’s history. It developed in the late 1800s. It was a refuge for Irish immigrants. They fled the Great Famine. The area became known for lawlessness. Crime and drunkenness were common after the Civil War. Jackson Alley was at the district’s core. It was a no-go zone for police. Young men known as “poodles” caused trouble.
Yet, Swampoodle was also a place to find work. Tinkers and tinners lived in Jackson Alley for a long time. Overcrowding led to outbreaks of disease. Malaria, typhoid, and dysentery were common. Despite this, Swampoodle thrived. Irish construction workers helped build Washington, D.C.
Residents kept goats and cows. They even had livestock pens among their houses. The north side of K Street was undeveloped until the 1880s. There were swamps, pastures, and railway tracks. This rural lifestyle lasted until about 1907. That’s when Union Station was built.
In the 1870s, Tiber Creek was channeled underground. The sewer was huge. It was 20 feet in diameter. Below M Street, it grew to 30 feet. Many buildings ended up with a level below street level.
Swampoodle Grounds was a baseball stadium. It held about 6,000 people. The Washington Statesmen played there from 1886 to 1889.
The construction of Union Station marked Swampoodle’s end. Over ten blocks of houses were demolished. The station and rail yard replaced them. Tiber Creek was covered. Low-lying land was filled in. Delaware Avenue was buried under railway tracks.
The neighborhood was physically divided. Many residents moved. Rezoning led to heavy industry. The area became less attractive for homes.
Swampoodle was forgotten. Today, the area has office complexes and rail yards. The Government Publishing Office and Gonzaga College High School remain.
Today, there is Swampoodle Park. It is at 3rd Street NE and L Street NE. The name “Swampoodle” has lost its negative meaning. The park honors the historic neighborhood.
So, while D.C. wasn’t entirely a swamp, areas like Swampoodle and the lands around Pages Swamp shaped the city’s story. They remind us of the challenges and changes that have occurred. They add depth to Washington’s rich history.