Upon these hills overlooking Oxon Run Washington Highlands stands. Its story begins long before European arrival. The Nacotchtank people lived here their villages lining the Anacostia River. Disease brought by Europeans devastated them. By 1700 they were gone. The land became farmland worked by enslaved African Americans.
Washington Highlands development mirrored that of Congress Heights. Colonel Arthur E. Randle a successful newspaper publisher saw opportunity. The Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge nearing completion in 1890 promised growth. He invested heavily in streetcar lines. Development started around 1904. Roads and tracts appeared. Hungerford’s addition joined the neighborhood in 1906.
Growth wasn’t steady. The city initially refused sewer lines. There weren’t enough residents to justify the expense. The Great Depression slowed things but didn’t stop them. By 1938 sewers arrived bringing a building boom. World War II created a housing shortage. The National Capital Housing Authority built Highland Dwellings. This spurred anger among existing residents. Their neighborhood was transforming into a low-income area.
Washington Highlands became one of the first desegregated areas in D.C. Before the 1950s laws and covenants excluded African Americans. The NCHA’s 1951 decision to integrate housing sparked a white backlash. The neighborhood today is largely low-income housing. Highland Dwellings underwent rehabilitation. Wheeler Creek replaced older complexes. The Overlook a renovated apartment building offers low and moderate-income housing. Park Southern Apartments the largest complex faced serious mismanagement issues leading to city intervention.
Today Washington Highlands boasts the Ferebee-Hope Recreation Center. Oxon Run Parkway and its parkland dominate the northeast. Playgrounds and athletic facilities are scattered throughout. The neighborhood however still faces challenges. It remains one of the most violent areas in D.C. The legacy of its past is visible in its present. This area’s journey from Native American village to modern-day neighborhood is a complex and multifaceted story. It is a story of struggle and resilience a story worth remembering.