Boundary Stones | WETA's Washington DC Local History Website

Filene Center in 1980. (Source: Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Wolf Trap Captures the Hearts of the DMV

Today, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is a mainstay of Washington, D.C.’s cultural life. The park’s large outdoor auditorium and beautiful green space play host to a variety of performers. However, 50 years ago, some politicians questioned whether it was a wise decision for the government to accept the land gift from Catherine Filene Shouse and build the performing arts center.

The Meeting that Changed Country Music — Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons in D.C.

Before Emmylou Harris became a renowned musician, singer, songwriter, and activist, she was a struggling single mother in the D.C. area. A meeting at Clyde's in Georgetown would change her life.
George Washington's Complicated Relationship with His Mother

When one thinks about George Washington they probably think of the general that led America to victory in the Revolutionary War or the first president of the United States. What they may not think...
The Temperance Fountain Just Might Be the Ugliest Statue in Washington

In a city full of monuments and memorials like Washington, not all of them can be beautiful. Exhibit A: The Temperance Fountain at Seventh Street and Indiana Avenue, NW. So how did we come in...

"Un Pueblo Sin Murales Es Un Pueblo Desmuralizado" (Source: Hola Cultura)

Celebrating Hispanic History Month

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GALA Hispanic Theatre: Celebrating Latin American Culture in the Arts

The 1970s and 1980s saw increased Latin American immigration to the United States, and to D.C. in particular. At the time, there was limited access to Latin American performing arts, something that Rebecca Read and Hugo Medrano sought to fix when they founded Grupo de Latinoamericanos Artistes (GALA) in 1976. They never expected, though, that GALA would take off and eventually become the National Center for the Latino Performing Arts.
July 12, 2022
- Washington, D.C.
By Jenna Furtado
"¡Tirarlo a la calle!": D.C.'s Latino Festival of 1971

When a vastly undercounted Latino population decided to make itself impossible to ignore, thousands marched from Mount Pleasant to Kalorama Park on August 1, 1971, filling the streets with music, food, and colorful kioskos—an act of cultural pride that launched an annual festival and helped reshape Washington’s civic life.
June 21, 2022
- Washington, D.C.
By Fontana Micucci
Two Brothers Fled Dictatorship and Created Adams Morgan’s Most Enduring Work of Art

A bold 1977 mural in Adams Morgan—painted by Chilean brothers who fled dictatorship—has survived fading, earthquake damage, restorations, and gentrification to remain the city’s oldest living Latinx public artwork and a vivid record of a changing neighborhood.
November 4, 2020
- Washington, D.C.
By Charlotte Muth

Watch & Learn

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In 1957, Queen Elizabeth Stunned Shoppers at a Maryland Grocery Store

In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II seemed intent on strengthening ties with everyday Americans -- starting at a Maryland grocery store.
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"The Exorcist" Was Based on an Actual Maryland Exorcism. Here's What REALLY Happened

The not-so-true story of the 'real' demonic possession that inspired the 1973's "The Exorcist."
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Hostage Standoff at the DC Jail: Shirley Chisholm and the 1972 Jail Uprising

In 1972, DC Jail inmates took hostages. Negotiations seemed futile. Then Shirley Chisholm arrived.

First Dupont Circle High Heel Race

Twenty-five people participate in the first Halloween drag queen high heel race in Dupont Circle. The event is now an annual tradition that attracts thousands.