Eckington-ElectriCity

Now this is a neighborhood worth celebrating. The land was originally purchased in 1815 by Joseph Gales Jr., owner of the National Intelligencer and mayor of Washington. He built a two-story house on the property in 1830 that served as a Union hospital during the Civil War. In 1887, George Truesdell bought Eckington, subdivided it, and built houses. Truesdell was very forward thinking; his houses were equipped with steam heat and running water that could be both hot and cold. In 1889, he put President Benjamin Harrison to shame by equipping Eckingtonians with electricity a full two years before it was installed in the White House.