Community Corner

Skinny Dipping and Ghosts Among Georgetowners' Fond Memories

The Citizens Association of Georgetown oral history event highlighted residents' recollections of Georgetown's somewhat recent past.

Skinny dipping at Dumbarton Oaks, sightings of a long-dead nanny, last-minute dinner invitations to parties with news-makers and reporters and hosting a president for dinner: Through these and so many other stories, Georgetowners brought to life the neighborhood's history as they experienced it.

The Citizens Association of Georgetown highlighted its oral history program at an event at Dumbarton United Methodist Church Monday night.

Georgetowners Tom Birch, Kevin Delany, Ed Emes, Cooby Greenway, Selwa Roosevelt, and Ann Satterthwaite offered charming memories of Georgetown in the hour-long event.

Find out what's happening in Georgetownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Interested in getting Georgetown Patch directly into your inbox each morning? Learn more about our daily newsletter.

"It was a great place. The dynamics were unbelievable. You just met all sorts of people," said Emes before an audience of about 80 people.

Find out what's happening in Georgetownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

When Ben Bradlee lived down the street from Emes, "I got my paper on time,” he joked. When the Kennedys lived in Georgetown, the streets were always plowed, he said.

Emes and Greenway both remembered that Dumbarton Oaks' pool was a popular spot for skinny dipping on a hot summer night in Georgetown. Emes partook himself; Greenway said her brothers were known to have enjoyed the cool water from time time.

Greenway was a young girl when her family moved to Georgetown, which only had two traffic lights and no stop signs at the time she said. She remembers owning the alleys and streets on her bicycle and taking the streetcar to school.

She also told a story about a ghost who she says still occupies the house in which she once lived at 3123 Dumbarton Ave. NW. A children's nurse is said to pace the stairs at night and Greenway said, both a housekeeper and a handyman have had supernatural run-ins there.

Since there was so much history shared in just an hour, Patch will run a series of posts on the recollections from Monday's event. Look for those throughout the week.

You can read all of CAG's oral history interviews online here. The next training to conduct interviews is Feb. 13.

Share your memories of Georgetown with us. Is there a business that you once loved that is long gone? A run-in with a famous neighbor? Or something different entirely? Tell us in the comments.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here