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The following walks are available ....SPIES and SCANDALS
Leading figures of the Watergate scandal lived (and still live) in Georgetown. So did spies ranging from the Civil War, World War II, and the Cold War era. Jonathan Pollard, convicted for spying for Israel, met his "handler" in the forsythia garden behind the mansion to the right. And Georgetown was also the first choice of residence for famous spy catchers, CIA directors and Agency opeatives. The wife of one of those CIA men - in charge of "black bag" jobs - fell in love with a handsome president and, after his death, died mysteriously on the C&O Canal towpath. $350
WOMEN, LOVE and PROPERTY
We can partner with the beautiful Tudor Place Historic House and Gardens (above) to combine a house tour with a walking tour in Georgetown that highlights women (white and black) descended from Martha Washington and their homes, a notorious woman who scandalized Andrew Jackson's administration, and Katharine Graham, the most powerful woman in American publishing. This walk is $450.
Some say the Kennedys were the happiest together when they were newlyweds in Georgetown. Join us for a unique walking tour that features the early years of one of America's most magnetic couples. We begin, of course, with the two-bedroom rental (above) where the newlyweds first lived together. We'll go on to the brick federal home that Jackie loved, and see a few of the homes where JFK lived as a bachelor - always taking the family cook along with him. $350
in
GEORGETOWN
OAK HILL CEMETERYFounded by Georgetown native son W.W. Corcoran in 1849, Oak Hill, with its beautifully landscaped terraces and winding paths, quickly became one of the gems of the rural cemetery movement. And it is as rich in history as it is in beauty. Lincoln's Secretary of War is buried near one of those tenacious Confederate female spies who operated brazenly in Washington. Katharine Graham, a 19th century Russian count, abolitionists, southern supporters, writers, and, of course, the best families of Georgetown and Washington all call Oak Hill home. And two men, who became locked as adversaries in a long and bloody war - Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis - walked these paths in grief. Both mourned children who were buried here and then moved after the war. $400
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD in Georgetown
Join us for a walking tour in Georgetown that highlights the story of the "Pearl," when 76 enslaved Americans, including a good number from Georgetown's finest families, attempted to escape from Georgetown and Washington on a 54-ton schooner. We only recently learned that in 1858 a woman and her daughter escaped from one of Georgetown's most historic homes (above) and made it safely to freedom.Central to our story in Georgetown is the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church - founded in 1816 as the first African-American church in the District of Columbia. We begin our walk at Mt. Zion's cemetery, which is long believed to have been used as a stop on flights to freedom. We are often welcomed into the Mt. Zion Church and their community center to share their rich history. The land for their church on 29th Street was purchased from a Georgetown businessman and developer who had been one of the fugitives on the Pearl. His lovely home is also on the tour. $400
The Civil War reverberated through a divided Georgetown. Hear the intriguing story of one family whose pro-Union father watched his sons sneak across the Potomac to join the Confederate Army. Louisa May Alcott nursed wounded soldiers in a Georgetown hotel turned into hospital - even a couple of Confederate ones. Georgetown slave owners were compensated when their slaves were freed with one catch - a loyalty oath to the north. But there was no provision for compensating the formerly enslaved. $350
Georgetown Then and Now
Follow us on a walk that brings alive a town that began as a favorite fishing haven for Native Americans and much later evolved into Washington's most elite neighborhood and the area's most fun place to shop and eat. Established as a colonial tobacco port in 1751, Georgetown's story charts America's story and its preserved architecture of the Federal and Victorian periods attracts people from all over the world. We touch on all our important themes on this walk - it's a little of every walk described above - the Civil War that divided this 19th century town, the Underground Railroad, the Kennedys, Watergate figures, and the ever present spies and scandals. By the way, this walk pairs perfectly with a ride on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal after a break for lunch. $350 for walk with separate charge for barge ride.
Call 301-588-8999 or email marykayricks@gmail.com for group reservations.
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