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Post Magazine Profiles Friends of the Soldiers’ Home

The Post Magazine published an interesting article “Can Soldiers’ Home residents and urban gentrifiers overcome barbed wire?”:

Behind James are 272 acres of rolling green pasture, with some of the highest ground in the city. There are park benches that look onto the Capitol, forested pathways of spruce and pin oaks, honking geese wobbling out of fishing ponds, and a members-only nine-hole golf course and driving range.

In front of James, on this day last year, is an iron fence topped with three rows of barbed wire crowned with concertina coils, typically used to lock down prisons.

Read the full article ” target=”_blank”> here.

Category: Petworth, quality of life

By: Prince Of Petworth | 05 March 2013 12:45 PM | 7 Comments

bfinpetworth

That is a really great article. I hope they do open the grounds to regular visitors sometime in the near future. What a great resource that would be!

March 5, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Paul

The article neglects to mention one great way to spend time on the grounds of the Soldiers’ Home: taking your dog to see the veterans. After a short orientation through People Animals Love, you can spend an hour each Saturday afternoon talking to the residents, many of whom are former dog owners and really respond well to visits from neighborhood pups. http://www.peopleanimalslove.org/new_volunteers.php

March 5, 2013 at 2:04 pm
sirspicious

Just stating that the AFRH wanted to develop some of its land is misleading. Their oeprating costs were far outstripping the income from the soldier payroll deductions, and they were seriously depleting their endowment. They needed and still need more income.

IIRC, the income from the development was going to go towards capital improvements in Mississippi, which sustained damage in Katrina

March 5, 2013 at 2:30 pm
cornholiodc

Great article – thanks for sharing.

March 5, 2013 at 2:39 pm
Anonymous

Excellent article.

March 5, 2013 at 3:20 pm
jim_ed

I read this on Sunday, and it was excellent. I had no idea that when we went to the 4th of July festivities at the AFRH that it was a rare occasion for neighbors to be able to roam the grounds.

I hope they let us in more often, I’d gladly pay a small fee to be able to ride my bike in the neighborhood to do some fishing.

March 5, 2013 at 4:14 pm
LK

So happy to live so close to such wonderful people and places. Many thanks to my neighbors for the vision, follow through, and open mindedness. WE NOTICE!

March 5, 2013 at 7:51 pm