History

Photo by PoPville flickr user quigley_brown (Jim Hamann)

From a press release:

President Lincoln’s Cottage will be the first public venue to display a rare, signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation recently purchased by David M. Rubenstein. The historic document will be displayed in the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center at President Lincoln’s Cottage from September 22nd, 2012, the date Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, through the end of February 2013.

“Lincoln Cottage was where much of the Emancipation Proclamation was drafted and reflected upon
by President Lincoln, and it thus now seems among the most fitting places for this historic document
to be displayed to the public. I am pleased and honored to help make this possible,” Rubenstein said.
“We are extremely grateful to David M. Rubenstein for lending us the Emancipation Proclamation
for the 150th anniversary of Lincoln first issuing it to the public.” said Erin Carlson Mast, Director
of President Lincoln’s Cottage. “The Emancipation Proclamation is one of the foremost symbols
of freedom in our nation’s history. By viewing this rare copy of the proclamation at the very site
where Lincoln thought through these nation-changing ideas, visitors will be able to gain a deeper
understanding of the global and cultural importance of what took place at President Lincoln’s
Cottage.”

President Lincoln developed the Emancipation Proclamation while living at the Cottage in the summer
of 1862, making it the authentic place for understanding Lincoln’s ideas on slavery and emancipation.
President Lincoln’s Cottage, the “cradle of the Emancipation Proclamation,” is offering programs,
special tours, and events in partnership with national organizations to commemorate the 150th
anniversary of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

President Lincoln’s Cottage, located in northwest Washington, D.C., is a site of the National Trust
for Historic Preservation. President Clinton declared the site a National Monument in 2000 and it
opened to the public for the first time in 2008, providing Americans with unparalleled insight into the
Emancipation Proclamation and Abraham Lincoln’s visionary leadership. Through innovative guided
tours, forward-thinking exhibits and quality educational programs, over 100,000 visitors have engaged
in conversations on freedom, experienced a personal transformation in how they view our shared
past, and reconsidered their role in our democracy today. Hours of operation: Tours on the hour,
7 days a week. Visitor Center open 9:30am-4:30pm Mon-Sat, 10:30am-4:30pm Sunday. For more
information on President Lincoln’s Cottage, visit: www.lincolncottage.org

Photo via Shorpy

Dear PoPville,

I can’t tell you how many times I get gas in Maryland or Virginia, just to void the negative experience of getting gas near to my home. It’s amazing how long it’s been this way, especially at the corner of Georgia & Upshur, where the same dingy Shell Gas station has been dilapidated and broken for many years, It’s often embarrassingly unsafe that a large company would lower their expectations of service and presentation so far.

This gas station and many others around it suffer from a lack of cleanliness, dated/filthy service bays, broken gas/air pumps, environmental protection issues, abandoned cars, shoddy paving work, missing supplies like oil and windshield cleaning fluid, inconsistent pricing, and lackluster service and selection in terms of their convenience stores.

DCRA should hold these stations accountable for cleanliness and compliance. The quality is far away from the quality/convenience of suburban stores that charge less for gasoline. I have included a historical photo (above) of the gas station at Georgia & Upshur as well as one from now (below), that shows how this corner has fallen far from grace, even back when there were only dirt roads in the community.

Georgia, Kansas and Upshur St, NW