Existing comment:
Ethnic Enclaves on the Eve of the Civil War:
By the onset of the Civil War, ethnic neighborhoods were well established and often anchored by houses of worship, cemeteries, or social clubs. Washington's Irish communities centered around St. Patrick's Church, located on F Street NW, and St. Aloysius Church, located in the densely populated Irish neighborhood called Swampoodle.
The Washington Hebrew Congregation, founded in a private home in the Dupont Circle neighborhood in 1852, was the heart of the Jewish community. By the mid-19th century the small Jewish community had grown from about 200 people to 2,000. In addition to businesses, the community also opened schools, a library, and clubs.
Many German immigrants came to the defense of their adopted city by joining the 8th Battalion, District of Columbia Infantry. Privates John Ricks and Martin Ohl of Company B were killed in action on July 7, 1861. Two days later they were buried in the German-American Prospect Hill Cemetery at what is now North Capitol Street and Rhode Island Avenue NE. |