The Kiplinger Research Library hosted nearly sixty new and veteran researchers on August 15 as part of the DC Community Heritage Project House History Day workshops. As with the April workshops, which were held in the Washingtoniana Division at the D.C. Public Library, participants in the August event were introduced to resources for learning about property history available at both local repositories as well as online.
Through the two 2-hour programs, participants learned how to research the history of their own home or any other historical property through sessions on neighborhood context, led by Jasper Collier of Humanities DC; D.C. maps, led by historian and editor of the H-DC listserv Matthew Gilmore; the Historic Building Permit Database, led by historian, author, and tour leader, Brian Kraft; photography resources, led by Anne McDonough, Library & Collections Director, Historical Society of Washington, D.C.; and microfilm and online records, led by Mark Greek of DCPL’s Washingtoniana Division.
During the hands-on portion of the workshop, participants examined neighborhood development; discovered names and occupations of buildings’ previous inhabitants; and learned about the city’s architects and builders through real estate atlases, city directories, the John P. Wymer Photograph Collection and the building permits database.
If you missed the workshops, never fear: All of these resources, and more, are available for individual researchers in the Kiplinger Research Library. Contact the library for an appointment!
