BEAUTY IN ANACOSTIA?

This D.C. neighborhood on the east bank of the Anacostia River is primarily known for its excessive crime rates.  Out of 195 D.C. homicides in 2005, 62 occurred in the Greater Anacostia area of the District. 

But amidst this turmoil, neglect, abandoned homes, and bad reputation, there exists an oasis of beauty!

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens

Yesterday I ventured to Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, the only National Park Service park dedicated to cultivating water-loving plants.  I first learned about Kenilworth about a week or so ago in The Washington Post story "The Life Aquatic" which detailed the Waterlily Cultural Festival held at the gardens on July 21st.  The article described the beauty of the lotus flowers and waterlilies and said that the annual festival is the one day of the year that the park is teeming with tourists.  Opting to avoid the crowds, I visited yesterday to explore this treasure filled garden with more serenity.

On the site of Kenilworth Park are over 35 ponds filled with a variety of beautiful tropical and hardy waterlilies, lotus and other aquatic species.  With that much standing water around, you'd expect to have to use a bunch of bug spray, but in fact, as our tour guide explained, mosquitoes are nowhere to be found.  The park is open from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and apparently the mosquitoes fly off into the woods around 7 a.m. and don't return until 4:45 p.m. sharp, miraculously leaving the visitors in peace.

The park was originally owned by Walter Shaw, a clerk in the U.S. Treasury Department.  He purchased the property in the 1880s and with his fondness for water lilies, planted a few wild species from his home state of Maine.  He built more ponds and eventually had a very successful aquatic flower commercial business.  In 1938, the Department of the Interior purchased the gardens and they became a National Park.

For more information on Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, call 202-462-6905 or visit their website: www.nps.gov/keaq