[Mintwood-place] New Archeological Evidence of the Playing Field Cover-Up at Kalorama Park!

Wed Mar 28 11:25:40 EDT 2012

At the least, it can certainly be said that the speed of your response
highlights its true importance.
On Mar 28, 2012 11:08 AM, "ahhjlh at verizon.net" <ahhjlh at verizon.net> wrote:

> Mary and John--this is an important house site in terms of the development
> of the area as well as an underground railroad site, and its form should be
> protected with at least posted picture stands and boundary markers.  Ann
>
>   ------------------------------
> *From:* John Cloud <john.cloud666 at yahoo.com>
> *To:* "maryjbelcher at comcast.net" <maryjbelcher at comcast.net>
> *Cc:* "Jim at grahamwone.com" <Jim at grahamwone.com>; "dcgreenstyler at gmail.com"
> <dcgreenstyler at gmail.com>; "sandrareischel at yahoo.com" <
> sandrareischel at yahoo.com>; Jesus (DPR)Aguirre <jesus.aguirre at dc.gov>; "
> mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org" <mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org>;
> "lloydmetroinc at aol.com" <lloydmetroinc at aol.com>; Ruth (OP)Trocolli <
> Ruth.Trocolli at dc.gov>; John P. (DDOT)Thomas <john.pthomas at dc.gov>; "
> bcr at archetypestudio.net" <bcr at archetypestudio.net>; Mark (MPD)Jackson <
> mark.jackson at dc.gov>; Robert (COUNCIL)Hawkins <RHawkins at DCCOUNCIL.US>;
> Bridget (DPR)Stesney <Bridget.Stesney at dc.gov>; Derek (DPR)Schultz <
> derek.schultz at dc.gov>; "intowner at intowner.com" <intowner at intowner.com>;
> Benjamin (COUNCIL)Young <BYoung at DCCOUNCIL.US>; "dcvirginia at hotmail.com" <
> dcvirginia at hotmail.com>; "tedguthrie3 at gmail.com" <tedguthrie3 at gmail.com>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, June 1, 2011 11:15 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [Mintwood-place] New Archeological Evidence of the Playing
> Field Cover-Up at Kalorama Park!
>
> Mary:
>
> I had never seen any of the excavation photos before. The brick fragment I
> found and photographed in situ looks very similar in color to the vertical
> stack of bricks in your photos 2 and 4.  And there appears to be a part of
> an iron pipe protruding near them.  I would suggest you contact the
> appropriate historic preservation people about this matter ASAP--the
> tendency of DPR and the contractors is to throw a layer of brown dirt over
> everything and pretent nothing ever happened.
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* "maryjbelcher at comcast.net" <maryjbelcher at comcast.net>
> *To:* John Cloud <john.cloud666 at yahoo.com>
> *Cc:* Jim at grahamwone.com; Ruth (OP)Trocolli <Ruth.Trocolli at dc.gov>;
> bcr at archetypestudio.net; dcgreenstyler at gmail.com; intowner at intowner.com;
> sandrareischel at yahoo.com; John P. (DDOT)Thomas <john.pthomas at dc.gov>;
> mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org; lloydmetroinc at aol.com; Derek
> (DPR)Schultz <derek.schultz at dc.gov>; Robert (COUNCIL)Hawkins <
> RHawkins at DCCOUNCIL.US>; Benjamin (COUNCIL)Young <BYoung at DCCOUNCIL.US>;
> dcvirginia at hotmail.com; tedguthrie3 at gmail.com; Mark (MPD)Jackson <
> mark.jackson at dc.gov>; Bridget (DPR)Stesney <Bridget.Stesney at dc.gov>;
> Jesus (DPR)Aguirre <jesus.aguirre at dc.gov>; denisjames at verizon.net;
> Olivier Kamanda <kamanda at gmail.com>; wreynolds at dccouncil.us; Eddie Becker
> <eddie_becker at yahoo.com>; Cynthia Pols <polscm at aol.com>; Adam Eidinger <
> enrages at verizon.net>; Chris Version II.O <chrisotten2 at yahoo.com>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, June 1, 2011 10:49 AM
> *Subject:* Re: New Archeological Evidence of the Playing Field Cover-Up
> at Kalorama Park!
>
>  Hi John and all:
>
> Yes.  When I looked last night (May 31, 2011) at the newly installed
> terracing, it appeared that the lumber has been inserted well into the
> archaeological area.  But without markers at the site, I have only my
> memory of the location to rely on.  Attached are my photos of the
> archaeological site uncovered from the summer of 2009.
>
> (PS:  It was 150 years ago this spring that 20-year-old Hortense
> Prout tried to escape enslavement on John Little's farm at Kalorama Park.
> Her escape attempt is honored by the designation of Kalorama Park as a
> National Underground Railroad site.  The brick walls uncovered by the
> earlier messed-up soil-erosion project might have been part of the house
> where she, her parents, sisters and brother lived.  Again, my two cents are
> that the walls should be carefully uncovered again and protected with a
> clear covering to make this important history tangible to the public.)
>
> -- Mary Belcher
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Cloud" <john.cloud666 at yahoo.com>
> To: maryjbelcher at comcast.net, "Chris Version II.O" <chrisotten2 at yahoo.com>
> Cc: Jim at grahamwone.com, "Ruth (OP)Trocolli" <Ruth.Trocolli at dc.gov>,
> bcr at archetypestudio.net, dcgreenstyler at gmail.com, intowner at intowner.com,
> sandrareischel at yahoo.com, "John P. (DDOT)Thomas" <john.pthomas at dc.gov>,
> mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org, lloydmetroinc at aol.com, "Derek
> (DPR)Schultz" <derek.schultz at dc.gov>, "Robert (COUNCIL)Hawkins" <
> RHawkins at DCCOUNCIL.US>, "Benjamin (COUNCIL)Young" <BYoung at DCCOUNCIL.US>,
> dcvirginia at hotmail.com, tedguthrie3 at gmail.com, "Mark (MPD)Jackson" <
> mark.jackson at dc.gov>, "Bridget (DPR)Stesney" <Bridget.Stesney at dc.gov>,
> "Jesus (DPR)Aguirre" <jesus.aguirre at dc.gov>, denisjames at verizon.net,
> "Olivier Kamanda" <kamanda at gmail.com>, wreynolds at dccouncil.us, "Eddie
> Becker" <eddie_becker at yahoo.com>, "Cynthia Pols" <polscm at aol.com>, "John
> cloud666" <John.cloud666 at yahoo.com>, "Adam Eidinger" <enrages at verizon.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2011 10:11:52 AM
> Subject: Re: New Archeological Evidence of the Playing Field Cover-Up at
> Kalorama Park!
>
>  Mary, et al:
>
>       My investigations yesterday morning were limited to photographs at
> a distance through the chain fence.  Yesterday late afternoon, I returned
> to the Kalorama Park "playing field" terrace excavations and examined them
> closely.  I believe you are correct, Mary-- the excavations have revealed
> historic archeological artifacts dating back historically at the lower and
> northern end, and modern and disgusting at the upper and southern end.
>
> Lower levels, historic finds:
>
> Photograph A shows the general context of the terraces.  They run the
> entire length of the basketball court, have a vertical range of 6-8 feet,
> and run longitudinally from previously undisturbed subsoil adjacent to the
> basketball court knee wall, to areas well within the playing field work
> area, where the previous contractor deposited 4-5 feet of compacted
> construction debris as "soil".
>
> Photograph B shows a closeup of the the brick fragment photographed at a
> distance before.  I now believe it lies below the playing field area and is
> an archeological artifact.
>
> Photographs C, D, and E show an iron pipe in the soil matrix, a piece of
> it broken off in the excavation, and a closeup of the piece.
>
> Photographs F, G, and H show a piece of glazed clay, possibly from the lip
> of a drainage tile piece or a pot, as found in the excavation in situ, and
> in closeup after cleaning the piece.  I have retained this piece for
> appropriate authorities.
>
> Upper levels, disgusting finds:
>
> The highest terrace cuts on the southern end cut down into the supposedly
> "undisturbed soil" of all the DPR diagrams and specs, which is in fact the
> 4-5 feet of construction debris and compacted illegal spoils from Mitchell
> park, etc. deposited by the previous contractor.
>
> Photograph I shows a massive piece of sidewalk from Mitchell Park.
>
> Photographs J and K show closeups of what I had identified, at a distance,
> as asphalt fragments.  They are, instead, a layer of disgusting plastic
> bags and plastic erosion fencing material which were compacted into the
> playing field.  Note that they lie more than a foot below the level of the
> "playing field" surface as defined and planted in grass by the contractor
> last year.DPR calls all this "undisturbed soil" and proposes to put the
> geo-fabric matrix over these disgusting plastic bags and the rest of the
> construction debris!
>
> Councilman Graham, ANC-1C Commissioners, staff of the District Council
> Committee on Parks, Libraries and Recreation, Historic Preservation
> officers and Kalorama Citizens: please bring a halt to this illegal
> desecration of a historic archeological site which has been overlaid with
> an equally illegal mass of construction debris and illegal spoils including
> A COMPACTED LAYER OF DISGUSTING PLASTIC BAGS! This massive fraudulent
> contract has gone on far too long, wasted too much money, and done too much
> damage.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  ------------------------------
> *From:* "maryjbelcher at comcast.net" <maryjbelcher at comcast.net>
> *To:* Chris Version II.O <chrisotten2 at yahoo.com>
> *Cc:* Jim at grahamwone.com; Ruth (OP)Trocolli <Ruth.Trocolli at dc.gov>;
> bcr at archetypestudio.net; dcgreenstyler at gmail.com; intowner at intowner.com;
> sandrareischel at yahoo.com; John P. (DDOT)Thomas <john.pthomas at dc.gov>;
> mintwood-place at lists.mutualaid.org; lloydmetroinc at aol.com; Derek
> (DPR)Schultz <derek.schultz at dc.gov>; Robert (COUNCIL)Hawkins <
> RHawkins at DCCOUNCIL.US>; Benjamin (COUNCIL)Young <BYoung at DCCOUNCIL.US>;
> dcvirginia at hotmail.com; tedguthrie3 at gmail.com; Mark (MPD)Jackson <
> mark.jackson at dc.gov>; Bridget (DPR)Stesney <Bridget.Stesney at dc.gov>; John
> Cloud <john.cloud666 at yahoo.com>; Jesus (DPR)Aguirre <jesus.aguirre at dc.gov>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, May 31, 2011 3:36 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Mintwood-place] Dramatic New Evidence of the Playing
> Field Cover-Up at Kalorama Park!
>
>  Hi John, Chris & All:
>
> Just a reminder:  I don't know where the brick fragments came from, but
> they resemble the brick wall that was determined to be an archaeological
> resource at the northern end of the basketball court.  I informed Jesus and
> Ruth last week that they were getting very close to it. -- Mary Belcher
>
>
>
>
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