Photo credit: Historical Society of Washington

A Community Exploring Its Past

The Overbeck Project preserves and publicizes the history of the Capitol Hill community by recording the recollections of its longtime residents, presenting history lectures and promoting historical research.

Recently Posted Interviews

Tim Temple

Tim Temple moved to Capitol Hill in 1963 and immediately began renovating a dilapidated apartment building. He founded and operated Splash car wash near South Capitol Street between 1996 and 2021.

Pat Joseph

Patricia Joseph has been a resident of Washington and of Capitol Hill since 1980.

Sam Ford

Sam Ford and his wife of 41 years, journalist Gloria Murry Ford, bought their house in the 200 block of 12th Street SE in 1982 and Ford has lived there ever since.

Kathleen Donohue

Kathleen Donahue’s vision for a retail business on Capitol Hill took shape one summer afternoon as she sat in a traffic jam on the 14th Street Bridge. Why should anyone have to cross the Potomac in search of a game? In November 2010, she opened Labyrinth Games & Puzzles at 645 Pennsylvania Ave SE.

Featured Images

Lecture Series

Map and 1813 Sampler by Julia Ann Crowley

Samplers, Students, and Sailmakers: A Portrait of Federal-Era Capitol Hill

Lecture By :
Alden O'Brien
May 4, 2026
Using church records, maps, property records, paintings, and the earliest city directory, as well as a recently identified group school girl samplers, Alden O’Brien will paint a portrait of 1810s-1820s Navy Yard and Capitol Hill.
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In Memoriam

Rick Hamecs 1951 - 2024

The Overbeck Project notes with sadness the passing of Rick Hamecs. Rick was among the first project volunteers in 2001 and served as our pioneering webmaster. He was a supporter of the Overbeck Project for the remainder of his life.
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Overbeck Project
Capitol Hill Community Foundation
419 East Capitol Street SE
Washington, DC 20003

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Project Managers
Maygene Daniels
Elizabeth Lewis
info@CapitolHillHistory.org
The Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project is an initiative of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation. © Copyright 2023
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