Upcoming Lectures

Central dome of the Palm House of the Victorian Conservatory and Bartholdi Fountain, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

United States Botanic Garden: 200 Years of Contributions

Lecture By :
Dr. Susan Pell, Executive Director, United States Botanic Garden
Dr. Susan Pell will share the 200 year history of the U.S. Botanic Garden, the oldest continuously operating botanic garden in the United States and a much-loved Capitol Hill neighbor.

The eye-catching conservatory and variety of plant displays of the United States Botanic Garden at the base of Capitol Hill has long been a treasured destination for residents and tourists. Dr. Susan Pell, USBG executive director, will look back at the garden's more than 200 years of history and its many contributions to national life. Using historic photos, media coverage, and stories from the USBG archives, Dr. Pell will share how the garden established by Congress in 1820 grew with a collection of living plants brought back from a 1842 naval expedition into the institution that now serves more than one million visitors each year, inspiring people to appreciate, study, and conserve plants.

Dr. Pell has spent her career at public gardens as a botanist, educator, and leader and has conducted fieldwork internationally in support of her research.

Admission to Overbeck Lectures is free but a reservation is required due to limited capacity. Reservations can be made through Hill Center.

The night of the lecture, seating will begin at 7:00 pm for guests with reserved seating.  Available seats will be released to others beginning at 7:15 pm. If you are unable to attend, please notify Hill Center(202-549-4172) so that another person can attend.

Location

Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital

‍921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

Contact Number
202-549-4172
Lecture Date
March 11, 2024
Cost of Lecture
Free
Lecture Time
7:30 pm

Lecture Series

Since 2002, the Overbeck Project has presented four lectures per year by local historians, authors and scholars on the history of Capitol Hill and the larger Washington, D.C. community.

All lectures are open to the public and offered free of charge.

Past Lectures: