William Beckett Project: Conversation and Reception

Come learn about the remarkable life of William Beckett, who was once the enslaved manager of Joshua Peirce’s nursery business on Linnaean Hill, now Rock Creek Park headquarters. New evidence reveals that Beckett was also Peirce’s son; his mother was an enslaved woman named Mary Beckett. 

After Beckett was emancipated on April 16, 1862, he led a long and distinguished career as a DC business owner, presidential coachman, and doorkeeper at the Library of Congress. When Beckett died in 1911, thousands crowded into his funeral at the Metropolitan AME Church on M Street NW.

On April 20, we’ll share what the Friends of Peirce Mill and Rock Creek Park have learned during the William Beckett Project, funded by Humanities DC.

The event will begin at 1:00pm with a conversation at Picnic Grove #1 in Rock Creek Park featuring Brian Joyner, Acting Superintendent of Rock Creek Park; Dr. Elizabeth Clark-Lewis, Professor of History at Howard University and the Director of its Public History Program; and Antonio Austin, Project Historian for the William Beckett Project and PhD candidate at Howard University.

Then we’ll head up to Linnaean Hill, now known as Klingle Mansion. Visitors will have the option to walk up the hill, or to take a free shuttle bus. 

A new, temporary interpretive exhibit telling Beckett’s life story will be installed near the mansion. We’ll end the afternoon with a reception and light refreshments on the lawn of Linnaean Hill, where William Beckett was born in 1833.

Please note that this outdoor event is free, and no reservation are required. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Schedule 

1:00 to 2:30pm: Conversation at Picnic Grove #1, Rock Creek Park

2:30 to 4:00pm: Exhibit and Reception at Klingle Mansion

Directions, Parking, and Public Transportation

Picnic Grove #1: Picnic Grove #1 is near the intersection of Tilden Street NW and Beach Drive. There are parking lots and street parking nearby.

Klingle Mansion: There is limited parking at Klingle Mansion, 3545 Williamsburg Ln NW, Washington, DC. Please note that the building is not open to the public.

Accessibility: There is accessible parking at Picnic Grove #1 and at Klingle Mansion. Sign language interpretation will be provided by Interpreting Sign: World.

Public Transportation: Picnic Grove #1 is a 20-30 minute walk from the Cleveland Park or Van Ness-UDC exits on the Red Line. Klingle Mansion is closer to the Cleveland Park exit.

Rock Creek Park Trail Map: https://www.nps.gov/rocr/planyourvisit/maps.htm

Exhibit Dates: The William Beckett exhibit will be on view April 20 to May 5, 2024 near Klingle Mansion.

Virtual Program: Can’t make it to Rock Creek Park? Join us for a free virtual program on Wednesday, May 1 from 5:30 to 7:00pm as part of the Race, History and Rock Creek Series organized by the National Park Service and the Rock Creek Conservancy.

Questions? Contact: angela@friendsofpeircemill.org

The William Beckett Project has been funded by
a grant from HumanitiesDC.

Free public programs at Peirce Mill are supported by the
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities,
which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.