New Book Offers Photo History of Brookland Area

Book was “labor of love” for co-authors John Feeley and Rosie Dempsey

District residents can now enjoy a photographic history of the Brookland area from the Civil War to the 1970s.

The book, called Brookland, was co-authored by local residents John J. Feeley, Jr. and Rosie Dempsey and was published earlier this year by Arcadia Publishing. The book is available locally at Brookland Hardware and Petals, Ribbons and Beyond and online at www.BrooklandDChistory.com.

Ms. Dempsey, who has lived in Brookland for 25 years, described the book as “a photo history of a historic neighborhood in Northeast DC renowned for its early integration and early African-American home ownership.” She added that the neighborhood uniquely maintained a “bucolic landscape” until late in the twentieth century.

The authors combed through a dozen local archives over an eighteen month period to gather material for the book. Mr. Feeley estimated that they evaluated more than 800 photographs in order to select the final 218 for publication.

Mr. Feeley was born at Providence Hospital and has lived in the neighborhood his whole life.

“The thrill of the search was the funnest part,” said Ms. Dempsey. “You go on a hunt in an archive not knowing what you are going to find.” She said when she discovered an 1890 photograph of what is now 12th and Monroe Street, she “just about cried.” The photo shows 12th Street at a time when the area was undeveloped, with dirt roads, wooden sidewalks, open fields, and few homes.

Mr. Feeley said the publisher had high standards for the quality of photographs, which made the task challenging. “They don’t want a whole bunch of stuff out of your family album,” said Mr. Feeley.

The authors relied heavily on archives of local Catholic institutions, like Catholic University and the Franciscan Monastery. Ms. Dempsey said the archives at the Baltimore Afro-American were a treasure-trove of photographs of the African American elite who gravitated to Brookland in the 1930s and 1940s.

Each photo has a detailed caption and each chapter provides several pages of historical information. Chapters include “From Rural Village to Main Street” and “Black and White Middle Class Ascendancy.”

This is the first published book for both Mr. Feeley and Ms. Dempsey. Ms. Dempsey, whose writing has appeared in anthologies, has a background in journalism and publishing.

“John knew the neighborhood history from being a tour guide for 20 years and I come at history as someone who has done family history, oral history, and geneology,” said Ms. Dempsey. Mr. Feeley and Ms. Dempsey are cousins by marriage.

The book has been well received: according to the publisher, the initial print run of 1,200 copies sold out within a month. More copies have been printed.

“It is a classic example of what happens when a tight-knit community rallies behind their local authors and how far that strong support can take a book’s sales,” said Arcadia Publishing marketing specialist Gervase Kolmos. “We are thrilled with the entire experience.”

Ms. Dempsey said she and Mr. Feeley spent more than $8,000 of their own money to bring the book to life, calling the endeavor a labor of love. “We had to pay for photo scans, we had to pay for copyrights, we had to hire some interns,” she explained. Ms. Dempsey said it cost roughly $50-$70 per photo for photo rights.

The authors said they are hoping strong sales of the book will allow them to recoup their costs.

Mr. Feeley and Ms. Dempsey have been busy promoting the book through local book signings and other events. At an upcoming open house at Howard University Divinity School on January 30th, the authors will give a talk that focuses on Brookland’s ties to Howard University, particularly during the mid-twentieth century. “Lots of Howard professors, faculty, students and alumni lived in this neighborhood,” said Ms. Dempsey. The authors will also discuss the homes designed by African-American architects for the professionals who lived here.

Ms. Dempsey and Mr. Feeley said giving book talks allowed them to “go beyond” the material in the book, which was limited by the publisher’s format. They said they learned new information at every book event because attendees often identify additional people in the photographs and reminisce about their family history in Brookland.

The open house at Howard Divinity School will include a walking tour, a tour of historic photos, and a tour of the art museum. Ms. Dempsey said the divinity school has “one of the best collections of Ethiopian iconic art and manuscripts” which is open only by appointment, but which will be open at the book event.

The authors said additional photos, updates, and corrections are regularly posted online at www.BrooklandDChistory.com.