A Community Exploring Its Past

While most Americans probably think of Capitol Hill as simply the site of the U.S. Capitol, those who live here know it as an old and thriving residential neighborhood, a small town within a large city. The Overbeck Project captures the history of this community by recording the recollections of its longtime residents and preserving other records of its fascinating past.

Project volunteers collect and transcribe interviews for posting on this site. We also sponsor a highly successful lecture series exploring our city's history. We urge you too to get involved in this exciting effort, sponsored by the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.

Recent Transcripts Added: Besides all the new Eastern Market related interviews, transcripts have recently been added for former DC Police Chief Isaac Fulwood, Jr., Pat Taffe Driscoll, Ellen Breen, Margot Kelly, and Goldie Mamakos.

Exciting News 

Mary Zurhorst Gray, who grew up at 301 East Capitol Street SE in the 1920s, has completed a memoir about her childhood and the several generations of ancestors who made Capitol Hill their home. Washington Post reporter Michael E. Ruane's story about Mary's book, published in the print edition Oct. 7, 2009, and an accompanying video, are available on the Post's website. Mary read excerpts from the memoir at the November 8, 2009, Overbeck Project lecture.

"Eastern Market — The Rebuilding," a video produced by Capitol Hill’s own Langley Bowers, premiered to a large enthusiastic audience on October 17, 2009, in — appropriately — the North Hall of Eastern Market. Produced with the support of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation’s Eastern Market Fund and the Overbeck Project, the 18 minute video recounts the tragedy of an iconic DC building lost to fire in 2007 and the inspirational story of a community uniting to rebuild. Copies of the video are available at Riverby Books, 417 East Capitol Street SE, for a contribution of $10 or more to the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.