Swampoodle, Washington, D.C.

Swampoodle was an Irish neighborhood in Washington, D.C. A geographic approximation of its borders would be K Street to the north, G Street to the south, 1st Street NW to the west, and 2nd Street NE to the east. Through the center of it ran the principal branch of Tiber Creek. The name Swampoodle is attributed to a newspaper reporter covering the ground-breaking of St. Aloysius Church in 1857, who referred to the land at the site on North Capitol and I street as containing numerous swamps and puddles that often occurred when Tiber Creek overflowed its banks.

Swampoodle developed during the second half of the 19th century, providing a place of refuge for emigrants following the Irish potato famine. It gained a reputation for being a lawless shantytown, where crime, prostitution and drunkenness were rife. At the core of the district was Jackson Alley, considered a virtual no-go area for the police. The area was known for overcrowding and outbreaks of malaria, typhoid and dysentery. But Swampoodle was a thriving community, whose Irish construction workers helped build Washington, D.C. As Swampoodle was then on the edge of the city, many of the residents kept goats and cows, sometimes in livestock pens among the alleys dividing their modest houses. This continued up to the early 20th century.

There is a play by Tom Swift about life in Swampoodle by the same name. It was produced by Solas nua with support from the Ireland-based Performance Corporation to help combat stereotypes about the Irish. It consists of colorful, disparate stories about life in the predominantly Irish neighborhood.

The demise of Swampoodle as a community began with the construction of Union Station in 1907. The plan involved the demolition of the core of Swampoodle, around Jackson’s Alley. As part of the plan, the remainder of Tiber Creek was filled in. Over 300 houses were demolished to make way for the station and the rail yard. This physically divided the neighborhood and led to many of the 1,600 former residents moving to other parts of the city. Rezoning led to increased heavy industry in the area, making it unattractive for residential use.

The Irish identity of Swampoodle died away; by the post-World War II period, even the name Swampoodle was largely forgotten.

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