Editorial: A Double Anniversary
By • January 13, 2026 0 324
1789 was a milestone year for the nation and for Georgetown. That year, the U.S. Constitution was adopted and Georgetown University — the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the country — was founded as Georgetown College. (Appropriately, 1789 is also the name of a neighborhood landmark restaurant.)
This year, however, the honors go to two other years, 1776 and 1751.
As we all learned in grade school, on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was ratified by the Second Continental Congress. Thus, by general agreement, the nation will celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. Among other D.C. events of the semiquincentennial, Ford’s Theatre is reviving the Broadway show “1776,” which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1969.
When Tom and Ben and the Johns — Adams and Hancock — were suffering through a Philadelphia summer, Georgetown was already a quarter-century old. In 1751, the Province of Maryland in England’s North American colonies authorized the purchase of 60 acres on the site of a tobacco trading post on the Potomac River. Our town was most likely named for the then-reigning monarch, George II.
For 71 years following the creation of the District of Columbia in 1800, Georgetown remained an independent municipality within D.C. Eventually, in 1895, its streets were renamed to conform with the District’s unique system. Bridge Street (as in Bridge Street Books) became M Street and High Street became Wisconsin Avenue.
Despite that consolidation, and the many ups and downs of the 20th century, this corner of the nation’s capital city — a historic district since 1950 — has retained its distinct identity.
Throughout 2026, The Georgetowner will be partnering with a variety of local organizations to highlight the many things we have to be proud of here in D.C.’s most historic neighborhood, while taking care not to sugarcoat or rewrite history.
Regarding Georgetown’s involvement in slavery, for instance, which dates to its establishment as a tobacco port, we intend to follow in the footsteps of GU’s Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation Initiative; the Black Georgetown Foundation; the Georgetown African American Historic Landmark Project; Dumbarton House, which presented the exhibition “100 Dollar Reward” in 2018; and Tudor Place, which launched the installation and guided tour “Ancestral Spaces” in 2024.
Are you connected with an organization planning a Georgetown 275 event? Tell us how we can help and send us the details when final. It’s time to share our stories and celebrate the place we call home.
