martin house -- very old martin house

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Kehunter, Johns photo shows the unfinished washington monument on the left
My question is.. if your photo of 695 were panned out more would the monument be on the left, or were the photos taken from different sides of the river?

[kehunter]

Hi Ray, the tall structure you're seeing to the left in John's photo is actually one of the smokestacks at the Navy Yard. Below is a link to a photo of the unfinished Washington Monument from the same time frame (also a Mathew Brady photo). Notice the different proportions....they hadn't made much progress (only 152 ft of the eventual 555 ft) by the time construction was halted in 1854.

http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u49 ... andy-1.jpg

This link is a more inclusive current view, from the I295 flyover, that gives a better sense of proportion. You can see the Capitol Building dome, current Navy Yard smokestacks, plus the Washington Monument.

http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u49 ... t_area.jpg

[Matt F.]

Since we're one the subject of Washington D.C., and Purple Martins, thought I post some photos (not mine) of a Martin house located in a grassy area by the Pentagon (which is actually in Arlington, Virginia):
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMV9 ... n_Virginia

[John Miller]

This park appears to be by the bridge -- but don't trust my map skills -- and if so, do ya'll think it would be worthwhile to contact them and try to establish interest in erecting a martin house near the old location? Seems like would be pretty cool to me -- despite all the hurdles I'd expect. John

http://www.nps.gov/anac/planyourvisit/a ... stival.htm

[Anthony Neira]

Cool ! Thanks Matt, I can't help but think the roof design over the openings look like "Sargent Stripes" (??), NO Conspiracy Here! to think this house was near 911 attack site !!
John, GO FOR IT!!! Sounds like a Great Idea! ...Hmm..Secret Service PM Decoys with Dark Sun Glasses & ear Mike?....Very Cool!

[kehunter]

I sent the note below to the "Contact Us" page of http://www.bridgepark.org/

I am a member of the Purple Martin Conservation Association, and recently a fellow member of The Purple Martin Forum noticed a martin house in the 1862 Mathew Brady photo of the "Navy Yard Bridge" (where the 11th Street Bridges are located). You may already be familiar with this historic photo, but can also be found at the URL below:

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/pos ... et-bridge/

It would be very neat to see a Purple Martin House erected at the west end of Anacostia Park Section D, near where the old homestead was in 1862. Please contact me if there is further interest, and I should be able to put you in contact with an experienced "Martin Landlord" in the DC area.

Thanks,

Kevin Hunter
Pearland, TX

[John Miller]

Kevin

That's good. Let us know if you get any response. I go off on some tangents but believe restoring a purple martin colony at this location would be an outstanding achievement. Unless there are martins in that decorative house at the Pentagon, it's as my understanding from some old PMCA stuff written by Jamie Hill -- and I can't find it now -- that martins no longer nest in Washington DC, but we know they are nearby. If we could get them re-established, we could get it in the NY Times I'm sure. Yes...house sparrows, fireworks, potential for vandalism....uh..funding...all probably hurdles. But maybe could be done.
John M

[KathyF]

Very cool links / pictures.