Here are a couple of new items that we acquired at last month’s Washington Antiquarian Book Fair:
When AU’s founder, Bishop John Fletcher Hurst, purchased the land for American University, northwest Washington, DC was the country.  Over the intervening years, a number of communities were built in the neighborhood. We have had a photocopy of a brochure produced by the developers of American University Park in the archives so we were excited to see the real brochure and purchased a copy. The brochure is titled “The American University Park, Washington, D.C.” and was distributed by the developers, J.D. Croissant and David D. Stone Trustees, around 1897.  The brochure includes photographs of the area, existing houses, and a map.  The developers were selling lots and included information on lot prices and restrictions. We also picked up a copy of W.C. and A.N. Miller’s 1927 promotional brochure for Wesley Heights –  “Wesley Heights: The Garden Spot of Washington – A Miller-Built Community.”  Unlike with AU Park, W.C.& A.N. Miller were selling houses.  The illustrated brochure includes information on lot sizes, house types, landscaping, community features, and prices.