Exploring the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (Webinar)

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 2010. Carol Highsmith, photographer.

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Join the DC Preservation League on Tuesday, August 31st at 12:00pm EDT for a virtual presentation led by Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (FoKAG)! 

The Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens are located in marshland in northeast DC, on the east shore of the Anacostia River. They were created and maintained by Civil War veteran and US Treasury Department employee W.B. Shaw and his daughter, Helen Shaw Fowler, from 1882 to 1938. Although Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens are locally important today as a part of Washington’s Park System, their greater significance lies in the contributions to the botanical study and development of water plants and gardens.

Speakers 

Tina O’Connell, Executive Director (FoKAG)

Tina joined Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in 2012 as its first paid staff person and is thrilled to promote one of her own city’s hidden gems. She started as a volunteer coordinator and has since grown the organization into a robust nonprofit that helps people, especially those who live nearby, to connect with the natural beauty of the park through volunteer stewardship, seasonal celebrations, and educational programs. Previously, she worked at NOAA’s national headquarters guiding research and education efforts at amazing, yet faraway, estuarine reserves. Tina earned a Master’s degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Megan Singleton, Communications & Development Associate (FoKAG)

As Communications & Development Associate, Megan works to promote the exciting programs at the park that inspire curiosity, creativity, and healthy living. She graduated from NC State University in May of 2019 with a degree in Fashion & Textile Brand Management & Marketing and minored in Arts Entrepreneurship. Megan volunteers in clean-up events and writing letters to elders. In her free time, she enjoys finding new hiking trails, creating oil paintings and textile art, and crunching leaves in the fall.

Joe Cashman, National Park Service Ranger 

Joe Cashman grew up in Anderson South Carolina. He went to the Air Force Academy and then served in the Air Force for 5 years. He then got his masters in Teaching from The Citadel and taught high school government and economics and middle school South Carolina History for 14 years. After volunteering at Congaree National Park in South Carolina for 4 years Joe and his wife Francie moved to Baltimore Maryland last year. Joe has been at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens since this past December.

About Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (FoKAG)

Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (FoKAG) was founded in 2001 by a small group of volunteers enthralled by the park’s unique beauty and place in DC history. Keenly aware of the enormous task of maintaining the park, FoKAG works in cooperation with the National Park Service to ensure the park is well-maintained, well-enjoyed and welcoming for neighbors and visitors. They are a 501c3 nonprofit organization that connects people to the park through stewardship, engagement and educational programs. They envision an aquatic gardens that inspires. 

August “East of the River” events are generously sponsored by Karen Gordon of Seattle, Washington. Karen is sponsoring this month in memory of her dear friend Patricia E. Williams. Pat was a founding member of Don’t Tear It Down and a native of Southeast Washington. She devoted her career and volunteer activities to preserve and protect the urban environment in her native Washington, D.C. and in Mt. Rainier, Maryland where she resided for much of her adult life.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS • Clark Construction Group, LLC 

Consigli Construction Co., Inc. • FILLAT + Architecture 

Quinn Evans Architects • Roadside Development LLC 

ZDS Architecture & Interiors