Athletic Association Complex

Harper’s Weekly magazine coverage of medieval joust taking place on the island in 1865.

Harper's Weekly

Following the Civil War and Freedman’s Camp, the island reverted back to its state before the war as a home for many locally-organized events like picnics and dances. In 1865 following the closure of the Freedman’s Camp, a medieval style joust was hosted on the island followed by a moonlight dance near the Mason House. This was probably the most extravagant event hosted at the island after the war. For the remainder of the 1800s, most of the other activities were picnics and dances hosted by various clubs and organizations based in Washington, DC, like the Oldest Inhabitants of DC Club and the Steam Fire Engine Company.

Towards the end of the 19th century the island was host to many athletic competitions and sporting club activities. Beginning in 1887 the Columbia Athletic Club held events on the island. The club set about to lease land and lay out a baseball, football, and cricket ground as well as half a dozen tennis courts on the island. The final product was a large 200-yard track end-to-end that was surrounded by three large grandstands for athletic competitions. This track was constructed where the current Theodore Roosevelt Memorial stands today. It is also said that a clubhouse was built in the vicinity, but the location of the clubhouse remains unknown. The Washington Canoe Association and various shooting clubs also held events on the island during this time continuing the use of the island as a gathering place for the local community. To facilitate access to the island, the Columbia Athletic Club revived the previously defunct ferry in 1887 that used to run from Georgetown.

 

Plan of the Columbia Athletic Track on Analostan Island, ca. 1890

Evening Star, October 4, 1890

The Columbia Athletic Club would not last long on the island though as their newly constructed clubhouse burned down within a year of being constructed. Shortly thereafter, in 1892, the club left possibly due to economic conditions during this decade. Following the club’s departure, the island declined into a state of abandonment and disarray. The vacant buildings on the island fell into significant disrepair and were home to squatters.

During the Spanish-American War of 1898, the island was used for testing of a new experimental chemical explosive. The chemical Joveite was tested on land for its potential to assist in the construction of trenches and was also tested on the abandoned Mason House to assess its impact on infrastructure.[1] These tests would lead to more damage to an already abandoned Mason House.

The most numerous archeological items remaining today from the late 1800s and early 1900s are remnants of clay pigeons and spent shotgun shells that mark the use of the island by sporting clubs. The track, grandstands, and various building of the Columbia Athletic Club no longer remain. By 1900, the island was left abandoned and misused. Locals characterized it as a place where illegal activities were common. This would begin to change though with discussions for a newly designed National Mall that were starting with the McMillan Plan in 1902.

 

Sources:

1. “Joveite, The New Explosive,” New York Times, January 19, 1895