Shaw Lily Ponds

Today, some people might use this station to visit the nearby Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. But, 100 years ago, the land that is now Kenilworth Park was the property of Civil War veteran Walter B. Shaw. Homesick, Shaw had a number of wild waterlilies from his home state of Maine planted on the land. The lilies were a hit, and Shaw brought in more plants, eventually making the area a commercial venture called “W.B. Shaw Lily Ponds.” After Shaw died, the gardens were maintained by his daughter, Helen, until the land came under threat of condemnation in the 1930s. She advocated for the survival of the gardens and, in 1938, Congress authorized payment to add the gardens to the N.P.S.-run Anacostia Park.