Funkstown – An Update on Foggy Bottom’s Native Americans

By Frank Leone

Before there was a Funkstown (1768), before the farms and plantations that preceded it, the area that is now Foggy Bottom and the District of Columbia was populated by Native Americans.  We discussed the Anacostan and related tribes in a post a few years back: Funkstown – DC’s Native Americans in Foggy Bottom.  That post included information Dr. Armand Lione shared in his blog and website that features an interactive map showing locations around DC where artifacts have been found. Long-time DC resident Dr. Lione has since written a wonderful book, Native American History of Washington, DC (Arcadia, 2023). On May 7, Dr. Lione presented to the Foggy Bottom West End Village – you can see my introduction of Dr. Lione here and his address here.

Dr. Armand Lione, FBA History Project Co-Chair Frank Leone (no relation), and Foggy Bottom West End Village Founding Board member Jackie Lemire at the presentation at the West End Library (H. Bordy, May 2026).  Dr. Lione worked as a reproductive toxicologist, including at Columbia Hospital for Women.

Pottery shards and other artifacts show Native American presence in Washington, D.C. – and Foggy Bottom – for 5,000 years.  When the English arrived in the 1500s they found the Anacostan (sometimes referred to Analostan or Nacotchtanck) tribe, with their main village across what is now called the Anacostia River.  Conflicts and disease took their toll, and much of what was left of the tribe migrated north – many intermarried with the Piscataway tribes of southern Maryland.

Check out Dr. Lione’s illustrated book, Native American History of Washington DC, available here. 

As Dr. Lione explained, the natives left artifacts throughout DC, including arrowheads and potshards on White House grounds and a burial ground at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling. But according to Dr. Stephen Potter, NPS Chief Regional Archaeologist, “The (with a capital T) most significant prehistoric discovery in the city of Washington” is in Foggy Bottom. The discovery occurred during construction of the Whitehurst Freeway ramp in Square 1 (by Rock Creek Parkway) and included cremated remains of a woman from 640-790 AD and artifacts. See Funkstown – DC’s Native Americans in Foggy Bottom.

Dr. Lione has worked to publicize neglected DC’s Native American history and obtain recognition for sites demonstrating native habitation.  For example, none of the locations mentioned in his map are identified with markers.  Moreover, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian has a display on the Maryland Piscataway tribe, but no discussion of the Anacostans. You can learn more about DC’s Native history and work for recognition of its past- Ask about Indigenous people (the Anacostans) & their history, when visiting museums or historic sites; ask teachers if local Native American history will be included in class work; and discuss Native American history with family & friends. We’ll do our part by adding the Foggy Bottom burial site to our Foggy Bottom Historic District House Map.

Also, May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month!  Check out our posts on Foggy Bottom’s Filipino American Manila House and Foggy Bottom’s Jewish immigrant grocery stores (The Historic District House Map (click layer for the 1920 Census) indicates locations and owner information of many of the historic district’s grocery stores.).