DACOR Bacon House History: Academic Library

Most Recent Articles

Deep Roots: Virginia Murray Bacon's Connections to DACOR and the Foreign Service

Sep 9 2024

Elizabeth Warner, DACOR Archivist, delves into Virginia Bacon’s long and active interest in foreign affairs and association with members of the Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired (DACOR) organization even before it was incorporated in 1950. This article is adapted from remarks made at the “high tea” celebration of Virginia Murray Bacon’s 133rd birthday at DACOR on September 14, 2023, and was published in the DACOR Bulletin in December 2023.

John Marshall and the Justices at Ringgold House

Sep 3 2024

DACOR Bacon House is best known as the house where John Marshall and the justices of the Supreme Court boarded for two terms 1832 and 1833. Such is the fame and renown of the chief justice that a plaque outside the house even calls it “The John Marshall House” and it is identified as such on the DC Historic Sites website maintained by the Preservation League of the District: https://historicsites.dcpreservation.org/items/show/512. This article attempts to draw together all the information known about the stay of the justices in the house.

The article was prepared for a presentation given on September 30, 2020 by Angela Dickey, president of DACOR Bacon House and Jennifer Wendell of John Marshall House and can be viewed on Youtube under the title “Intended to Endure: Marshall and the Court”: https://youtu.be/pJVdlmaHmLQ.

Tench Ringgold, a Biography

Aug 26 2024

July 31st marked the 180th anniversary of the death of Tench Ringgold, the man responsible for building 1801 F Street, now the home of DACOR Bacon House Foundation. For fifty-five of his nearly seventy years, his life notable for its up and downs – extraordinary highs due to connections with the high and mighty of the city and the country, lows and disappointments stemming from unfortunate business and political decisions, not all of his own making. He and Andrew Jackson did not see eye to eye, and he lost – calamitously – his position as marshal of the District of Columbia in 1831. He retreated to a farm across the river in Alexandria (now Arlington) County where he spent his final years. This biography, based on property deeds, newspaper accounts, memoirs, and scattered letters in founding fathers’ archives, is in three parts. The second was published last week – an account of his period as marshal. This part deals with his early years before he was appointed marshal. To read this part, see the attached article.

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Our Authors

Terence Walz is the resident historian at DACOR Bacon House. He is a historian of modern Egyptian history with a doctorate from Boston University. He is the author and editor of two published books and has recently contributed articles to the Journal of Supreme Court History and the website of the White House Historical Association. Dr. Walz’s work in international organizations led him to the DACOR Bacon House where he has been a member for six years. He has taken on the task of researching and documenting the history of the DACOR home, its history, and its inhabitants, particularly the first one hundred years. This archive is a growing collection of his work.

Elizabeth Warner, a lawyer by training and DACOR member, is researching the life of Virginia Murray Bacon, the last private owner of the DACOR Bacon House from 1925 to 1980. She is an adjunct professor at New England College, where she designs and teaches courses in law and political science. A long-term resident of the Washington, D.C. area, she also lived and worked throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia for 14 years, often in extremely challenging environments. In addition to articles about Mrs. Bacon, she has published material on human rights, international law and other subjects. Ms. Warner has law degrees from the University of Michigan and Georgetown University.