Heurich House Museum

@heurichhouse

Community-centered museum that explores the history of early-20th-century workers in Washington, DC, and supports those who live and work in the city today.

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Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· 16d

See photo for sources.

Sources:
- Elizabeth Clement and Beans Velocci, “Modern Sexuality in Modern Times (1880s–1930s),” In The Routledge History of Queer America, edited by Don Romesburg (Routledge, 2018)
- Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume II: Sexual Inversion (F. A. Davis Company, 1901)
- Jay Hatheway, The Gilded Age Construction of Modern American Homophobia (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003).
- Kwame Holmes, “The End of Queer Urban History?” In The Routledge History of Queer America, edited by Don Romesburg (Routledge, 2018)
- Channing Joseph, “The Black Drag Queens Who Fought Before Stonewall,” Truthdig, September 25, 2025.
- Kevin Mumford, Interzones: Black/White Sex Districts in Chicago and New York in the Early Twentieth Century (Columbia University Press, 1997)
- Frank Muzzy, Gay and Lesbian Washington, D.C. (Arcadia Publishing, 2005).
- Ina Russell, ed, Jeb & Dash: A Diary of Gay Life 1918-1945 (Faber & Faber, 1993).

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· 16d

Looking for LGBT is BACK! A subculture emerges….

Looking for LGBT at the Heurich House: The emergence of a subculture: mid-1800s to mid-1900s. This research provided the context we needed to delve more specifically into LGBT at the Heurich House. Note: There is not one “LGBT history;” it is dependent upon racial, gender, national, and socioeconomic contexts. This overview focuses very broadly on men in American urban settings.
Image of Poet Walt Whitman and his close companion Pete Doyle in DC, 1865. Photo via Library of Congress.

What is homosexuality? Karl Maria Benkert first used “homosexuality” to describe same-sex sexual relations in Prussia in the 1860s. Homosexuality was part of the theory of gender inversion - inborn effeminacy in males (including sexual attraction to other males) and masculinity in females. This was different from “homoaffection” between men in the military or all-male sporting groups, which was not necessarily sexual. Image of Karl Maria Benkert, photo credit LGBT History Project.

From Act to Identity. Before the theory of gender inversion, most discussions of same-sex sexual activity depicted it as unnatural, wicked, one-time acts. By putting a name to this behavior and saying it is something people are born with, scientists and doctors got interested in studying homosexuality. More importantly, people who took part in same-sex sexual relations could start finding others like them.
Image of Lafayette Park near the White House. In the early 20th century, Lafayette Park was a cruising spot, where men could meet up with each other for anonymous sex. Photo credit Detroit Publishing Co, ca. 1910-1920 via Library of Congress.

Let's have a kiki! Gay social clubs and gatherings became more common through the late 1800s and early 1900s. Giving a name to homosexuality, along with demographic mobility through (im)migration, helped facilitate the growth of male homoerotic communities, especially in cities. Image of William Dorsey Swann, a Black man who was born into slavery and hosted drag dances in 1880s DC. No none photos of Swann exist. Image of one of Swann’s contemporaries, Jack Brown, in Paris 1903 via Wellcome Postcards.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· 16d

ICYMI: We have a new Executive Director! 🎉 Finally got to celebrate Alex Fraioli in her new role at the Heurich House. Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey so far. We’re so excited for you to join us in this next adventure.

Guests mingling at a crowded indoor reception in the Heurich House Conservatory. New Executive Director Alex Fraioli is in the middle talking to some guests.

Guests mingling at a crowded indoor reception in the Heurich House Conservatory.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· 23d

An investigation of desks at the Heurich House 🔍 Learn more about Andrew Bell and other stories of household staff members who lived and worked at the Heurich home on your next historic house tour! Each tour ends in the "Working Title" exhibit.

Desk vs. Desk: There are two drastically different desks in the museum's "Working Title" exhibit.
Image of Working Title exhibit with two desks highlighted.

Collage highlighting the ornate desk made for President Grant by F.E. Shultze & Sons (Bozeman, Montana), with a historic photo of Grant and Christian Heurich and text noting Heurich bought it at a 1902 government auction and kept it in his brewery then brought it to his home.

Plain dark wooden secretary (butler’s) desk on legs against an exposed brick wall, described as the second, less ostentatious desk; a utilitarian piece once used to write and store records with no known presidential or famous-owner provenance.

It's possible the secretary's desk was used by Andrew Bell, a Black Washingtonian who worked as the Butler in the Heurich house for 19 years. Some of our understanding of how the household staff lived and worked in the house is directly thanks to Bell, who was interviewed by the Historical Society of Washington in 1962 about his experience working in the house. Image of Bell serving dinner in the Heurich dining room.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Jul 15

From 1776, to 1905, to 1917, to 2026, what does it mean to be a “good American”?

What makes a "good American"?
In a letter to a friend, Christian Heurich referred to himself as a "good American" because he had turned down a knighthood in Germany. There's evidence throughout Heurich's home that he was proud of both his German heritage and his American identity, even while he was targeted by anti-German sentiment at the outset of World War I.
Image of suit of armor with American flag, and a section of Heinrich's letter to his friend in March 1905. Letter is in German, but translation reads: "Well, as a good American, I'm happy to forgo knighthood."

World War I started a wave of suspicion towards German-Americans.
Despite Christian's whiteness, wealth, and status as a naturalized citizen, rumors started up that he was working as a German spy.
The Department of Justice investigated the family's house, their farm in Maryland, and the Heurich brewery, but never found any proof. Christian maintained his innocence.
Images of DOJ report from 1917 and New York Times article from same year titled "Germans Here Safe If They Obey Law; No General Internment, Baker Announces."

Christian ate breakfast every morning in the Bierstube, a room styled after a German tavern. In the front hall of the Heurich home there is an American flag, and a bald eagle is featured at the top of the entry fireplace.
Images of Bierstube and carved wooden eagle.

How was it for Christian to balance his German heritage and American identity, privately and publicly?
Was he a "good American" for himself, his image, or his adopted country - or all of the above?
Image of section from Heurich's autobiography, talking about Germany as his mother and America as his bride. If he had to choose, then he would leave his mother and go with his bride.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Jul 10

Looking for LGBT at the Heurich House 👀🌈 Where to begin?!

Looking for LGBT at the Heurich House: The Process. Photo of Heurich House door with pride flag reflected in the glass on pastel lavender background.

Where to begin?
We started by looking at other LGBT history projects and blogs, especially related to museums and historic sites. This helped in getting oriented with methods, sources, and questions.
Image has faint sepia-era uniformed figure in the background, stacked handwritten letters at lower right, with magnifying-glass and question-mark icons.

"Many things to consider..." showing layered excerpts and highlighted notes from academic texts and blogs about queer history, sexuality, and museum interpretation on a pastel gradient background with lightbulb and star doodles. Highlighted sections include: "how do we discern a queer life from incomplete personal effects whose existence and content and often mediated by other family members?" "Surely I have gay forebears somewhere. For me, Cic's possibility means my possibility." "Don't need definitive proof for homosexuality when people don't ask the same for heterosexuality." "How, and in what terms, were nineteenth-century subjects able to imagine the parameters of sexuality?"

Now: Research?
It’s surprisingly hard to do research if you don’t have access to a university library system. Luckily the museum’s Curator was teaching a class at American University when we started this project, so she was able to help with getting books.
We also figured out that a DC Library Card gets you access to online newspaper archives and research databases like JSTOR! Next: Into the stacks!
Photo of DC public library card with star doodles.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Jul 8

Why do we value things that are hand-crafted? And how do we determine the definition of “made by hand”?

Question posed on a green patterned background reading "If something looks fancy, does that always mean it was hand-crafted?" beside an ornate gilded antique armchair

Historic Heurich Home parlor with ornate wood paneling, chandelier, gilded silk furnishings, tufted sofa and rocking chairs arranged on a red oriental rug; header reads, "The gilded and silk furniture on display throughout the Heurich home had to be hand-crafted, right?"

Text on page reads "It was actually mass-produced and purchased via catalogue, likely from Sears & Roebuck." Images of a 1927 Sears catalogue page, black-and-white wicker chair illustration from a catalogue, a gold ornate chair, and a "Reed Furniture at Lowest Prices" banner on a green patterned background.

Text heading: "Do we value these pieces more or less because they were not hand-crafted? Just because it was mass produced doesn't mean these items were not assembled or painted by a skilled laborer, even if one person didn't make the whole piece from scratch." Includes image of the main bedroom of the Heurich House, filled with Victorian furniture, rugs, and wallpaper. Text at bottom reads: "In that case: What makes something
'hand-crafted'?"

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Jul 4

Stars, stripes & dreams! 250 years to the day, we’re still dreaming about what America can be. 💭💭 Prompts by Philippa Pham Hughes, Nina Maturu, and Xena Ni.

Postcards in a binder:
1. People are prioritized over profits. A society of life-long learners and curiosity. Diversity is our strength.
2. dissolution of the empire, the rise of the working class, rights and dignity for all! and lots of drinking in parking lots before sporting events.
3. Free healthcare. More compassion. Planes that can withstand turbulence. Women run the world. Community reigns over profit. Live, love, and make love!
4. more drag queens.

Postcards with prompt "What do you dream for America for the next 150 years" and multicolored notecards with prompt "Needs to be reimagined/Debe ser reimaginado"
Answers include: investments in the arts; gender roles; more states (DC & PR) and fundamental restructuring of our systems of wealth and power); our concept of what it means to be 'american;' make NASA science great again!; the American social safety net and how we engage with poverty; I dream of connection and empathy and of humility it takes to be responsible for millions of lives. Dreaming of learning from the past without it weighing us down from moving forward; Progress, bridges more than borders, freedom and privacy; Continued existence of humanity, species becoming unextinct.

Wheel with yellow envelope that reads: "this dream belongs to you and me. By Xena Ni and a visitor like you." Cards on the wheel give responses to the questions, "where in america did you think of earlier" and "imagine it 100 years from now. Describe the future that you want." Answers include public libraries; Chinatown, DC; atop a mountain in Shenandoah; Washington DC

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Jun 30

Where did rocking chairs come from, anyway?

When you think of a rocking chair, what do you imagine? Images of unknown woman on a rocking chair at the Heurich farm and Sam Maloof mid-century rocking chair - Maloof was a second-generation Lebanese immigrant and renowned furniture craftsman in the US.

A rocking chair in the formal parlor of a Victorian-era mansion is probably not on the top of your list. Image of Heurich House drawing room, complete with gilded rocking chair.

The rocking chair is not inherently American, but it has become an iconic piece of Americana furniture. American inventor Benjamin Franklin is sometimes credited with inventing the rocking chair, though there is no concrete evidence for this. Images of Theodore Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, and Barack Obama in rocking chairs.

This gilded and silk embroidered chair juxtaposed the original, more democratic purpose: Rocking as a way to relax after a hard day, soothe a crying child, or greet neighbors on your front porch.
In a way the chair is a microcosm of many of the spaces in the Heurich House: European-style wealth mixed with Americana.
Image of gilded rocking chair at the Heurich House.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Jun 13

The roof’s been restored so we’re ready for rain. No more leaks in our Conservatory! Regarding the rest of the roof… Water damage, pests, and potential structural damage require further restoration. Help us keep the house safe for you, our collections, and the stories they hold with a gift today.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Jun 10

What is this little guy? And why does it matter?

This is not a pocket watch.
This device represents a shift in the global economy, a drastic change to international trade routes, and an expansion of U.S. imperial interests.

Image of small round item with dial and numbers. Background sepia toned photo of mountains, river, and construction.

This pedometer, a device used to measure distance in steps, was once owned by Louis Peter Keyser, Amelia Heurich's brother. Keyser worked as part of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey during the construction of the Panama Canal.

Image of pedometer, sepia-toned photo portrait of Peter Keyser, and black-and-white photo of barges in the Panama Canal.

It's possible the pedometer was used to survey land during the Canal's construction c. 1904-1914, making it a small part in the Canal's history.

Photo of three men in suits sitting on a railroad car on the side of a mountain, and a group of men doing construction on the side of the canal.

The Panama Canal project had a lasting impact (in the region and globally) as it created an easy route between the Atlantic and the Pacific. The US controlled the Canal until 1999, which allowed the US to play a larger role in global politics and international commerce.

Images of construction of the Panama Canal, taken by Peter Keyser

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· May 30

In 1904, firemen at the Heurich Brewery went on strike because Heurich refused to raise the price of beer.

Heading of The Washington Times newspaper from 1904 and photo of article title: Brewery Fireman Serve a Notice on Mr. Heurich. Text overlay reads: A Strike at the Chr. Heurich Brewing Co.?

Screenshot of newspaper article paragraph about fireman at the Heurich brewery going on strike. Text overlay reads: In 1904, Heurich refused to join five other local breweries in raising the price of beer. In retaliation, the new brewery association ordered fifteen of Heurich’s unionized firemen to strike. We don't have any quotes from the striking workers.

Screenshot of newspaper article paragraph about Heurich saying he will close his brewery before joining the Brewers' Association with photo of Heurich. Text overlay reads: The strike did not really affect Heurich’s operations. No other unions joined, and Heurich used non-union workers to fill the firemen’s positions.

Screenshot of newspaper article paragraph with quote from Heurich: "I came to talk with you about the firemen's contracts, and have no business with those other gentlemen." Image of brewery. Text overlay reads: Why did those 'other gentlemen' want to raise prices? Was it to increase workers' wages? Labor unions use collective action such as strikes to advocate for workers rights, including better wages. This strike took place two decades before federal minimum wage was established.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· May 19

Without modern and historic craftspeople building and maintaining the physical Heurich home… there is no home. Thank you to the experts at Wagner Roofing who recently ripped out the old, beat-up, leaky metal roof on our Conservatory! They’re currently installing a brand new copper roof.

Insulation over the flat conservatory roof, with workers placing long copper pieces around the edges.

Workers from Wagner Roofing starting to place flat pieces of copper over the insulation on the conservatory roof.

Workers covering the Conservatory roof with flat sheets of copper. The roof is almost covered.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· May 8

Current Heurich Scholar @jgbollard.bsky.social presented his research on how investor and politician Francis Newlands made DC the capital of a domestic empire. Former Heurich Scholar @mjrp.bsky.social gave the closing keynote with Sojin Kim, speaking on what the semiquincentennial means to DC.

Neil Flanagan, a white man with short hair and glasses, speaks on a panel at the DC History Conference.

MJ Rymsza-Pawlowska, a white woman with dark hair and bangs, speaks with Sojin Kim, an Asian woman with graying hair, at the DC History Conference closing keynote.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· May 1

Amelia Heurich mentions May Day just once in her diaries. How did the brewers, workers, and tradespeople connected to the Heurich family experience that day? Today it is a day of action, evolving with the struggles of each generation and uniting workers, immigrants, and communities.

May Day: A memorial, an evolving movement, and a ritual of collective action. Who decides what becomes a "holiday?" And whose struggles get remembered? Cut out black and white photo of women workers in the 1936 New York City May Day Parade on a blue background.

How did the workers installing the conservatory fountain experience May Day? Photo of fountain on a blue background.

What about the brewers, domestic workers, and tradespeople connected to the Heurich family? Did their day also go on "as usual" like Amelia's? Black and white photo of Heurich brewery employees, circa 1885. Blue background behind the text.

The only references to May Day in Amelia Heurich's diaries is from May 1, 1924. Diary reads: Thursday May Day. Went to market as usual & remained home all afternoon. They are putting the fountain tomorrow."

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Apr 20

Who crocheted this blanket? 🧶Was it Amelia? 🧶How did it end up in her boudoir? 🧶Was it a gift? 🧶How long did it take? There’s no maker's mark. No artist's signature. All we know is that crochet, knitting, and other types of fiber arts were traditionally seen, and expected to be, “women’s work.”

Small, multicolored crochet blanket laying over the back of a rocking chair in the Heurich House boudoir.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 28

Out with the old (fence), in with the new (same fence but restored) 📸 Photo of fence, July 2015 📸 Photo of fence, March 2026

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 23

Ironwork in the late 19th to mid-20th century DC was done in craft workshops and foundries - with very different processes and products. How did they compare? 🧵 Images of Jorss Iron Works advertisement ca. 1894 & White and Sons Foundry advertisement from Capitol Hill Restoration Society Guidelines

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 17

After trying to piece together Lizzie’ story, we learned that her uncle Robert immigrated to the U.S. in 1867. Robert completed an apprenticeship in carpentry and became a builder and contractor. 📸 Obituary for Robert O’Neill, Evening Star, May 11, 1910 (3/7)

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 17

Tracing Irish Immigrant Stories: Lizzie Cassidy Elizabeth (Lizzie) Cassidy worked as a chambermaid for the Heurich family in 1915. She emigrated from Ireland in 1905 at 15 years old, making DC her new home. 📸 Photo of Elizabeth Cassidy, Ancestry.com, shared by “Martinacassidy63.” (1/7)

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 15

We’ll hopefully never have to use them, but the kits exist to help us prevent and lessen damage to our historic buildings and collections in case of emergencies, large and small. Next time you see a bucket catching leaks from the conservatory roof, you'll know it’s part of our emergency kit! (2/3)

Bucket on the floor of the Heurich House conservatory

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 15

Better safe than sorry! 🦺⚠️ Collections Manager Kim Totten packs the museum’s emergency kits. The kits are filled with supplies to help us reduce damage to our collections during emergencies like fires, leaks, vandalism, or storms. The kits are stored in bins on wheels for easy movement. (1/3)

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 12

Who were the designers, artisans, and builders that made Mathilde and Christian Heurich’s dream home a reality? What were their lives - and own homes - like? Photo of workers at A.F. Jorss Iron Works, 21st & Va Ave., ca. 1907 (1/3)

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 10

Many details, Many hands. From large-scale sandstone ashlar to tiny, intricate carvings - each piece of the Heurich house exists thanks to many makers and workers. We’re trying to dig up their stories! 😉 (1/4)

Image of the Heurich House, looking up from the ground. The ashlar, or large square-cut stones used to make the building, are very visible.

Close up image of flowers engraved in wood

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 8

Crossover episode! Heurich House members got a tour of @dchistorycenter.bsky.social at the Carnegie Library last month, which included a look at their “Class Action: Education and Opportunity in the Nation’s Capital” exhibit. (1/2)

Heurich House members in front of the Carnegie Library at dusk

Members inside exhibit space, standing in front of a chalkboard that reads "Class Action" with a map of DC. The wall behind the chalkboard is fully covered by a class photo.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 6

Museum staff visited the historic Baltimore family-owned G. Krug & Son Ironworks to see the restoration process in action. The original fence will be reinstalled later this month. We can’t wait for you to see it!

Section of historic Heurich House fence, looks like it is painted white.

Three people looking at a section of the iron fence. There are other various pieces of ironwork in the foreground.

Sign on a brick wall that reads: Historic Preservation Creates Jobs. G Krug & Son Inc, Blacksmith

Pieces of iron fence stacked on each other, resting against a wall.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Mar 6

Where did our historic iron fence go? If you've been by the Heurich House at all recently, you may have noticed that the garden fence looks a little different. The original 130+ year old fence was removed for restoration to repair peeling paint, rust spots, and other damage.

Temporary and fence in front of the Heurich House garden.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Feb 14

Thank you for loving the Heurich House as much as we do! ❤️ We’re reopening in just a couple of weeks, and before we do, we’re proud to share our 2025 Annual Report.

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Feb 3

Help us find our next Executive Director. good-insight.org/careers/

Heurich House Museum@heurichhouse· Jan 12