Alberta Paul

In 1990 the corner lot now known as Penn Branch Park was abandoned government land, trash and debris laden and overgrown with weeds. Since then, firesoul Alberta Paul, along with the Penn Branch Citizens Civic Association and the Public Works Committee, adopted the abandoned lot, and the space has seen true transformation.

During the first five years the community started with a group of eight people and worked every Saturday, cleaning and clearing the space that had long been a community eyesore at the gateway to the Penn Branch community.  The group created small beds of flowers and trees and over the years received funding to maintain, feed and groom the beautiful garden. With support from TKF and Green Spaces for DC, The Living Memorials Project, the park was rededicated in the spring of 2006 as a memorial to the victims of the events of September 11, 2001. The Living Memorial Project develops lasting, living memorials to the victims of terrorism, their families, communities and the nation. Penn Branch Park is one of nine memorial tree groves scattered throughout Washington DC, each providing a natural place for beauty, solace and quiet reflection.

The Penn Branch neighborhood is located in the South Eastern part of Washington, DC, near historic Anacostia. It is a “Community on the Move”, as the welcome sign aptly says at the gateway to the community. The once derelict park now thrives as a reading place for neighbors and their children, a place for small group meetings and community activities, and a site for gardening club demonstrations. It has been an admirable community effort in making the park what it is today, and Alberta Paul has been the visible anchor in those efforts.

Learn more about Green Spaces for DC and the Living Memorials Project