Florence McLendon

When Florence (Florine) S. McLendon (1896 – 1975) recalled her childhood in Anacostia, she compared it to a “village where everybody knew everybody else.” Her family moved to the area around 1910—she lived on the property that would later become the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum—and described Douglass Hall and the community center as popular gathering places. McLendon remained in the neighborhood until her marriage in the late 1930s, and stayed involved with the community as a teacher at Birney until her retirement in 1960. She was also an active member of St. Phillips the Evangelist church.

In 1977, the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum’s Board of Directors voted to include McLendon’s portrait in “Phil Ratner’s Washington,” an exhibition honoring current and former Anacostia residents who contributed to the civic life of the community.