Dumbarton House Birthday Celebration: Cake, Lawn Games, Music

GEORGETOWN, DC — Hope you have a good set of lungs to blow out these candles, because Dumbarton House is celebrating its 87th year as a Georgetown museum. The quaint historic house is now also the oldest museum in the neighborhood.

To celebrate such a milestone, the folks at Dumbarton House are throwing a birthday party — and you're invited! Join them on Thursday, May 16, for free food, lawn games, live music, a cash bar, and — of course — birthday cake. The party at 2715 Q St. NW is from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

If you're unfamiliar with Dumbarton House, here's a brief history:

Built in 1800, Dumbarton House was the home to Joseph Nourse, who served as the first Register of the U.S. Treasury under six presidents. According to the museum, Nourse, who lived there from 1804 to 1813, is known as "America's First Civil Servant."

Now, Dumbarton House serves as the headquarters for The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America. It is also D.C.'s only fully-furnished Federal house museum that is open to the public. The museum is packed with significant Federal-era decorative arts, paintings, and furniture, according to Dumbarton House.