she's lived here at the corner for 21 years. >> what do you think about nanny hallen burrows? >> reporter: she was born in virginia in 1879. at age 5 her mother brought her here to washington. she left washington when she was a teen but years later came back and started a school. about your row burrows was an activist who battled for women's equality and fought against racism. >> it's an honor to actually live on her street. >> reporter: now it's on to hur next stop. we're going five miles southwest to first sterling avenue in southeast washington to see if it's the same story there. of course first sterling is one of the biggest tongue twisters in town. it's less than two miles long flanked by homes and a highway packed with history, but not one many people knew. one we had to look into. >> this is first sterling. you know what i couldn't tell you. >> reporter: bertha sterling was a steel company that used to sit on the side of the air force base. it opened in the spring of 1907 and was later highlighted in this article in the "washington times" under a headline that touts th