This has been a great first week. With the help of my wife, I came up with the name Ghosts of D.C. on Monday and by Wednesday, the blog up and running with the first post. Incidentally, I was a little trigger happy with posts and knocked out two more posts that night. I also stayed up exceedingly late on ... Read More »
Here’s a great old advertisement from the Sunday Washington Times, on Halloween, 1909. Interested in buying an electric car? Well it’ll only take $1,500 and you could be the proud owner of a Rauch & Lang Electric. I apologize, but the thumbnail photo for this post is actually a 1914 Rauch & Lang. I’m sure you already knew that. I ... Read More »
Mark this down as something you’ll never see today. The President is just walking out of the White House grounds … alone. Let’s be honest, any guy that takes a bullet in his chest and STILL gives a speech can kick anyone’s ass. He casually strolls south onto what appears to be E St. Read More »
Buy this book and then read it (I bought the Kindle version). It is an excellent window into life in Washington City in the days after the fall of Fort Sumter. It chronicles life in the District starting April 14th, 1861. Word had spread to Washington that the Union flag was lowered over Fort Sumter. Lincoln and his cabinet feel ... Read More »
My wife is a huge fan of Corte Salon and she convinced me to start going there a couple of years ago … and I have to say, it’s definitely the best haircut I’ve ever had. So yes, this is a plug for them and the folks that work there. But second, my wife and I were chatting with the ... Read More »
There’s a strong element of sadness watching this video. A burning city, military occupation … what essentially was complete chaos in the city from April 4th to April 8th, 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Economically it seriously devastated the corridors of 14th St NW, 7th St NW and H St NW. It has only been in ... Read More »
Evidently, horses racing through the streets of Columbia Heights was a dangerous thing at the turn of the century. This article I came across from July 9th, 1900 talks about a recent accident leading to new regulations. A skillful hand is required to guide a team of spirited horses, rushing madly through crowded streets in response to an alarm of ... Read More »
This is a great one for “Faces of Yesterday” … this group of young boys worked as Dime Messenger Service boys, with their headquarters at 1228 H St. NW. Lewis Hine, the American sociologist and photographer took this photo in the spring 1912. The baby-faced boy in the middle is Eddie Tahoory (14 years old) and he recently started working ... Read More »
I came across a great advertisement for plots in Columbia Heights. It dates back from July 20th, 1902. A few obvious differences that stick out: Georgia Ave. was named Brightwood Avenue, Irving St. was named Kenesaw St., Park Rd. east of 14th St. was named Whitney Ave. Here is some of the advertisement (paraphrased because it’s quite long). Read More »
Prince of Petworth has a couple of posts on this statue already, but I wanted to add a few then and now photos and do a little more background research on the dedication ceremony. Read More »
Wow, this one is gold. Jimi Hendrix played the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Ave. NW — the same one where Hinkley shot Reagan in 1981. That’s right, the guitar god himself played to 4,000 fans in the hotel’s international ballroom on March 10th, 1968, accompanied by his bandmates, Noel Redding (drums) and Mitch Mitchell (bass). This one might be cooler ... Read More »
Now this is a great one from the vaults of the Library of Congress. I found this on YouTube (of course). There’s no sound, but it’s very interesting to watch. On Mar. 4, 1905, Teddy Roosevelt was inaugurated in Washington, D.C. with much celebration and fanfare. He rides in an open landau on 15 St. NW, escorted by mounted Rough ... Read More »
These are some great photos I came across on Flickr. These are from the Library of Congress, taken around 1941 or 1942, during the early days of World War II. They really depict a different D.C., although the houses look pretty much the same — yet strikingly like Philadelphia. The ones on Flickr aren’t all of D.C., but they’re worth checking out. Read More »
I’m doing a little early morning research and this one from January 11th, 1892 caught my eye. Frank Rowler, a messenger boy, was assaulted in Crowley’s oyster house, on the Avenue, late Saturday night, by a man named Howard, who was in an ugly temper from drink. Several bystanders interfered, among whom was Michael McDonald. Mr. McDonald was so angry ... Read More »
Here is video (partly in color) of FDR being inaugurated for the fourth time. This being the fourth time is impressive enough, but also, this happened on the South Portico of the White House due to ongoing privations due to the Second World War. It was a rather muted event compared to all other inaugurations. That doesn’t mean this video ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington