Talk about serious road rage … OMG, this would suck. Just be glad you’re not facing this carmageddon today. And don’t complain if there’s a 12 minute wait at Rosslyn for the Orange Line. You don’t have to deal with this disaster (or maybe you did 38 years ago). Washington residents and those in the suburbs had a rough time ... Read More »
Herbert Bell was the unfortunate victim of a railroad accident in 1912, where he lost his left above the knee. He was able to sue for damages, but only recouped $500 (shocking and sad). He was an electrician in New York, living at the time on Long Island, but was having a hard time making a living. So difficult, that ... Read More »
April 10th, 1865 — Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia had surrendered a day earlier at Appomattox Court House. The Civil War was over and the Union had been preserved. Workmen from the Washington Navy Yard, accompanied by a band, visited Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles to congratulate them and celebrate the Union ... Read More »
My last post went way back to the 1920s. This one is a couple of decades after that, but well before the Washington Capitals arrived here. Our second “Before Ovechkin” post will cover the Washington Lions of the American Hockey League (AHL). Read More »
I came across a great idea while reading Prince of Petworth’s post on LivingSocial yesterday. The DC-based company just opened up their “live events center” in a building at 918 F St. NW, which was the former National Union Building. It’s a magnificently beautiful Romanesque building, six stories tall. This one certainly has a colorful history, so it’s going to ... Read More »
Murders Committed, Trains Held Up, and Helpless Women Robbed, But Officers Do Nothing to Check Outlawry, for the “Crimes” Are in Moving Pictures. This was the headline on the front page of the Washington Times on Thursday, November 16th, 1911. Back in the early 20th century, Fort Myer, in Arlington, was being used as a movie set for silent films. ... Read More »
Captain John Smith sailed up the Eastern Branch of the Potomac and was well received by the Nacotchtank, the Native Algonquin people in present-day Anacostia. The Captain’s oldest map, published in 1612, marks the area as Natcotchtank. In 1621 the small sailing vessel, Tiger, headed up the Potomac from Jamestown, Virginia, with 26 men aboard. The goal of the trip was to ... Read More »
I thought it would be a good to branch out and do a on Eastern High School (check them out on Facebook) near RFK Stadium. It’s a beautiful building at 1700 East Capitol St. NE, originally built in 1923. The original Eastern High School building was building in the 1890s at 7th and C St. SE. This past fall, they ... Read More »
Construction of the monument began on July 4th, 1848. Progress was slow, and after ten years, construction was halted due to congressional infighting, rising Civil War tensions and lack of funds. It remained in its unfinished state through the duration of the Civil War. The land surrounding the monument was used to graze cattle and the interior of the monument ... Read More »
This is a photo I came across on Shorpy. It’s of three children, who happen to be the offspring of James J. Davis, the Secretary of Labor in the Harding Administration. Davis was an American steel worker and Republican politician originally from Pittsburgh. He was affectionately known as “Iron Puddler” or “Puddler Jim.” Also, he was an advocate of the ... Read More »
Whitney Houston is dead at 48. Sadly, I can’t say that I’m surprised, given the downward spiral of her life, beginning with her train wreck marriage to Bobby Brown. It’s really a tragic story. This was a woman with an unbelievable talent who sang the greatest Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl in January of ’91. She had a ... Read More »
Here’s a cool “Then and Now” photo set. This is the Washington Star (or Evening Star) Building down at 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, right across from the Old Post Office Pavilion. This striking Beaux-Arts building was originally constructed in 1898 (designed by Marsh & Peter) to house the newspaper, which was the anchor tenant until 1955. The paper eventually ceased ... Read More »
The Iron Horse himself, Lou Gehrig, was in our city to celebrate the start of a new year in 1929. He was staying at the old Hotel Occidental on Pennsylvania Ave. Lou was quoted in the Washington Post on January 1st, 1929, after ringing in the New Year … Read More »
I was walking through Glover Park the other day with my wife and she made a great suggestion to do an “If Walls Could Talk” on the neighborhood favorite Pearson’s on Wisconsin. This place has been around for a really long time (since 1933). Your grandfather (or great-grandfather) probably would have purchased some booze from them (if he lived in ... Read More »
Five weeks into this blog and the response has been far greater than anticipated. Thank you to everyone for reading and sharing Ghosts of DC with their friends. With your help, we have surpassed 700 followers on Twitter and 300 likes on Facebook. Thanks to a nice shout out by Martin at DCist, we had a nice bump in traffic and ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington