I was poking around the archives of both the Washington Post and Washington Times to come across a gem of a story to share and the one that caught my eye involved two Georgetown boatmen engaged in a brutal fight to the death. Reading through any article titled “Murder in Georgetown,” you’re primed for a taste of some horrid scandal ... Read More »
This is a guest post by Aaron. He also wrote a cool one on the 1940 U.S. Census. We suspect you’ve ridden Metro for many years – without seeing anything quite like these stunning “glossy red” train cars. They were part of the original plan. Sure they’re sleek and sporty but they never progressed beyond the drawings and models seen here. ... Read More »
Driving was still not the primary mode off transportation in the city with streetcars crisscrossing the city, but John Blick, head of the Arcade Market going up in Columbia Heights felt strongly enough about making as easy as possible to park as close to the Arcade as possible. Remember when we almost had a Whole Foods move in? … only ... Read More »
Since we started way back (seems like way back) on January 4th, we have put up 336 blog posts about this city. For 143 consecutive days, seven days a week, without a single day off, we (I still use “we”) have averaged 2.3 daily posts. We’re pushing 1,000 Facebook likes and just passed 2,300 followers on Twitter. This has surpassed ... Read More »
This is a guest post by John (from The Lion of Anacostia), cross-posted here. Frederick Douglass was a self-made man about town during his years in Washington. He was a frequent guest of the White House the through various Presidential administrations after the Civil War, he served as adviser to both black and progress white Senators and Congress men, he often attended and lectured at Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal ... Read More »
Here’s a photo of George Chaconas in front of his market, located at 924 Louisiana Ave. NW. If you look near the top right of the photo, you’ll see what appears to be the tip of the Washington Monument. George was 33 years old at the time of this photograph and originally from Greece. In the 1920 U.S. Census, at ... Read More »
You find one, you find them all. Ok, admittedly the last few posts have been focused on little people, so this will be the last one for a while. Clarence Chesterfield Howerton, popularly known as “Major Mite,” visited the White House in December 1922 at the age of nine. Sadly, there was not detailed or even brief report of the ... Read More »
Yesterday’s post was popular, and thanks to GoDCer Mark’s tweet, I have another oddity to share with you. Below is a scene you’re not likely to see today at 14th and G. This is Julius Daranyi who had arrived in Washington with his theater group for a week of performances. On June 8th — for some inexplicable reason — he ... Read More »
So, this is a bizarre one that I came across on Shorpy … a large group of midgets arrive in Washington to support President Calvin Coolidge. I’m not making this up. It was reported in the Washington Post on January 20th, 1924. The first organizing touring Coolidge Marching club to work for the nomination of the president, comes to Washington Sunday ... Read More »
Below is the great opening paragraph of an article from the Washington Times. “Hello, central. Gimme Leesburg.” “Leesburg? O. K. There you are.” The central office which really places you in communications with Leesburg is situated in the picturesque town of Falls Church. Some idea of the importance of this little Virginia suburb of Washington may be gained when it ... Read More »
This is a guest post by John (from The Lion of Anacostia), cross-posted here. The first black American seated as a member of the United States Senate was Hiram Rhodes Revels representing Mississippi. Revels filled the seat vacated by Jefferson Davis, who left to serve as the President of the Confederate States of America, truly the personification of Lord Byron’s famous line in the long-form poem, ... Read More »
It’s still amusing to me when the papers refer to anything north of Boundary St. (i.e., Florida Avenue) as the suburbs. I came across an article in the Washington Times from 1906, highlighting some new construction in Mt. Pleasant. The building of apartment houses goes on apace, and while the timid observer continues to deplore the increasing number and predict ... Read More »
October 4th? That seems really late. Holy sh*t … tuition of $75 per year. It’s now $35,000, and that’s actually not bad compared to neighbor school GWU at around $50,000 (ouch). Related articles The National Cathedral School for Boys (St. Alban’s) in 1910 (ghostsofdc.org) If Walls Could Talk: Eastern High School (ghostsofdc.org) Exploring D.C.’s Forgotten History, One Blog Post At ... Read More »
Last week, we did a quick post on Fort Lincoln Heights. Now, I’d like to focus a little more on Deanwood, the former neighborhood of both Nannie Helen Burroughs and Marvin Gaye. 1. Before the Deanwood metro … way before Deanwood’s metro stop recently had a dubious label attached to it. You’ll read later in this post that a different ... Read More »
This is a guest post by John (from The Lion of Anacostia), cross-posted here. I walk the streets, alleys, back-cuts, and lounge on the corners of Anacostia everyday, every hour, every minute. Tour an abandominium or two. Reports and the widely held perceptions of violence and criminality in Anacostia, as I see it and know it, are over-rated. But that ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington