Teddy Roosevelt moved into the White House and made some changes that rocked the boat. The Executive Mansion was getting pretty cramped with the expanding needs of the president’s staff. Below is an article from the Washington Times on November 20th, 1902 detailing the renovations being done at the time. The “new” White House is not going to please those ... Read More »
Pretty sweet ad — “I Make Sick Teeth Well” — captures your attention and tells you what you want. Fix my teeth. Also, this guy had offices everywhere, with an office in Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia? Check out a Flickr then and now shot of the address, 427 7th St. NW (although, the then is only 1979). Related articles Burrojaps Shoes ... Read More »
This is a great find. I was digging through old newspapers in the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America archives and came across this from the Daily National Republican. It dates back to July 21st, 1864. Related articles Lincoln’s close call with electoral defeat (csmonitor.com) Ford’s Theater Opens $25 Million, 10-Story Building On Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday (dekerivers.wordpress.com) The District of Columbia 1862 ... Read More »
This is an odd advertisement that wouldn’t play well today. Below the image of the man and woman snickering about the skinny people behind them, This is a generous offer to every thin man or woman reader of The Times. We positively guarantee to increase your weight to your own satisfaction or no pay, Think this over–think what it means. At our ... Read More »
Ice harvesting in Maine was a booming industry in the late 19th century through the first decades of the 20th century. The Independent Ice Company, headed by C. B. Church, was one of the larger distributors of ice in Washington. Each season, they would send a team of men to the Kennebec River in Maine to harvest and bring back ... Read More »
Most of you probably walk right by those old police boxes scattered throughout the city. Some of them have been turned into miniature art exhibits — like the ones in Mt. Pleasant. Check out the video above of Sgt. Nicholas Breul of DCPD gives a brief talk on the history of these police call boxes. Surely Officer Sprinkle was intimately ... Read More »
Today is the 133rd day of the year and it’s also the day the Caps can advance to the conference finals. Sleezy 14th Street Porno District – You’re sick. You’re all sick. Get your mind out of the gutter. Senator John Stennis Mugged and Shot in Front of Cleveland Park Home – Crazy story. Luckily Stennis lived, but what a horrible thing ... Read More »
Check out this ridiculously anachronistic advertisement from 1906. The one above, and below are, for gas ranges by S.S. Shedd and Brothers located at 432 9th St. NW (now where the FBI building stands). Related articles Budweiser: Palatable, Healthful, Nutritious. Instrinsically Good. (ghostsofdc.org) Congress Heights: The Healthiest and Most Delightful Suburb of Washington (ghostsofdc.org) Arnold’s India Pale Ale: The Invalid. ... Read More »
Who doesn’t like a good IPA these days? I found this simple ad for Arnold’s India Pale Ale in the Washington Times. Back in 1906, Charles Jacobsen was the owner of Arlington Bottling Company, located at 27th and K St. NW (right where Whitehurst Freeway now dumps out). Charles was a first generation American, with parents would had arrived from ... Read More »
Here’s a cool advertisement from the Washington Times. This is from June 18th, 1912. By the way, Washington played the Philadelphia A’s that day and beat them 5-4 to pull within 1 1/2 games of the first place Boston Red Sox. Our favorite star, Walter Johnson won 33 games that year (!) but, alas, the Senators finished in second place ... Read More »
To close out our week of baseball posts, we are going to highlight an old local baseball hero … one who you might not know. Joe Judge was Washington’s first baseman for almost 18 seasons, starting in 1915 up until 1932 (he played his final seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Red Sox). He was a fine ball player, ... Read More »
This clearly would be the cigarette of choice for Charlie Sheen … and since you open the door to hustle with Bull Durham, maybe throw in a twist of Pete Rose. Related articles Sleezy 14th Street Porno District (ghostsofdc.org) D.C. and Pabst Blue Ribbon: A Hundred Years of Love (ghostsofdc.org) Read More »
Who wouldn’t want a doctor to prescribe them beer? What an excellent doctor, promoting the “appetizing, nourishing, strengthening, and general upbuilding results” of delicious beer. Related articles Budweiser: Palatable, Healthful, Nutritious. Instrinsically Good. (ghostsofdc.org) A Suicide and Disappearance at the National Capital Brewing Company (ghostsofdc.org) D.C. and Pabst Blue Ribbon: A Hundred Years of Love (ghostsofdc.org) Read More »
Yes, it is true that Abner Doubleday’s true role in the birth of baseball is highly disputed, but that didn’t matter during the 1939 baseball season. The New York Yankees were in town to play our Washington Senators and on April 17th, 1939. This happened to be the 100th anniversary of the game. Somewhere in the photo above, you might ... Read More »
This has less to do with the history of our city, but everything to do with the (almost) history of our nation. Arizona had been admitted to the union only a few years earlier in 1912 and by the middle of the decade, the two new senators, Marcus Smith and Henry Ashurst, were strongly advocating to acquire Mexican territory south ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington