Not exactly the most revered or most remembered president, poor Rutherford B. Hayes was zinged by our current president. We’d like to shine a little light on poor Rutherford, even if he didn’t think the telephone was a good invention (or did he?). Below is a series of photographs from his Inauguration in 1877. Read More »
I’m a little late to the game on this, but I had been meaning to share this after I saw it posted on Twitter by Michael Beschloss. The best part is zooming in on the photo. Check out this woman, staring right at the camera. Also, how about this mounted policeman getting a little handsy to move the crowd back ... Read More »
Complaining about our bizarre weather? Try having your Presidential Inauguration in crappy, snowy weather. That’s what happened to our most rotund president (and latest Nats racing president). Here is a photograph of him in the carriage with Teddy Roosevelt en route to the Capitol and his swearing in. And below are a few more photographs from that day, courtesy of ... Read More »
This is a drawing done by John T. McCutcheon for the 1919 visit of the Prince of Wales. The Library of Congress also had this great clip of him visiting Teddy Roosevelt’s grave. Below is the caption for the video. In the summer of 1919, Edward, the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, embarked on a tour of the Dominions. ... Read More »
Well over 30,000 passengers pass through Metro Center every single day, and upwards of 9.7 million do each year. It is the hub of Washington’s Metro (there almost was a second hub at Farragut Square). A fascinating 1969 article in the Washington Post detailed the plans for the new Washington Metro hub at 12th and G St. NW. Passengers will ... Read More »
Plenty of Washingtonians will spend inaugural weekend re-learning how to tie a bow tie or remembering to stash comfortable shoes for late-night post-Ball hijinks. What to wear? It’s always a question — for those shelling out big bucks for balls and for the junior staffers whose hard work on the campaign trail will be rewarded with the expense of tuxedo rentals and ... Read More »
The United States annexed Texas in 1845 and Sam Houston was elected with Thomas Jefferson Rusk to become the Longhorn State’s first two Senators. The former President of the Republic of Texas, and one of only four men to have held that position, was officially sent to Washington by the first Governor of Texas, Joseph P. Henderson. Below is the ... Read More »
This is another great photo, again from the Library of Congress. The caption states that it is the counting of electoral votes for the 1916 Presidential Election, in which Woodrow Wilson beat Charles Hughes. I’m unclear why this count would be on April 14th when the inauguration was on March 5th. Click on it to see the faces of the ... Read More »
One of our more popular topics, and top Google search terms, is the Washington Monument. So, for the next post in our “In The Paper” series, we present to you, the front page from The National Republican on Saturday, February 21st, 1885 … the day the Washington Monument was dedicated. Read More »
We are guaranteed to play postseason baseball after last night’s win over the Dodgers. Our magic number to win the National League East is down to eight games. Let’s see some #NATITUDE from GoDCers and pride in our baseball team! Along those lines, here are two great films from the last time out team was in the World Series. These ... Read More »
Do you like your beer, wine or liquor? The Sheppard Bone-Dry Act of 1917 would have put a major damper on your libations when it was signed by President Wilson. November 1st, 1917 would be the day all Washingtonians would rue, when their legal right to consume alcohol was taken from them with the advent of Prohibition in the District, ... Read More »
Happy Fourth of July everyone! … and happy six-month birthday to Ghosts of DC. Enjoy your day off. Related articles Old Photo Friday: Women’s Suffrage Parade in 1914 (ghostsofdc.org) Afternoon Video: Washington, D.C. in 1931 (ghostsofdc.org) 143 Days In … Time For a Break (ghostsofdc.org) Read More »
By 1854 the Washington Monument was about a third complete when the Washington National Monument Society ran out of funds and had to halt construction. John Carroll Brent called upon Americans to support the effort with a donation of funds and appealed to their patriotism with the upcoming Fourth of July celebrations. The leaflet below was distributed in an attempt ... Read More »
In January 1860, the Tokugawa shogunate sent a delegation to the United States with the primary objective of ratifying the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation (aka, the Harris Treaty). Commodore Matthew Perry (not Chandler) had opened Japan (forcefully) in 1854 and this was the first Japanese diplomatic mission sent to the United States. This historic event is particularly interesting to me because, while ... Read More »
Here’s an excellent photo capturing history in Washington. This is a parade of suffragettes but I can’t quite make out where they are. If you know where this is, or think you recognize the building in the foreground or background, add your comments below. UPDATE: Found another great suffrage photo on Shorpy. This one was from February 1913. Related articles Decapitated by ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington