GoDCer Gail wrote in the other day about Cardozo High School (i.e., old Central High School) and wanted to know if we had some more photos of the school. We did dig up a few more, so here they are. Hope you enjoy them Gail! Read More »
Here’s a great 1903 map of Eastern Market, as requested by GoDCer Orestes. Hope you enjoy it! And below is the Google Map of the area today. Read More »
This will be a nice twist on our “Three Things…” theme. GoDC buddy Wayne emailed last week and asked the question that everyone asks. Where is J Street? Because it’s not where it’s supposed to be, between I and K streets. There are quite a few theories on this, and below are three of the most popular ones. 1. A ... Read More »
Faithful and extremely patient GoDCer Jeff requests some time ago that we do a piece on the Northumberland, just north of U St. Our apologies for the long delay in getting to your request, but hopefully you’ll agree that it’s better late than never. The building at 2039 New Hampshire Ave. NW, was built in 1910 by the famous local ... Read More »
GoDCer Patrick sent in a great suggestion a couple of weeks ago and we’re now digging up some great stories about the Quaker house on Florida (i.e., The Friends Meeting of Washington, D.C.). The Quakers, also known as the Religious Society of Friends, dates back to the mid 1600s in England. To escape religious persecution, they began emigrating to New ... Read More »
GoDC buddy Wayne has kindly requested some digging into the story of the “hobbit homes” on V St. NW. We’re happy to oblige as we are quite curious of their origins. So, this will be a unique “If Walls Could Talk” for GoDCer Wayne. The homes we are investigating are situated about two blocks from 18th and U St. NW. ... Read More »
Why did we knock down half of the amazing buildings in Washington? It’s tragic and depressing when you read through John’s book “Lost Washington” or James’ book “Capitol Losses.” Sadly, the home below was torn down and replaced by something substantially less appealing in the 70s. One of our early GoDC readers, Betsy, sent in a request the other day to do ... Read More »
We’re on a roll with these “Three Things…” posts, so why not crank out another one. This time, we’re going to focus on The Westchester at 4000 Cathedral Ave. NW. Christy, The Westchester’s resident ambassador for GoDC sent in the suggestion and, after a little digging in the archives, it appears that the building has some interesting tales to share. ... Read More »
I haven’t done one of these in a while … so, GoDCer Jon, this is for you. A quick Washington Post search uncovered an article about the buildings construction. This was published on June 15th, 1919 (this happens to be the day Pancho Villa attacks Ciudad Juárez, and kicks off an incursion into U.S. territory — read the related post ... Read More »
I want to branch out a little more and represent more neighborhoods. This is a great old real estate advertisement — I’ve been finding a ton of these lately — highlighting Fort Lincoln Heights in NE Washington. Yes, I know that Barbadoes is actually spelled Barbados. But this is a blog that remains true and authentic, so we don’t rewrite ... Read More »
It’s been a little while since we’ve done a “Reader’s Choice” post, so this one is for GoDCer Samantha, who tweeted the request to do something on Cathedral Heights. I also haven’t really done anything about that area, so this works out well. Let me start with a quick fact … Cathedral Heights started out as Cathedral Highlands. The neighborhoods of ... Read More »
Per a comment received on the Warren Harding slide show, here’s a slide show for his successor, Calvin Coolidge. So, Kai … here’s your slide show for the 30th President of the United States. If you have any requests for posts or any tips, please feel free to reach out and email us at hello [at] ghostsofdc.org. Or you can ... Read More »
If you’re fortunate enough to be participating in WABA’s “Down the Tubes” ride tomorrow, the last stop on your journey is going to be Poplar Point. Probably 70% of District residents don’t know what this is or where it is, but a number of important historical events have happened here. One of these events involved a future president. 1. Bonus ... Read More »
Your second major stop on the WABA “Down the Tubes” bicycle ride on Sunday is going to be the O Street Pumping Station, down by the Navy Yard. This is a beautiful old Beaux-Arts building from the early 20th century, and I’m a little jealous of you all, since I won’t be on the ride to see it. So, our ... Read More »
You may or may not be aware of this, but it you’re part of the latter group, listen up. WABA (aka, the Washington Area Bicycle Association) is having a family-friendly event, collaborating with DC water to highlight some lesser-known local sites with some great hidden history. The ride begins at Fort Reno, heads over to the Bryant Street Pumping Station ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington