Franklin Square is one of the biggest city square parks in the city, at 4.79 acres. 1. Natural spring water supplies the White House Did you know that Franklin Square, once called Fountain Square, was once famous for its natural spring water. According to an article published in the Washington Post on September 22nd, 1929, it was one of the ... Read More »
Hotel Harrington will have its 100th birthday next year in March. It’s one of the landmark D.C. buildings downtown that was spared the destruction of the redevelopment of the 1970s and 1980s. For a little twist on our “Three Things…” posts, we are going to feature three old advertisements from the hotel’s first year. But, before we dive into the ... Read More »
If you lived in D.C. in the 1980s, seeing a police chase screaming down K St., or any other major thoroughfare, was not a rare occurrence. So, out of the thousands of chases mentioned in the newspaper archives, we have selected three to share in our next “Three Things …” post. 1. Rum runners crash into Library of Congress Bootleggers ... Read More »
Ghost Dog took last week off, but she’s back this today with three stories about Sheridan Circle. The circle is a quiet one at the intersection of Mass. Ave, 23rd St. and R St. NW. In 1888, the District Commissioners decided to name the circle after Civil War General Philip H. Sheridan 1. Bomb blast kills ex-ambassador and aide Political ... 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 »
Ghost Dog went on another walk this past weekend to seek out three more stories for the GoDC community. This time, she passed through Adams Morgan, en route to the Duke Ellington Bridge (formerly known as the Calvert Street Bridge). It was named in honor of Washington’s native son in 1974, after Ellington’s death. Construction on the bridge began in ... 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 »
The National Arboretum is an underappreciated gem in the heart of Northeast D.C. About two miles from the Capitol Building, situated on New York Ave., it covers 446 acres and has been in operation since 1927. If you have never visited, you need to go there this weekend, because you can easily spend hours getting lost and enjoying the natural ... 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 »
As Mrs. Ghost went Christmas shopping this past weekend, I decided to go for a walk to explore the streets of Georgetown. The part of town most tourists think of when Washington history is mentioned, Georgetown is home to innumerable notable people and some regular folk as well. This installment of “Three Things…” will highlight the homes of three notable ... Read More »
Our neighborhoods don’t have quite the colorful names of yesteryear. Much like Murder Bay, Hell’s Bottom was a seriously dangerous place to live, or even walk through. It was not the beat you wanted as a policeman. There is a delicious local beer, which takes its name from the notorious neighborhood (evidently inspired by our friend and GoDCer, Kim). So, ... Read More »
You know you’re intensely fascinated by the Mormon Temple in Kensington, Maryland. The six spire temple, rising on the edge of Rock Creek Park, is easily visible on the Capital Beltway (read some Beltway history) between the Georgia Ave. and Connecticut Ave. exits. The massive structure, the first Mormon temple east of the Mississippi river since the original Nauvoo Temple, was ... Read More »
Meridian Hill was once graced with the presence of a magnificent castle. Yes, a castle. Boundary Castle, also known as Henderson Castle and sometimes Prospect Castle, was the home of John and Mary Henderson. John, being the former Senator from Missouri who authored the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery and Mary being the powerful socialite who established 16th St. NW as ... Read More »
The Department of Commerce‘s massive, beast of a building is bound by Constitution Avenue (why is it named Constitution Avenue?), 14th St., Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th St. Construction finished and it opened in 1932, at the end of President Herbert Hoover‘s lame duck presidency and in the depths of the Great Depression. The Public Buildings Act of 1926 set aside ... Read More »
Something big happened at the Watergate in 1972 and it led to a very defensive President Nixon giving this painful press conference. This is not about that event. In true Ghosts of DC style, let’s dig up three other things that happened at the Watergate. 1. The Reagans make a candlelit exit Seem like an odd title? We thought so ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington