You have to admit, it seems little odd that we have a neighborhood named Trinidad. At the same time, it’s fascinating, because there has to be an interesting story behind it. Also, let’s not forget, that this happens to be the neighborhood in which our patron saint used to live, Officer Sprinkle. Trinidad is built on land once owned by ... Read More »
Calling all hipsters! Do you know why it’s called Petworth? We’ll go out on a limb and guess that most of you do not (because we didn’t until we dug up a little history). Back in the day (i.e., mid-19th century before the Organic Act of 1871), the site that we now know as Petworth was the site of two ... Read More »
Do you know why the county is named Arlington? How about Ballston? I have a soft spot for Ballston because that’s where I first lived when I arrived in the area well over a decade ago. And, in tribute to my first residence, I wanted to dig up and share some etymological history. John Ball and his brother Moses, cousins ... Read More »
Do you know why it’s called K Street? You may not know the history of K St., but we dug up some interesting archival footage of K St. from well over a hundred years ago. The answer might surprise you … and you will definitely want to share this with your GoDC friends. Happy April Fools’ Day! Read More »
Do you know why it’s named Andrews Air Force Base? Who was Andrews? If you know, before reading this, you are an all-star GoDCer. The base’s military history dates back to the Civil War, when Union troops occupied a church near Camp Springs, Maryland. The church still stands, and is used on the base as Chapel Two. The 4,000-acre base ... Read More »
It’s probably obvious to GoDCers where Chain Bridge Road gets its name. There is a bridge that connects the eponymous road on the D.C. side to the one on the Virginia side. But, this bridge has no chains. What’s the deal? The bridge plays a significant part in Washington’s history, and as we were digging through the archives for some ... Read More »
This is a great bit of Washington trivia for everyone to commit to memory … especially if you live anywhere along 16th St. NW. Pierre L’Enfant had originally planned the City of Washington around a right triangle, with the eastern portion at the Capitol, the northern portion at the White House and the 90 degree angle close to where the ... Read More »
Okay, it’s not a huge mystery why some of our major streets are named after states in the Union. This was part of the grand plan of L’Enfant, to have grand boulevards at diagonals, all across our city. What you probably didn’t know is that the location of some of these avenues have changes over the years due to political ... Read More »
“Kalorama” is a Greek word meaning “fine view.” It’s also the name given to one of the finest neighborhoods in Washington. Here is a quick “Why is it Named…?” The neighborhood takes its name from an old estate, formerly located at 23rd and S St. This was the home of poet Joel Barlow, who acquired the property in 1807 and ... Read More »
Takoma Park (and Takoma) is a lovely and friendly neighborhood on the northeast District line with Maryland. It dates back to the late 19th century, when Benjamin Franklin Gilbert, both founder and first mayor of Takoma Park, began actively promoting the area as a clean and healthy respite from the muggy, malarial swamp of Washington. The quaint feel of the ... Read More »
I guarantee that just about every GoDCer out there has either been to Clyde’s, or one owned by them. The Clyde’s Restaurant Group has a big footprint in D.C. and the surrounding area, with Old Ebbitt Grill, 1789 Restaurant, The Tombs, The Hamilton and a handful of Clyde’s scattered throughout the metropolitan area. I’ll also go out on a limb ... Read More »
Some GoDCers (probably quite a few) live just across the District line in Montgomery County. But, how many of you know the etymology of the county? We should probably do one of these for every county in the area, just like we did a while ago for Arlington. So, why is it named Montgomery County? The county, currently listed as ... Read More »
There actually was a spring and it was silver … sort of. In 1840, Francis Preston Blair came across a mica-flecked spring near, what is today, Georgia Ave. near the District line. The location today is Acorn Park at Blair Mill Rd., Newell St. and East-West Highway. Blair decided he liked the location so much that he would acquire the ... Read More »
It has been a really long time since we did a “Why is it Named…?” post, and since at least a quarter of GoDCers live in Bloomingdale (I totally made that number up), we are going to focus a quick history lesson on the ultra-hipster, fixed-gear bike and mustache epicenter of D.C. No, it is not named after the department store. ... Read More »
Hains point is named for Peter Conover Hains. That was easy. You would know that if you checked Wikipedia, so I’m not really adding any value with this post. But if you go down there and enjoy the park, you should at least know a little about its namesake. So who was Hains? He was a prominent Major General in ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington