Country Addition to Friends School (1910)
Cool. I love these. The Gonzaga one was quite popular with readers as was the St. Albans ad. This is Sidwell Friends School — the name has gone through a few iterations — back in 1910. They had recently acquired property up Wisconsin Avenue (where the current campus is), formerly …
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Doctor and His Carriage at the Smithsonian
Here’s a photograph from 1890 which shows Dr. Daniel H. Riggs of Howard University posing next to his carriage near the Smithsonian. In 1893, the doctor was the defendant in a malpractice lawsuit. The Post reported on the suit on October 13th. A case of interest to physicians and surgeons …
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The National Cathedral School for Boys (St. Albans) in 1910
If you went to St. Albans, you will probably find this fascinating. If you know someone that went there, send this to them. It’s an old advertisement from the Washington Herald, back in 1910. The school was founded only three years earlier as The National Cathedral School for Boys. Related …
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Election Day 1876: Shakespeare at the National, Real Estate Listings and Rutherford B. Hayes vs. Samuel J. Tilden
If you’re a history buff — and a presidential history buff — you’re well aware of the 1876 U.S. Presidential election. This is not a post about that. You can read up on the whole election on Wikipedia as well as the resulting “corrupt bargain,” the Compromise of 1877 – ending …
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White House Renovation Is Not Pleasing; Historic Lines Lost, Texas Steers’ Heads for Decorations
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. …
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Before Refrigerators: Quarter Million Tons of Kennebec Ice Shipped to Washington From Maine
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 …
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Old Police Call Boxes of Washington
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 …
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Think It Over, Mr. Careless Husband
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 …
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Joe Judge: Washington’s First Baseman and “That Other Washington Monument”
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 …
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Tribute to Abner Doubleday at Arlington Cemetery
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 …
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Neophyte Arizona Senator Calls For Acquisition of Mexican Territory
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 …
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Anacostia High School Baseball Team (1939)
Anacostia High School was a brand new school, having opened in 1937. Their second full season of baseball would be the 1939 season and the photo above is the 12-man roster and their coach, Roland Lund. The Washington Post had a preseason analysis on March 30th, 1939 of the Anacostia …
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Senator John Stennis Mugged and Shot in Front of Cleveland Park Home
That’s right, the Senator from Mississippi and chairman of the Armed Services Committee was shot both in the chest and the leg, after he was mugged in front of his North Cleveland Park house (3609 Cumberland St. NW). He was returning home in the evening after work on January 30th, …
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San Diego Padres Move to Washington for 1974 Season
Wait, what did you say? The Washington Padres? Yes, that’s right. This deal was pretty much signed, sealed and delivered when the Washington Post reported it on May 28th, 1973 in an article titled “Baseball’s Back! San Diego Padres Play Here in ’74.” SAN DIEGO, May 27 (A.P.)–A group of …
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Smallest Crowd Ever at Griffith Stadium for Senators Game
Tonight’s game against the Phillies will likely have a crowd nearly 100 times larger than the one that witnessed the old Washington team play the other old Philadelphia team (i.e., the team that one day would have Reggie Jackson, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco). The Washington Senators and the Philadelphia …
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