Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington

We are loving the Smithsonian Archives! This is a great one from 1874. Read More »

Here is a shot of the Winder Building, some time after the Civil War. It looks to be in quite a state of disrepair, and it’s amazing that this building is still standing and in use by the U.S. Trade Representative. Here is the building today on Google Street View … a little ugly, because it’s under construction. Read More »

This is one of the many tragic losses of Washington’s architectural history … Stewart’s Castle. The former home of Nevada Senator William M. Stewart, it was designed by noted architect Adolph Cluss in 1873. It also served the Chinese Legation from 1886 to 1893 and ultimately was demolished in 1901, a year after this photograph was taken. Read More »

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 »

The treasure trove of maps held by the Library of Congress gave us this awesome map of Alexandria County (i.e., Arlington County today) from 1879. GoDCer Tim is going to love this. Read More »

Did I get too excited with that title? These are so cool. It’s hard to believe that much of the District was rural at any point, but checking out this map, you can see that much of our city, outside of Boundary Road (Florida Ave.) was rural, dotted with little towns and neighborhoods. So, enjoy your pre-lunch time suck. 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 »

Here is a series of photographs we have not seen before. This is a five-part panorama showing the mall area and surrounding buildings, from the Smithsonian Castle. Left section shows the Washington Monument under construction in background, with Agriculture Department at left. The left center and center sections show the B Street (now Constitution Avenue) side of the Mall with ... Read More »

Maybe this is a little hyperbolic, but that was the ad for the National Clothing Company, at the corner of 7th and D St. NW. Check out this page from the Washington Post classified pages on March 29th, 1879. These are always fascinating to dig through. You can find some serious gems in them. Read More »

Below is a great engraving from Harper’s back in 1874. It depicts the old newspaper row in Washington. Read More »

We are very much obsessed with old maps. I think it’s safe to say that the bulk of you are as well. And here is another one to obsess over, especially for the GoDCers out in Montgomery County (do you know where the county got its name?). This is a map of Rockville in 1879. Pretty sweet. Read More »

Who loves maps? We love maps! If you’re in Falls Church, you’re going to love these maps from 1879. The one below is a larger map of the surrounding area.   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 »

This is a great one. We finally dug up a few good maps of the surrounding area, outside the District line. This shows Bethesda and a chunk of Montgomery County (why is it named Montgomery County?). Click on it for a larger map. Read More »

We suspect that most GoDCers would find this subject fascinating, much like we do. The little device, which now fits in our pocket and controls our life, dates back to the decade following the Civil War. Can you imagine a time when calling on someone actually meant going to their place of residence? One of the more amusing articles we ... Read More »