This is a terrific old photograph from the Library of Congress. It’s a great view of the Capitol Building from the old post office on F Street (now Hotel Monaco). It was taken by William M. Chase. Read More »
This is an awesome photo dated November 14th, 1888. The photo is labeled “Riggs Bank – the Dept. of Justice for A.P.A.” and was taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston. Read More »
This is a great view down East Capitol St. from the Dome, taken around 1880. UPDATE: GoDCer Leonard sent along this great shot (a little blurry), from the same vantage point today. So cool! Read More »
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 »
It’s Friday and GoDCers love maps! This one is a great map from 1888, showing the area around Lafayette Square and Farragut Square. Read More »
This is a crazy story. I actually remember something similar happening in Georgetown maybe a decade or so ago. Anyone lese recall that? The article below is from the Washington Post on August 31st, 1889. A loud report, which was heard for more than a mile around, attracted the attention of several hundred strollers on the avenue yesterday afternoon about ... Read More »
I wish I could take credit for this discovery, but this came in from GoDCer Brian. In the background, you’ll see the Ebbitt House Hotel, the precursor to the popular restaurant of the same name. Read More »
Happy Sunday. Below is an amazing photograph, taken around 1880 from the top of the U.S. Capitol. The view is southeast, down Pennsylvania Ave., toward the Anacostia River. It includes a block of five homes at 1st and A St. SE, built around 1800 and razed in 1887 to build the Library of Congress. Thanks to the Library of Congress ... Read More »
The text is a little small and difficult to read, but this is really interesting. This is an advertisement I dug up from May 30th, 1886 in the Washington Post. You could have a pretty nice house for $15,000 or rent one for $40 per month. Not bad. 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 »
Below is the Sanborn fire map for Washington Circle in 1888. It’s pretty amazing to see how many residential structures there are at the time. Not only that, but quite a few of them were frame structures (in yellow). Here’s the Google Map of the same area today. Read More »
I love this. Click on it for some amazing detail. Get ready to waste a lot of time studying this image, courtesy of the Library of Congress. Read More »
Old GoDC buddy Jack sent along a crazy tale that I can only describe by saying OMFG. You’ll see what I mean. This is an article from November 10th, 1887 published in the Washington Post. The case of Beverly Jones, the young colored man charged with killing Robert Morris by plunging an umbrella through his eyeball in his brain, came ... Read More »
This is cool. It’s the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of the area around Thomas Circle in 1888. The yellow buildings are wooden frame structures and the pink are brick buildings. Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington