Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington

We are digging up all sorts of great images on the Smithsonian’s site. Here’s one near Center Market with a view of the Old Post Office Pavilion in the background.   Read More »

This one is amazing. Thanks to the Smithsonian for posting it online. The caption says this is around 1900. Read More »

This is an old photograph we dug up on the Smithsonian’s Flickr feed. It shows a crowd of people near the entrance to the Arts and Industries Building, around 1905. Read More »

I can’t find him in this photograph. Can you? Read More »

Here is a great and sharp photo of the Library of Congress in the early 1900s. Read More »

Here is a great old photograph of the 1908 Washington Senators. They were 67-85 that year 22.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers for the pennant. Read More »

What a fascinating map of a rather undeveloped Mount Pleasant in 1907. You can also see across 16th St. into what is now better known as Columbia Heights. 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 »

Here are two amazing photographs from Teddy Roosevelt‘s Inauguration in 1905. Thanks again to the Library of Congress. Read More »

Here’s a page from the Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser from Monday, March 25th, 1907, exactly 96 years ago yesterday (I should have posted this on Monday). The most interesting ad is the one for Portner’s Beer. Evidently, descendants of Robert Portner are gearing up to relaunch the brand as a brewhouse in Alexandria. GoDC is a big supporter of ... Read More »

It’s sad to think of all the nice homes that were bulldozed to make way for the “modern” Southwest quadrant. Read More »

What a terrific old photo of the State, War and Navy Building around the turn of the century. Read More »

In the interest of giving GoDCers more on Congress Heights, here is a map of the area in 1907. And compare it to the current map from Google. Read More »

The good old days of Washington amateur baseball. There were hundreds, if not thousands of articles mentioning match-ups between different neighborhoods. This one from July 23rd, 1900 was especially entertaining. I doubt that a rivalry exists between Takoma and Petworth today. Takoma defeated Petworth in a hotly contested game in the other contest if the Suburban League yesterday. Both teams ... Read More »

We love these maps and can’t get enough of them. We don’t show enough from across the river, so here’s one of Randle Highlands in 1907. And below is the Google Map of the same area today. Read More »