Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington

Look at all the empty lots in what would become weekend crazytown for drunk 20-somethings. Read More »

It’s highly likely you have been to the D.C. institution known as Madam’s Organ at 2461 18th St. NW. It anchors the Adams Morgan strip, and has done so since the current patrons were in diapers. It’s been a while since our last “If Walls Could Talk” post, so let’s kick it off with the legendary Madam’s Organ. Square 2560, ... Read More »

Washington Heights (Adams Morgan) and Kalorama were both very undeveloped back when this map was made. It shows the area just north of Boundary Street (Florida Avenue) as it looked in 1903. Read More »

Ghost Dog went on another walk this past weekend to seek out three more stories for the GoDC community. This time, she passed through Adams Morgan, en route to the Duke Ellington Bridge (formerly known as the Calvert Street Bridge). It was named in honor of Washington’s native son in 1974, after Ellington’s death. Construction on the bridge began in ... Read More »

Here’s another chance to read a full page from an old newspaper. We spend hours scanning these for interesting stories and information and our new “In The Paper” series allows you to enjoy getting lost in old newspapers as well. Here’s on from Saturday, June 22nd, 1901. This is the Evening Star’s real estate section. A couple interesting points of ... Read More »

Old real estate advertisements are the best. This one is from the Evening Star on Saturday, May 28th, 1904. For some interesting trivia, soccer fans will be thrilled to know that exactly one week earlier, May 21st, the International Association of Federation Football (FIFA) was created. Also, Washington Heights is now known as Adams Morgan. Read More »

This is pretty cool … if you live in Lanier Heights or Adams Morgan, you’ll also find this fascinating. This is a real estate advertisement for newly subdivided lots just north of Columbia Rd. NW. Related articles Least Expensive: The Ten Least Expensive Properties In Or Near Adams Morgan (dc.curbed.com) The Police Play the Ontario Theater on Columbia Road (ghostsofdc.org) ... Read More »

Chalk another great find up to GoDCer and Poolesville resident, Jack. Thanks! Do you hang out with your kids in Walter Pierce park? Maybe you played kickball or soccer on the fields there, or take your dog to romp in the dog park. In the 19th century, it was the site of the ghastly (and not uncommon) practice of grave ... Read More »

I had heard that Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland (aka, The Police) had played in Adams Morgan and wanted to do a little research into that. Unfortunately, they weren’t a huge band when they played here in 1979, so there was very little on their arrival here. After all, they had only been around for a little over two ... Read More »

There were a couple of requests a short while back to do a post on The Cairo, the most famous residential building in the city. You can Google it or check it out on Wikipedia, so no need to do the building’s history. I want to dig up the more anonymous stories of people associated with the building. So, here’s ... Read More »

Yep, that’s right. Paul (aka, Bono), Adam, Larry and David (aka, The Edge) rocked the nation’s capital in the early 80s. The Irish supergroup was less super back then, playing small (much smaller) venues like The Bayou in Georgetown and The Ontario Theater in Adams Morgan. How incredible would that be? I’m sure someone reading this went to one of ... Read More »

This is the first in a four-part series of posts covering the colorful homes on Cliffbourne Pl. NW, between Calvert St. and Biltmore St. You’ve seen these before, the green, yellow, red and blue homes, perfectly complementing each other. I imagine that I’m not the only one curious about the history of the four houses in this rainbow row of ... Read More »

This next installment of “If Walls Could Talk” will be the Petworth watering hole, The Looking Glass Lounge. This is one of my favorite places for a Sunday afternoon beer, especially in the warmer months, out on their back patio. I imagine the place will be packed this evening, and now you guys have another interesting conversation topic … what’s ... Read More »