Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington

Here is a terrific photograph from the Library of Congress, showing a traffic policeman at 14th and Pennsylvania, making use of a rearview mirror. The photo was taken some time in the 1920s. Read More »

You all have been waiting a long, long time for this. So have we. Thanks to one of our GoDC fans, we have in our possession, the biography of Officer Sprinkle from the 1908 Metropolitan Police Department’s official history book. LIEUTENANT J. L. SPRINKLE Lieutenant J. L. Sprinkle, stationed at No. 2 precinct, was born July 7tgh, 1864, on a ... Read More »

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

This is an awesome photograph of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department in 1922, on their motorcycles. (I’d hate to be the guy riding in the sidecar.) The photo was taken on April 26th, 1922. Read More »

If you lived in D.C. in the 1980s, seeing a police chase screaming down K St., or any other major thoroughfare, was not a rare occurrence. So, out of the thousands of chases mentioned in the newspaper archives, we have selected three to share in our next “Three Things …” post. 1. Rum runners crash into Library of Congress Bootleggers ... Read More »

Here’s a crazy story for you from the 1940s. This was published in the Washington Post on June 4th, 1949. A young Air Force private was grabbed from a ninth-floor ledge of the Willard Hotel yesterday by three policemen who had spent 25 minutes persuading him from plunging to death. Paul J McDuff, 19, of Bolling Air Force Base, was ... 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 »

What an awesome headline … we have to share this one with GoDCers. On October 28th, 1957, the Washington Post reported on a bizarre incident, where a man took a streetcar for an illegal joyride on Pennsylvania Ave. You have to read this to believe it. Clayton Morgan Jr., 40, of 1602 4th st. nw., was charged yesterday with stealing ... Read More »

This is another example of how you don’t want to see your name in the papers. This is an article from the Baltimore Sun, published on Mar 9th, 1934. Washington, March 8 (AP)–Representative Shoemaker (F.-L., Minn.) was arrested tonight on a charge of assaulting a taxicab driver. At police headquarters he posted a $25 collateral for appearance tomorrow morning. Two ... Read More »

A huge gambling bust happened on January 31st, 1925. The location was a crowded restaurant on E St. where people would gather for illegal dice games and gambling. The Washington Post reported on it the following day. A Greek restaurant at 1217 E street northwest, said by the police to be a rendezvous for dice gamblers and turf fans, yielded ... Read More »

Do you like your beer, wine or liquor? The Sheppard Bone-Dry Act of 1917 would have put a major damper on your libations when it was signed by President Wilson. November 1st, 1917 would be the day all Washingtonians would rue, when their legal right to consume alcohol was taken from them with the advent of Prohibition in the District, ... Read More »

Prohibition was a rowdy time in D.C., much like the rest of the country. The police had to deal with bootleggers constantly in the city. This article from the Washington Times illustrates that in dramatic fashion. The piece was written in the Washington Times, published on October 14th, 1921 (by the way, the first radio broadcast of a World Series ... Read More »

I came across an article in the Washington Times about three giants of the Washington police force … and I mean real “giants,” as in super tall cops. Well, super tall by standards back in 1903, not Gheorghe Muresan. Though these men do not eclipse GoDC favorite, Officer Sprinkle, our next “Three Things…” post will highlight these 20th century “giants.” ... Read More »

Here is a terrific old advertisement from 1918, soliciting young men between 22 and 35 to join the Metropolitan Police Department (a limited number of intelligent and educated women will also be considered). Click on the advertisement for some greater details because it’s really interesting to read through this World War I era ad. All persons between 22 and 35 ... Read More »

Yesterday’s post was popular, and thanks to GoDCer Mark’s tweet, I have another oddity to share with you. Below is a scene you’re not likely to see today at 14th and G. This is Julius Daranyi who had arrived in Washington with his theater group for a week of performances. On June 8th — for some inexplicable reason — he ... Read More »