As Mrs. Ghost went Christmas shopping this past weekend, I decided to go for a walk to explore the streets of Georgetown.

The part of town most tourists think of when Washington history is mentioned, Georgetown is home to innumerable notable people and some regular folk as well.

This installment of “Three Things…” will highlight the homes of three notable United States Senators, all with the name John and all three ran for president.

1. John F. Kennedy – 3307 N St. NW

John F. Kennedy’s former residence – 3307 N St. NW

The former home of the 35th president is not numbered, but you can’t miss it. JFK and Jackie had several homes in Georgetown during their time before the White House, but one is notable because it was from this house that he departed on January 20th, 1961 to take the oath of office at the Capitol and give his famous “ask not what your country can do for you” speech.

2. John Kerry – 3322 O St. NW

John Kerry’s Georgetown residence

This is one of at least five homes owned by John and Teresa. The Bodisco House at 3322 O St. is a massive brick building, just a block away from Kennedy’s old home.

When the senator is in town, this is where he hosts his super fancy, ridiculously expensive fundraising dinners. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say none of you have been inside this home or attended an event there … that is, unless you’re reading this Harry Reid.

3. John Edwards – 3327 P St. NW

former residence of John Edwards at 3327 P St. NW

This is where the former one-term senator from North Carolina, presidential and vice presidential candidate, lawyer, pricey haircut getting philandering McDouche used to live. It’s a pretty massive home built in 1820, but surprisingly, is affordably valued at only $8 million. What a great investment for the individuals who acquired it in 2011 for a mere $6.7 million.

So, enjoy your time wandering the 3300 blocks of N, O and P streets in Georgetown. You’ll see some seriously amazing old homes, three of which used to be the homes of some notable D.C. residents.

Oh ya, maybe I should change the title to “Three Georgetown Homes Owned by Three Rich White Dudes Named John, Who Served as Democratic Senators and Ran for President.”

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Wow. This one is cool. We found this digging through the National Archives. Amazing.

This is the letter John F. Kennedy sent on Inauguration Day 1961 (watch his amazing inauguration address), nominating his Cabinet.

Letter from John F. Kennedy nominating his Cabinet – January 20th, 1961

The post Letter From Kennedy Nominating His Cabinet appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

This is great old film footage of John F Kennedy in the Oval Office. The narration is in German (I believe – correct me if I’m wrong).

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The post Archival Footage of Kennedy in Oval Office appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

On November 27th, 1962, 361 days before Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, the Prime Minister of the Somali Republic, Dr. Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, had an official state visit to the White House. We were able to dig up this obscure film footage on YouTube (the Internet is amazing), which features the visit and ceremony on the South Lawn.

Below is the gift that the Prime Minister gave to the President on behalf of his country.

This gift of a carved giraffe was presented to President John F. Kennedy by Dr. Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, Prime Minister of the Somali Republic, during his state visit to the White House on November 27, 1962. (JFK Library)

Shermarke would also fall victim to an assassination in 1969, shot by one of his own bodyguards.

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The post Official Somali State Visit to the Kennedy White House (1962) appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

If you read this piece in the Washington Post on Wednesday morning, November 20th, 1963, you probably didn’t think much of it.

President Kennedy was making a trip to Texas, the Vice President’s home state. The White House explicitly stated that the event was nonpolitical, but without a doubt, there were some political undertones for this trip.

President and Mrs. Kennedy arrive in San Antonio – November 21st, 1963 (Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)

It was time to start thinking about the 1964 election and the Kennedy-Johnson ticket had barely won Texas in the last election. The President intended to go down and mend some fences within the Texas Democratic Party and get them primed for the 1964 election.

President Kennedy will make five speeches in Texas Thursday and Friday, attend two receptions and spend a night at the ranch of Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Mrs. Kennedy will accompany her husband on the trek, described by the White house as “nonpolitical.”

Pierre Salinger, White House Press Secretary, said yesterday that he expects Mrs. Kenndy [sic] to be with the President at most of his public appearances in Texas.

Mr. Kennedy will fly from Washington to San Antonio Thursday morning, make a speech there, and proceed to Houston where he will address an evening testimonial dinner for Rep. Albert Thomas (D-Tex.)

On Friday evening, the President and Mrs. Kennedy will go by helicopter from Austin to the Johnson City ranch of the Vice President.

Salinger said the Kennedys probably would return to Washington by mid-afternoon on Saturday.

The White House also announced that President Kennedy will spend Thanksgiving Day at the traditional Kennedy family gathering at Hyannis Port, Mass.

He also plans to attend the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia on Saturday, Nov. 30, and probably will fly there from Hyannis Port, Salinger said.

Two days later, Lyndon Johnson was president.

President Kennedy greets the crowd at rally in Fort Worth – November 22nd, 1963

Take a look at this video we found on HuffPost. This is raw (silent) footage from Kennedy’s last night in Houston, the day before he went to Dallas.

Related articles

• JFK: Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You (1961 Video) (ghostsofdc.org)
• Senator John F. Kennedy Outtakes (ghostsofdc.org)
• A Country Mourns With the Kennedy Family (1963) (ghostsofdc.org)
• 50 Years Ago: First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Named 1961′s Best Dressed Woman in the World (ghostsofdc.org)
• JFK’s 1960 Campaign: Rare Photos (heloise8.wordpress.com)

The post November 20th, 1963: JFK to Make Fives Speeches and Attend Two Receptions in Texas appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

I received the following email the other day from a GoDCers up near AU Park and Spring Valley.

Hello,

I love your website. Thank you for researching DC history!

I grew up in AU Park — my parents moved into their house the day President Kennedy was shot. The house 2 doors down from my parents’ house was recenly featured on the front page of WaPo a couple days after Derecho because of the huge tree that fell on it.

Much attention in the press has been paid to Spring Valley and the munitions issues there…but I have never seen photos or plots of the original plans of our more humble neighborhood mainly built (I think?) by W.C. & A.N. Miller (there is a “Miller Built” plaque embedded in our walkway).

Thanks!

Julia

First of all, the Kennedy connection … cool. Since Julia took the time to write us this nice email, we’re going to dig up a little Spring Valley material for her.

The first thing of interest was the advertisement below. This was a real estate ad in the Post back in 1939. Look at the price of the high-end homes, up to $45,000! That’s a ton of money back then … and during the Great Depression.

W.C. and A.N. Miller Spring Valley advertisement – May 28th, 1939 (Washington Post)

Here’s another interesting thing that we dug up. It’s an article published in the Washington Post on June 2nd, 1940, touting the opening of the builder’s anniversary development.

W. C. & A. N. Miller Development Co.’s “twenty-eighth anniversary exhibition house” opens today in Spring Valley. For 28 years “Miller-Built” has been synonymous with fine architectural design and home construction, standing for quality in structural fitness, durability, meritorious architecture, comfort, convenience, livability, charm and good taste.

With developments of Wesley Heights and Spring Valley, the company has given to Washington a “Garden of Beautiful Homes.” Today, these are established communities of character where residences of impressive proportions find perfect settings. Nature provided the land with rolling contours and an abundance of large trees, even brooks and streams. the developers planned the highways to blend into this environment and each home is designed to coordinate with contour, location and compass bearings of the lot.

The anniversary home located at 5058 Sedgwick street, will serve as a demonstration of high art in home building and interior decoration. The house is of an informal Colonial design and J. Harold Gooding, interior decorator, has exercised good taste in the Georgian style of its furnishings.

Mr. and Mrs. Bucky Harris in 1932

Scanning through some mildly interesting and repetitive ads, I came across an article that caught my eye (because I’m a baseball nut). Evidently, acquiring a “Miller-Built” home was a big deal because they were highly sought after and high quality (and super pricey). This article is from the Washington Post on April 24th, 1932.

Prominent among real estate transactions announced during the week was the purchase by Stanley R. “Bucky” Harris, manager of the Detroit Tigers baseball team, of 4932 Hillbrook lane northwest, a home built and designed by W. C. & A. N. Miller in their development, Spring Valley.

Suggestive of the old colonial farmhouses is this home of vigorous and well-proportioned design. Its home-like charm is in part due to the interestingly combined walls of stone, brick and wood.

The article goes on to describe the home in detail, which is less interesting — unless you own the house now, email us and we’ll get it to you — but the connection to Washington Senator Bucky Harris is really cool. If you’re not familiar with Bucky, he was the player/manager who led our team (with the Big Train) to World Series victory in 1924.

Below is another interesting article I found about Spring Valley, talking about community planning and the display home at 5059 Sedgwick St. This one is from October 1st, 1939.

Importance of community planning and careful development is exemplified in Spring Valley’s Washington Post display home which today enters the first week of a four-week exhibition. W. C. & A. N. Miller, developers of the community, have achieved a national reputation as leaders in the “planned community” idea.

In Spring Valley, as in Wesley Heights, the firm has anticipated and met every need for happy, comfortable, carefree family life. Unusual natural beauties of the site shave been carefully perserved [sic]. the Miller-Built houses themselves are the last word in convenience and comfort. Streets have been thoughtfully planned, thus assuring the continued maintenance of community for fine residential purposes.

The display dwelling is a perfect example of our colonial forefathers’ ideas in home design, adapted and improved to meet the demands of exacting twentieth century family life. Situated on a long, curvilinear street, the red brick dwelling is handsomely framed by a large grove of towering trees which gives it an air of permanence as enduring as the craftsmanship itself.

…

By laying out the community with long curvilinear streets and few intersections and by eliminating boulevard traffic arteries, the developers have solved a major peril in home community planning–traffic danger. The block in which The Post display home is located is approximately a quarter of a mile long, runs in a long, graceful curve from the hill crest of Fordham road to where Sedgewick street intersects with Tilden street at Rockwood parkway.

Any other GoDCers live in AU Park, Spring Valley or Wesley Heights? I know Spring Valley is an area full of some great stories, especially since they continue to dig up old World War I munitions (and mustard gas — not good).

So, stay tuned … more to come on Spring Valley in the future, but before we go, check out this Baist real estate map of what would become Spring Valley. This is from 1913 and you can see the outlines of the planned roads, some with different names and some with routes that were altered. The diagonal road is Mass Ave. and much of the surrounding land was fairly rural — you can see the property lines (maybe this film from 1903 was filmed here).

Spring Valley Baist real estate map in 1913

By the way, W.C. and A.N. Miller is still around and they are celebrating 100 years this year.

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The post From a GoDCer: Miller-Built Homes in Spring Valley appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Air Force One lands in Dallas, November 22nd, 1963

The new Air Force One, and the first jet in service for the president, set a new record in 1963. The Soviets claimed that the United States did not have any aircraft that could fly non-stop from Washington to Moscow. Not only did the Air Force have such an aircraft, it happened to be the president’s official transport.

On May 20th, 1963, the Washington Post reported on the record-setting flight and shattering of another Soviet myth.

MOSCOW, May 19–President Kennedy’s Air Force jet set a nonstop speed record between Washington and Moscow today, shattered 14 other air records and buried still another Soviet myth.

The 8-million-dollar Boeing 707, carrying a 10-man U. S. delegation headed by Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Glenn T. Seaborg, touched down 8 hours, 38 minutes and 42 seconds after takeoff–the fastest flight ever made in either direction between the United States andt [sic] he Soviet Union.

Interred quietly was a Soviet myth that the United States was foot-dragging on a proposed commercial air-link between the two countries because the United States lacked a plane that could make a 5002-mile run non-stop.

…

On board were a Soviet navigator and a Soviet radio operator, the usual requirements for all international flights over Soviet territory. The two men, both speaking English, flew to Washington to make the flight.

This was the same airplane that took Kennedy to his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in West Berlin the following month. It was also the plane that took President and Mrs. Kennedy to Dallas in November 1963, returned with Kennedy in a casket and the LBJ sworn in as the 36th President of the United States.

Air Force One arrives in Dallas with President and Mrs. Kennedy an hour before the assassination, November 22nd, 1963

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The post President’s Jet Breaks 15 Records to Moscow appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Dailymotion has a bunch of great five minute history videos of D.C. Here’s one that I think you’ll like about the Kennedy Center.

[gigya src="http://embed.5min.com/517229558/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="opaque" width="560" height="345"]

Sorry for the late post this morning. I might be slacking a little bit this week because I’m traveling and I didn’t get the chance to finish any posts this past weekend (I was busy enjoying the weather).

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The post The Kennedy Center: A Living Memorial to the Fallen President appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Here’s an interesting video I came across on YouTube. I’m not quite sure what year this is from, but I’m guessing it’s somewhere in the mid-1950s. It’s fascinating to watch the former Senator and President messing up on camera.

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The post Senator John F. Kennedy Outtakes appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

One of the most powerful and important inaugural addresses of all time, this is something worth watching in its entirety. The whole speech is below if you’d like to read it. This is a truly amazing and powerful speech. If you want to skip to the famous quote, start watching at 13:45.

The full text of the speech is below if you’d like to read along.

Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, Reverend Clergy, fellow citizens:

We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom–symbolizing an end as well as a beginning–signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe–the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans–born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage–and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

This much we pledge–and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do–for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom–and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required–not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge–to convert our good words into good deeds–in a new alliance for progress–to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.

To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support–to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective–to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak–and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.

Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.

We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.

But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course–both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind’s final war.

So let us begin anew–remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.

Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.

Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms–and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.

Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.

Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah–to “undo the heavy burdens … (and) let the oppressed go free.”

And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.

All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.

In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.

Now the trumpet summons us again–not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need–not as a call to battle, though embattled we are– but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation”–a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility–I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it–and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.

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The post JFK: Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You (1961 Video) appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

50 years ago today, on January 5th, 1962, Jackie Kennedy was named the best dressed woman in the world for the second year in a row. I’m sure this is not shocking to you, given her status at the time.

Jackie Kennedy in December 1961 (source: AFP/Getty Images)

As an aside, the article by Frederick M. Winship mentions that her sister (Princess Lee Radziwill of London) also made the list. The article is a who’s who of global high society. Take a look at some of the names below.

Running second to Mrs. Kennedy in the voting was Mrs. Loel Guinness, a grandmother every bit as glamorous as Marlene Dietrich. Mrs. Guinness, the former Gloria Rubio of Mexico City, is the wife of an international banker whose family brews the famous Irish Guinness Stout.

In addition to Princess Radziwill and Mrs. Wrightsman, wife of a Texas-Oklahoma oil tycoon, there were two other new names on the list — Mme. Hervé Alphand, wife of the French Ambassador to the United States, and Signora Uberto Agnelli of Turin, Italy, whose husband’s family manufactures the Fiat automobile.

The others listed were holdovers from 1960 and included Queen Sirikit of Thailand, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Signora Gianni Agnelli (sister-in-law of Signora Uberto Agnelli), Vicomtesse Jacqueline de Ribes of Paris, socialite Mrs. John Barry Ryan III of New York, and Mrs. David K. E. Bruce, wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Britain.

Go ahead and Google image search some of these women. See what you think.

Jackie Kennedy

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The post 50 Years Ago: First Lady Jackie Kennedy Named 1961′s Best Dressed Woman in the World appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

The country was in mourning, having just lost our President a few weeks earlier in Dallas. This is a pretty somber, powerful and moving video of the Kennedy family leaving the White House and moving into their new Georgetown home at 3038 N St NW. There’s another shot of Jackie visiting JFK’s grave in Arlington Cemetery.

The post A Country Mourns With the Kennedy Family (1963) appeared first on Ghosts of DC.