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

Library of Congress

The post Stunning Library of Congress in the Early 20th Century appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

This is an amazing old photograph from 1866. This shows the interior of the old Library of Congress in the Capitol Building before the current one was constructed.

Stereograph showing an interior view of the Library of Congress with reading room and stacks in the U.S. Capitol building (1866)

The post Interior of Old Library of Congress in the Capitol (1866) appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

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.

view southeast from the U.S. Capitol

Thanks to the Library of Congress for this amazing shot.

The post Southeast View from the Capitol Dome appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

We came across this photo at the Library of Congress (how meta). Click on it for greater detail.

Construction of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., May 10, 1893

The post Library of Congress Under Construction [PHOTO] appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

If you know who POTUS 25 is off the top of your head, congratulations. You are an über history geek. Enjoy the Libary of Congress photos below.

The post The 25th President of the United States appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

I love the Library of Congress. Who doesn’t? It has to be one of the most, if not the most ornate building in the city. If you haven’t been inside, you need to, because it’s beautiful and extremely impressive … almost like you’re in Europe.

[gigya src="http://embed.5min.com/517229561/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="opaque" width="560" height="345"]

I also wanted to share with you a few photos from a GoDC reader Joseph (aka, @librapaj). These are two nice indoor shots of the library and our first user contributed photographs. Thanks Joseph!

Inside the Library of Congress (via @librapaj)

Ceiling of the Library of Congress (via @librapaj)

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• Native Americans at the White House During the Civil War (ghostsofdc.org)
• Death Runs His Hands at a Careless man! (ghostsofdc.org)
• Washington’s Rough-and-Tumble Lost Neighborhood of Murder Bay (ghostsofdc.org)
• The Watergate: Cutting Edge Luxury Living (ghostsofdc.org)

The post Library of Congress: Oldest Federal Cultural Institution in America appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

I came across so many wonderful old photos of the Smithsonian Castle while poking around different archives online. Here’s a sample of some of the best ones from trolling the Internet.

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The post Great Old Photos of the Smithsonian appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

The weather has been awesome lately, and frankly, this has been a really easy winter. Well, that doesn’t mean it can’t snow this late in the winter or even in early spring.

Early on during World War II, in 1942, Washington was getting ready for spring and the upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival (watch a 1944 video of the festival). Then, on March 29th, the temperature plummeted and flakes started falling. The snow lasted over 24 hours and D.C. had its largest spring snowstorm at 11.5 inches. Baltimore saw 22 inches from the same storm!

Here are some photos of the aftermath that I found in the Library of Congress archives.

Another freak storm hit the area in late spring of 1891. On March 27th, a similar storm dumped 12 inches on the nation’s capital.

I’m not saying it will happen, but it has happened, so maybe I’ll be able to say I told you so. Happy spring!

The post Snow Ain’t Over Yet … March 28th, 1942 appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

This is a man who needs no introduction. Babe Ruth was the biggest celebrity in America during the 1920s. On December 7th, 1921, he was visiting Washington to stop by and say hello to President Harding.

Below is a photo of him exiting the West Wing (check out some old photos from the White House Historical Association). Thank you Library of Congress.

Babe Ruth exiting the West Wing (1921)

The mention of it in the Post the next day was excellent.

Babe Ruth, baseball’s greatest hitter, was introduced to the President, who greeted him cordially, and when Babe came out, he was wearing a smile broader than any that ever radiated over his face after he had knocked out one of his famous home-runs.

I guess even the Babe could be a little starstruck.

This wasn’t his first visit to the Executive Office of the President … a few years later he had enlisted in the New York National Guard and visited General Pershing in the War Department building (now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building).

Related articles

• Babe Ruth Enlists in the National Guard (ghostsofdc.org)
• Baby Ruth Candy Bars Actually Were Named After Babe Ruth (todayifoundout.com)
• Man Arrested After Frantic Drive on Dupont Circle . . . and Babe Ruth? (1930) (ghostsofdc.org)

The post Babe Ruth Visits the White House appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Here is a great gallery of some Civil War photographs I uncovered at the Library of Congress. It appears that the Treasury Department is in the background of the Sanitary Commission photograph at 15th and F St. NW.

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• World gets better view of Civil War submarine (cbsnews.com)
• Federal Recruitment of Irish Militiamen during the American Civil War (irishamericancivilwar.com)
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The post Great Civil War Photographs of Washington appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Here’s a cool old photograph I found sifting through the Library of Congress archives. I find this one amusing:

You wouldn’t have your child a jay walker.
Don’t be one yourself.

Still very applicable today. This city has an epidemic of jaywalking (on occasion I’m included in this group).

Streetcar decorated with safety slogans (1922)

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The post Death Runs His Hands at a Careless Man! appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Chalk this up to our incredible Library of Congress. A silent film by Thomas Edison, shot on March 4th, 1901 at the Capitol. This one is quite blurry, but this is over a hundred years ago. It’s pretty amazing and even older than the last one I posted of Teddy Roosevelt. Thank you Library of Congress.

Here’s a portrait of the 25th President of the United States. He looks a little rigid and quite unfriendly. Do not anger this man.

President William McKinley portrait

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• President William McKinley’s Second Inauguration (1901) (ghostsofdc.org)

The post President William McKinley’s Second Inauguration (1901) appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Okay, it turns out it’s not exactly easy to crank out two or three posts each day. So far, I’m averaging three posts daily and maybe one or two on Saturday and Sunday. Usually one of the posts is a popular one with a fair bit of traffic (typically the morning post) and the other two range between average and total duds (hey, not every idea I come up with is genius).

While it may not be easy to generate that much content, it is definitely a lot of fun and personally rewarding. I very much appreciate the gratitude my readers have shared on Facebook, Twitter, comments and via email. So thank you for your encouragement and support.

Part of my goal with this blog is to better understand the history of the city that I have called home for over a decade. But what is becoming more important is to document the hidden history of the District and share that with anyone that wants to read it.

I also want this to have elements of participation and collaboration, which is why I wrote the first “Reader’s Choice” post on Syracuse University’s Greenberg House at the bequest of a reader (I’m glad that mystery has been solved). Please keep emailing ideas, tweeting @GhostsofDC and posting on the Facebook wall because the best ideas are coming in from the readers.

I would like to throw one question to the readers: how old does a story have to be to qualify as a Ghosts of DC post? Ten years, twenty-five years or is it subjective depending on they context? My father-in-law aptly argued that turnover is so high in our transient city that a major segment of the population doesn’t know what happening in their neighborhood ten years ago.

Please let me know which stories you enjoy reading the most. Personally, I really enjoy writing “If Walls Could Talk” posts, even though they take two to three hours each to research. It’s fascinating the learn about the life of a building and imagine the events that took place within its walls. I also enjoy digging through Library of Congress photos for “Faces of Yesterday” ideas, giving us a window into Washington’s past anonymous residents.

Also, I recognize that the posts are heavily skewed to the northwest quadrant. I apologize to the other three quadrants, but I promise I will improve my post diversity to include places like the southwest waterfront, Anacostia and Brookland. Since I live in northwest, these are probably the places I could use the most help with resident suggestions and tips.

Let me close by again saying thank you to my readers. Thanks to @SUinDC for helping spread the word about the Greenberg House post. Thanks to @IAFF36 and John from truck 9 down on U St. for sharing your enjoyment of the Columbia Heights fire engine post. And last, thanks to the guys from Red Rocks. I can’t wait for that next pepperoni pizza. It’s going to be awesome … I kind of want it now (my wife is rolling her eyes).

Here’s my favorite photo from the last week from the post about the Grand Review of the Armies.

Grand Review of the Armies - May 1865

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• A Great Start: 7 Days, 26 Posts, 150 Followers and Sleep Deprivation (ghostsofdc.org)
• Reader’s Choice: Why is Syracuse University in Woodley Park? (ghostsofdc.org)

The post Thanks For the Encouragement appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Great old photo from the Library of Congress. It doesn’t have an exact date on it, but it says it was created somewhere between 1909 and 1940 and gifted to the Library of Congress in 1947 by Herbert French … Fascinating image.

Native Americans at the White House

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The post Native Americans at the White House During the Civil War appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

There’s a strong element of sadness watching this video. A burning city, military occupation … what essentially was complete chaos in the city from April 4th to April 8th, 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Economically it seriously devastated the corridors of 14th St NW, 7th St NW and H St NW. It has only been in the last decade that these neighborhoods have seen a significant resurgence.

Here are a couple more photos of the riots.

Soldiers on guard in D.C.

Soldiers in the streets of D.C. (7th and N St NW)

Also check out these riot aftermath photos on Flickr.

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• U St. and the Dickson Building After the Riots (ghostsofdc.org)

The post The Riots of ’68 appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

Now this is a great one from the vaults of the Library of Congress. I found this on YouTube (of course). There’s no sound, but it’s very interesting to watch.

On Mar. 4, 1905, Teddy Roosevelt was inaugurated in Washington, D.C. with much celebration and fanfare. He rides in an open landau on 15 St. NW, escorted by mounted Rough Riders; Secret Service men and detectives walk on either side of the carriage; he tips his hat to the crowd.

Sitting beside him is Senator John C. Spooner of Wisconsin, Chairman of the joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Opposite, but not clearly visible, are Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Mass. and Representative John Dalzell of Penn., members of the committee. Second sequence consists of long shots of Roosevelt taking the oath of office on a platform erected on the east front of the Capitol; Chief Justice Melville Weston Fuller (1888-1910) administers the Presidential oath of office as Chief Clerk of the Supreme Court James H. McKenney holds the Bible.

The platform is decorated with plants and garlands and a large banner with the American eagle on it hangs from the center of the railing. West Point cadets and Annapolis midshipmen are assembled below the platform.

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The post President Theodore Roosevelt’s Inaugural Ceremony (1905) appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

These are some great photos I came across on Flickr. These are from the Library of Congress, taken around 1941 or 1942, during the early days of World War II. They really depict a different D.C., although the houses look pretty much the same — yet strikingly like Philadelphia. The ones on Flickr aren’t all of D.C., but they’re worth checking out.

Row houses corner of N and Union St SW

Shulman

Children on row house steps

Children in the street

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• FDR’s 1941 State of the Union: Four Freedoms Speech (ghostsofdc.org)

The post Amazing Old Color Photos of D.C. Circa 1941 appeared first on Ghosts of DC.

This was a pretty cool find on YouTube. It looks like this takes place looking northwest on Pennsylvania Ave, maybe around 12th St. You can see the Willard Hotel in the background. The postal worker dumps a few bags of mail onto the streetcar, grabs a few off the streetcar, puts them in his wagon and drives off. This takes place some time in 1903 and the video is courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Here’s another really cool video, this time from 1941. It shows people riding a Capital Traction Company streetcar through the streets of Washington.

Check out the rest of them on YouTube … it’s a great peek into the District’s streetcar past. If I find any really good ones, I’ll post them.

The post Washington Streetcar Videos from 1903 and 1941 appeared first on Ghosts of DC.