I can spend two or three hours researching an in depth “Three Things…” or “If Walls Could Talk” post and ultimately end up with the same number of readers as a quick afternoon photo post. Today, I’m going to flip the order or my posts and kick the morning off with a cool old photo from Shorpy. Below is a ... Read More »
You may not know this, but there was a very public assassination attempt on a President very near the White House and it wasn’t that long ago. President Harry Truman was in the middle of his second term and his home was having under major renovations, forcing him to live in Blair House for several years. It also might shock ... Read More »
Here is some old craziness to (I hate to use the word) entertain you. This is from the Washington Post on December 6th, 1884. By the way, this just happens to be the same day the Washington Monument was completed. A few passers-by on Pennsylvania avenue northwest, opposite the Botanical Garden, at midnight last Wednesday, were startled by loud screams ... Read More »
The opium den post of last week was the first foray into old Chinatown research, but I’ve uncovered a gold mine of fascinating local history. You probably were unaware of this, but in the 1920s, there was a brutal criminal underground layer in Chinatown — if there still is, I’m totally oblivious — and a very detailed Washington Post article ... Read More »
You may be aware of the blight that lined Pennsylvania Avenue in the 1970s with the proliferation of sleezy strip clubs and porn shops, but did you know that over 100 years ago, you could head to the old Chinatown and indulge yourself into a opium-induced stupor? That’s right, our very own city had opium dens, though not nearly as ... Read More »
This is an excellent silent film from 1929. It begins with outgoing president Calvin Coolidge and Hoover entering a vehicle and being taken to the Capitol Building down Pennsylvania Avenue. The members of the Supreme Court are seen — including former president and then Chief Justice William Howard Taft — on the inauguration platform. Both Coolidge and Hoover are present ... Read More »
Anytime you throw men, booze and pool into an equation, with a little competition on the side, you’re asking for trouble. This hypothesis is tested and proven true according to an article in the Washington Post from October 30th, 1900. Read More »
Here’s a cool “Then and Now” photo set. This is the Washington Star (or Evening Star) Building down at 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, right across from the Old Post Office Pavilion. This striking Beaux-Arts building was originally constructed in 1898 (designed by Marsh & Peter) to house the newspaper, which was the anchor tenant until 1955. The paper eventually ceased ... Read More »
The Iron Horse himself, Lou Gehrig, was in our city to celebrate the start of a new year in 1929. He was staying at the old Hotel Occidental on Pennsylvania Ave. Lou was quoted in the Washington Post on January 1st, 1929, after ringing in the New Year … Read More »
I’ve come across a mountain of great society columns in old Washington Posts titled “In Hotel Lobbies.” This is going to make for some great material, so I’m kicking off a new category with the same title. On December 21st, 1903 Colonel William F. Cody was in Washington, staying at the recently opened New Willard at 15th and Pennsylvania Ave. ... Read More »
Here is a nice “Then and Now” shot of the old Riggs National Bank across from the Department of Treasury. I found this in the Smithsonian’s Flickr feed. The first one is from 1919 and the one below is today’s shot from Google Street View. If you like these photos, why don’t you follow @GhostsofDC on Twitter to get updates? ... Read More »
Here’s a cool short post to end this Friday. I was scanning Shorpy and came across this photograph. I think it’s amazing. The building was built between 1892 and 1899. This photo was taken a year later, in 1900, so it’s brand new and it looks great … not to mention, it dominates the entire block. It’s massive. Related articles ... Read More »
The Grand Review of the Armies happened on May 23rd and 24th, 1865 after the formal end of The Civil War. Much of the Union Army paraded through the streets of Washington (most importantly, Pennsylvania Ave.), much to the cheers and adulation of the crowd. The country had just been through four horrible years of war, capped off by the ... Read More »
I’m doing a little early morning research and this one from January 11th, 1892 caught my eye. Frank Rowler, a messenger boy, was assaulted in Crowley’s oyster house, on the Avenue, late Saturday night, by a man named Howard, who was in an ugly temper from drink. Several bystanders interfered, among whom was Michael McDonald. Mr. McDonald was so angry ... Read More »
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 ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington