In January 1860, the Tokugawa shogunate sent a delegation to the United States with the primary objective of ratifying the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation (aka, the Harris Treaty). Commodore Matthew Perry (not Chandler) had opened Japan (forcefully) in 1854 and this was the first Japanese diplomatic mission sent to the United States. This historic event is particularly interesting to me because, while ... Read More »
Secretary of the Treasury Franklin MacVeagh was a man that appreciated beauty and the aesthetics of architecture. He was also a clear supporter of urban planning with an eye towards maintaining or enhancing the appeal of a city. Here’s an article I came across in the Washington Post exactly one hundred years ago today … April 6th, 1912. Efforts to ... Read More »
This is a great book if you’re interested in some local Washington history. Jeanne Fogle does an excellent job highlighting sites in the District that are less known to tourists and residents alike. I tore through this book on a recent flight to California and was inspired to add no less than two dozen ideas to my list of places ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington