Ghost Dog went on another walk this past weekend to seek out three more stories for the GoDC community. This time, she passed through Adams Morgan, en route to the Duke Ellington Bridge (formerly known as the Calvert Street Bridge). It was named in honor of Washington’s native son in 1974, after Ellington’s death. Construction on the bridge began in ... 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 »
I really enjoy getting emails from GoDCers and reading the great personal connections they have to local history. Below is an email I received last week along with an article worthy of a “From the Crazy Vault” post. Ghosts, Since I have no photo of Mr. Luckett, I have attached a photo of A.E. Beitzell. He was Albert Ernest, a ... Read More »
I came across a very sad article in the Washington Post the other day. This is from September 2nd, 1906 and given that a large number of GoDCers have demonstrated their interest in the macabre and tragic posts, I’ll share this with you. In the span of 12 months there were nine mysterious deaths in Columbia Heights, all within two ... Read More »
We haven’t done a “Three Things…” post in a while, so let’s go to the far reaches of the District, up to the Maryland line, and talk about some things you didn’t know happened there long ago. 1. The tragic suicide of a local tailor There’s always a macabre story when doing one of these posts … and this is ... Read More »
This title is worthy of a big #WTF. Posts like this are sadly some of the more popular ones. I don’t know if GoDCers are attracted to the macabre, but it sure seems that way. So here’s another one for “From the Crazy Vault.” This is a crazy story of a military officer who shoots his wife while she was asleep ... Read More »
Here is a recent crazy story … very crazy. This one is from March of 1995, so I’m guessing there are a few of you who remember this. In the spring of that year, Margaret Davis King, 36, had arrived in Washington from Arkansas to get back custody of her children. She was a homeless and mentally ill mother of ... Read More »
I came across a sad and shocking article in the Washington Post from Saturday, July 20th, 1946. Three men jumped to their deaths off of three bridges in Washington. On Thursday, Samuel Hall, a Pullman porter living at 1327 T St. NW, jumped to his death off the 11th Street Bridge into the Anacotia River. He had been in a ... Read More »
The next “Three Things…” post will be about one of the most iconic monument in our city: The Washington Monument. Since the cornerstone was laid on July 4th, 1848 (check out a photo of it under construction), the Monument has seen it’s fair share of history; there isn’t a shortage of events to choose from, but selecting three that you ... Read More »
Herbert Bell was the unfortunate victim of a railroad accident in 1912, where he lost his left above the knee. He was able to sue for damages, but only recouped $500 (shocking and sad). He was an electrician in New York, living at the time on Long Island, but was having a hard time making a living. So difficult, that ... Read More »
I thought the triple homicide post I put up was crazy. This one is right up there. The National Capital Brewery (cool PDF here) was a giant presence in southeast, near Capitol Hill. The plant stood at 14th and D St. SE (where Kentucky Ave. interests them). The Washington Post reported a crazy story of a murder-suicide that happened in the ... Read More »
This is the last post in a four-part series covering the photogenic houses on Cliffbourne Pl. NW, between Calvert St. and Biltmore St. I’m sure you’ve seen photos of the set on Flickr, the Washington Post and other local media sites. They look like a complete set, but have completely different histories (as you’ve read). Let’s find out the stories ... Read More »
I’m sure that title grabbed your attention just like it did mine. I had to read this one in the Washington Post. It dates from September 9th, 1922 with the subhead “Minnie Wiseman Carries Secret Behind Deed to Grave — Love Affair Suspected.” Read the rest below. Writhing in agony, pretty Minnie Wiseman, 18 years old, of Williamsville, Va., a ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington