We love getting stuff like this from readers. Here’s the email we received last week from a GoDCer. Dear Ghosts of DC: I just uploaded a film to Youtube that I made in ’91 that documents some vintage DC street scenes and urban storefronts: http://youtu.be/JPxZYhjPCY8 I’d describe it as an experimental travelogue that’s maybe a bit too arty for it’s ... Read More »
In September 1955, President Eisenhower suffered a heart attack while visiting Denver. He was rushed to Fitzsimmons Army Hospital, where he would spend seven weeks recovering. While convalescing, he continued to carry out his executive duties from his hospital suite (which is now open to tours). Early the following year, in February, the President and the First Lady returned to ... Read More »
This is the best contribution thus far by a member of the GoDC community. This is from Tom H. in Bethesda, and when I first saw it, I was blown away at how professional it looked. Thanks Tom! The video is a fascinating history of the gun barrel fence in Georgetown, made from 364 reclaimed Washington Navy Yard muskets. To ... Read More »
We are guaranteed to play postseason baseball after last night’s win over the Dodgers. Our magic number to win the National League East is down to eight games. Let’s see some #NATITUDE from GoDCers and pride in our baseball team! Along those lines, here are two great films from the last time out team was in the World Series. These ... Read More »
This is a tremendously obscure YouTube video, but for any baseball nuts in the GoDC community, you’ll dig this. The video features Buddy Lewis, former Washington Senator and World War II veteran. He played his entire war-interrupted career here in D.C. Buddy was originally from Gastonia, North Carolina, playing a total of 11 years here. Not only that, but he ... Read More »
This is awesome, with a few appearances from former Mayor Anthony Williams (nice bow tie dude!). If you’re a baseball fan and a history fan, watch the whole thing. It’s an excellent history on the Homestead Grays, the Negro League baseball team that was founded in Pittsburgh and eventually closing out their existence occupying Griffith Stadium. Check out this great ... Read More »
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). Related articles Six Nazi Saboteurs Executed in Washington (ghostsofdc.org) White House South Lawn Helicopter Landing Tests (1957) (ghostsofdc.org) Senator John F. Kennedy Outtakes (ghostsofdc.org) Read More »
We put out a call the other day for some story suggestions and GoDCer from Chicago, Rose, sent along the idea of digging into Clara Barton’s former office and boarding house on 7th St. NW. This excellent video by C-SPAN tells the incredible story of the building and how it had been “lost” for over a century before a construction ... Read More »
[brightcove vid=1752185467001&exp3=635367679001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=0987&pk=AQ~~,AAAAACpvMpk~,rAvHhAS7JOpa4tlt0CXVebDvGzQCdYY2&w=604&h=460] This has to be one of the best finds in a long time … and this appears to be authored by fellow GoDCer Brian at National Journal. The film he uncovered is from the Works Progress Administration, done in 1936. It depicts a day in the life of Washington during the Great Depression. Read Brian’s full piece here and then ... Read More »
This is amateur 16mm film shot and uploaded to YouTube. The voiceover is amusing, but the scenes are a great step back in time over 80 years. Related articles Decapitated by the Hangman’s Rope (ghostsofdc.org) Calvin Coolidge, Vermont Native and Our 30th President (ghostsofdc.org) First to Answer This Question Gets a GhostsofDC.org T-Shirt (ghostsofdc.org) Read More »
Most of you probably walk right by those old police boxes scattered throughout the city. Some of them have been turned into miniature art exhibits — like the ones in Mt. Pleasant. Check out the video above of Sgt. Nicholas Breul of DCPD gives a brief talk on the history of these police call boxes. Surely Officer Sprinkle was intimately ... 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’s an excellent photo from the DC Public Library Flickr photostream. This shows the Capitol Building fully lit up following announcement of the end of World War I. The end of the Great War has lost its luster in place of the end of the Second World War … but it was an equally, if not more celebratory occasion, given ... Read More »
After The Dead and The Police, I’m on a little bit of a concert kick and this one is pretty sweet. Janis Joplin played Merriweather back in 1969, three weeks before the defining moment of the decade: Woodstock. That’s pretty cool. The Washington Post wrote a review and the guy that wrote it was Carl Bernstein … yep, as in ... Read More »
Washington’s estate at Mt. Vernon is one of the best sites to see whether you’re a tourist visiting the area for the first time, or a long-time resident. If you haven’t seen this place during their nighttime candlelit tours (Thanksgiving and Christmas), you must … you’re missing out. Here’s a nice short video from 5min Travel. [gigya src="http://embed.5min.com/517229505/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington