Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington

Who doesn’t love beer. It’s Friday! This is an advertisement from the Washington Herald on Saturday, February 7th, 1914. Read More »

Going to an Inaugural Ball this weekend? The austerity of Obama’s second mirrors the desires articulated by newly elected President Woodrow Wilson. Take a look at the front page of the Washington Herald on Friday, January 17th, 1913, exactly 100 years ago today. Totally fascinating for GoDC history nerds. Read More »

Here is an appropriate newspaper front page. This is from The Washington Herald on Thursday, November 29th, 1906 … “From a Little Acorn – A Sturdy Oak Did Grow.” Read More »

How are you liking the “In The Paper” posts? Check out this page from The Washington Herald on Monday, December 20th, 1920. The “Merchant of Venice” performed by Gonzaga students and a Mardi Gras-themed inaugural ball for Warren G. Harding. Read More »

Do you live in Chevy Chase? Was your down payment $500? I think it’s safe to say that’s off by a factor of around 200. Either you find this extremely amusing or slightly depressing. That amount of money in 1911 is probably worth $20,000 today. That also probably makes you a little depressed. Chevy Chase ain’t cheap. Related articles Cops ... Read More »

October 4th? That seems really late. Holy sh*t … tuition of $75 per year. It’s now $35,000, and that’s actually not bad compared to neighbor school GWU at around $50,000 (ouch). Related articles The National Cathedral School for Boys (St. Alban’s) in 1910 (ghostsofdc.org) If Walls Could Talk: Eastern High School (ghostsofdc.org) Exploring D.C.’s Forgotten History, One Blog Post At ... Read More »

Did you know Bass Ale was available in Washington back in 1911? I did not. Well, it would be only for another six years until Prohibition set in on the city. This was an advertisement I came across in the Washington Herald from Christmas Eve, 1911. I probably won’t be having one of these tonight, but chances are quite good ... Read More »

This is an advertisement for new development and real estate across the Eastern Branch, near Anacostia. Click on the ad for a closer look at what is a harsh window into a very different (and blatantly racist) time in Washington. Reading these anachronistic advertisements over 100 years later still makes you cringe at the way things were back then. Fairlawn ... Read More »

Cool. I love these. The Gonzaga one was quite popular with readers as was the St. Albans ad. This is Sidwell Friends School — the name has gone through a few iterations — back in 1910. They had recently acquired property up Wisconsin Avenue (where the current campus is), formerly run by the Washington School for Boys. Sidwell has recently ... Read More »

If you went to St. Albans, you will probably find this fascinating. If you know someone that went there, send this to them. It’s an old advertisement from the Washington Herald, back in 1910. The school was founded only three years earlier as The National Cathedral School for Boys. Related articles Move to Cathedral Highlands: An Unobstructed View of the ... Read More »