Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington

Prior to completion, the Washington Monument was an eyesore, sitting as an unfinished stub. For some time, it was used as grounds to raise cattle and inside, they would slaughter the cows for beef. Source: Library of Congress Read More »

Below is a scathing letter to the editor by Clark Mills. You may recognize that name, because he’s the guy who did the statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park. We dug this interesting piece up in the Washington Post from December 19th, 1877. The Washington Monument was still sitting unfinished, as an embarrassing (attempted) monument to George Washington. Near ... Read More »

Great photo. Speaks for itself. Sadly, no larger version. Thanks Smithsonian. Read More »

Doing a little evening photo surfing and came across this stunning one from the Smithsonian’s archives. The building on the left is the West Wing and the one on the right is the State, War and Navy Building. And off in the distance, is the Washington Monument (of course). Here’s another one we dug up.   Read More »

Here is another excellent old saloon from 1913, lost to history. Mullany’s Saloon had a neighbor with Hohmann’s Saloon. The most amazing part of this photograph is the Washington Monument peeking out in the background. The saloon stood at the corner of 14th St. and Ohio Ave. (before it was moved). This has to be one of our favorite photographs ... Read More »

In the foreground, you can see the Red Cross building and in the background, the Washington Monument and the Old Post Office Building. Click on the photo for a larger image. Off in the distance, you can see the Capitol Building and the smokestacks in the middle are the Potomac Electric Power Co. plant at 14th an B St. NW ... Read More »

Check out this tacky proposal to finish the Washington Monument. The date on the drawing is 1889, however the monument was completed and dedicated in 1885. Read More »

One of our more popular topics, and top Google search terms, is the Washington Monument. So, for the next post in our “In The Paper” series, we present to you, the front page from The National Republican on Saturday, February 21st, 1885 … the day the Washington Monument was dedicated. Read More »

GoDCer, and D.C. native, Tony was kind enough to share a number of photos from his youth. His father was a pilot with Eastern Airlines (remember them?) and a few of the shots are taken by him, flying into National Airport (not Reagan). Read More »

A Washington doctor with an interesting name was among the first to suggest a link between mosquitos and malaria.  Meet Albert Freeman Africanus King. Dr. A.F.A. King was a professor of obstetrics at Columbian University, precursor to the present-day George Washington University.  The malaria-mosquito connection was his top scientific acheivement.  But history remembers his presence at another key American moment ... Read More »

This is a guest post by Rick. He also wrote a good one on the White House Easter Egg Roll. The Ghosts of DC sometimes take shape in the midst of controversy, although most seem to recede from memory but their remains continue as companions. The brouhaha surrounding the design of the Eisenhower memorial may be viewed by some as ... Read More »

By 1854 the Washington Monument was about a third complete when the Washington National Monument Society ran out of funds and had to halt construction. John Carroll Brent called upon Americans to support the effort with a donation of funds and appealed to their patriotism with the upcoming Fourth of July celebrations. The leaflet below was distributed in an attempt ... Read More »

Here is a great old photograph of East Potomac Park and Hains Point (which we learned about yesterday). This was taken by an airplane (obviously) from the photo section of Bolling Field. You can clearly see the golf course, the tidal basin, Washington Monument and Fort McNair on the right. If you squint, you can see the tiny White House ... 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 »

Here is a nice photograph from 1922. You’re looking at the Washington Monument from within the Lincoln Memorial, which has just opened. The memorial has not yet been formally dedicated — a ceremony attended by Lincoln’s son. Thanks Shorpy! Read More »