Ghosts of DCThe lost and untold stories of Washington

Try an address, a neighborhood, a name or a year, like “14th and U” or “1968.”

Not sure where to start?
Best OfThe stories readers come back toAtlasOur stories, on a mapPodcastOur stories, told aloud
The two-story brick Columbia fire engine house on St. Asaph Street in Alexandria, with twin arched engine doors, a large arched window and a brick bell tower, about 1918 to 1920.The Secondhand Fire Engine Behind Old Town’s Columbia Firehouse6 min readColorized 1964 photo of a man in a dark suit and bow tie watching an older Black woman in a plaid dress and head scarf arrange vegetables, with bushel baskets of green beans, cabbages and potatoes, under a market shedUnion Market Was Built on an Old Army Camp and Circus Lot16 min readEpisodeAI-colorized view of the new Hecht Co. store at Parkington, a green brick building with a glass facade and workers on scaffolding, with a line of late-1940s cars parked along North Glebe Road in October 1951When Hecht’s Opened Parkington, 60,000 Shoppers Showed Up8 min readTwelve-year-old Linda Bowman looks out her kitchen window near Fairfax Station at the farm field chosen for a Nike missile launching site in 1954.The Nike Missiles of Fairfax County9 min read
The Email

Lost Washington stories, in your inbox.

The newest story, plus a few from the archive.

Free. Unsubscribe anytime.

Today’s EmailTuesday, November 10
Seated woman at a desk with a ledger shakes hands with a woman in a hat while six other women look on in a police office.A DC Policewoman Went to the Dance “all dolled up,” and a Liquor Raid FollowedAbout 20 young men in sleeveless club jackets, some in sunglasses, posed together against a brick wallThe 1966 Pagans vs. Avengers Shootout at Arlington’s Lee-Harrison SafewayAI reconstruction of the 1931 newspaper photograph of Julian Altman holding a violin, Sylvia standing beside him, and Elmer seated with a cello.Sylvia Altman, DC’s Child Prodigy, and Her Brother’s Stolen StradivariusDetail of the 1932 map around Washington, Alexandria, Mount Vernon, Baltimore and Annapolis, with red routes and Roman numeralsMap of George Washington’s Travels: National Geographic, 1932
The lost and untold stories of Washington, DC. Since 2012.
The Atlas

Washington’s stories, on the map.

Find what happened on your block.

Explore the map

Readers’ favorites

A few of the stories readers keep coming back to.

See all
Aerial view of the Pentagon and the roads around it, about 1947Why Does the Pentagon Have Five Sides? The 1941 Story6 min read
Aerial view of the Willard Hotel during restoration, Washington, D.C.Willard Hotel: 18 Empty Years and a $73 Million Rescue7 min readThe Big Hunt at 1345 Connecticut Avenue NW in July 2008, mid-run, with the striped circus-tent awning and the jungle murals that defined the storefront for nearly three decades. Photo by Kevin Harber, used under Creative Commons.Inside The Big Hunt: How a 1928 Dupont Storefront Became DC’s Weirdest Bar15 min readErol's Video Club logo, red on yellow, 'The First Name In Video'Erol’s Video Club: The DC Empire Before Blockbuster11 min read1916 Slaves reunion. Lewis Martin, age 100; Martha Elizabeth Banks, age 104; Amy Ware, age 103; Rev. Simon P. Drew, born free." Cosmopolitan Baptist Church, 921 N Street N.W. (Shorpy)1916 Convention of Former Slaves in Washington2 min read