Hazy blue smoke surrounds the origins of the annual Fourth of July Smoke-In. Though it now takes place in Lafayette Square, across the barricaded street from the White House, it began on the Mall.
Take a look at these incredible Civil War photos of Alexandria, VA from 1861. See the steam frigate Pensacola in all its glory and click on it for some amazing details. Source: Library of Congress.
This incredible old photograph shows Alexandria, Virginia as seen from the air in 1919. Click on the image to see some amazing details. Source: Library of Congress.
Take a look at this old photo taken in 1938 of a parking lot in DC. Can you identify where this is? Join the GoDC community and add your thoughts in the comments.
Explore a historic view of Chevy Chase, MD in 1907 with this map showing the area's rural landscape before development. It looks like the Shoemaker family owned quite a bit of land in the area back then.
Take a look back in time with this old photo taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston at the turn of the 20th century. See it for yourself and uncover a piece of history!
Take a look back in time to 1900 and explore the history of Western High School. The photo was taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston and the building now houses the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
On November 13th, 1948, Duke and GWU met in a football game that was lopsided to say the least. Duke won by an incredible 62-0 score - read on to learn more about the game!
Explore the history of the Southern Hotel, a hotel for African-Americans located on 311 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in Washington, DC. See a photograph of the hotel from 1899 and a 1903 map of the area.
Explore an 1857 view of Washington, D.C. with the Smithsonian in the distance. Click on the image for a larger version to study. See if you can spot the Washington Monument just out of the frame on the right.
Take a look at this stunning photo of the Capitol Building taken in 1921 from the steps of the Library of Congress. See the beautiful night view in the rain and learn more about the history of this iconic building.
In 1895, Reverend Alexander Crummell delivered a powerful Thanksgiving sermon to three congregations, including the 15th St. Presbyterian Church. He identified several instances of hope for African Americans, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, including persevering through the institution of slavery. Read the entire sermon now!
![Night view in rain [of Capitol] taken from steps [Neptune Plaza] of Library of Congress](https://ghostsofdc.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2013/12/3b42062u-1024x734.jpg)
