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What Did K Street Look Like in 1850?

  • Published February 4, 2013
View from the 2nd story of the residence of Mrs. Comre. John Rodgers, Franklin Row, K Street at 12 & 13 Sts, Washington, D.C., overlooking the backyard and adjacent neighborhood, and showing children standing on balconies
There was a time when Washington, even the city itself, was very rural. Imagine livestock roaming the streets, unpaved roads, and small farms in the District.
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The watercolor below was painted by Montgomery Meigs in 1850. It depicts a slightly more bucolic and peaceful life on K St.

View from the 2nd story of the residence of Mrs. Comre. John Rodgers, Franklin Row, K Street at 12 & 13 Sts, Washington, D.C., overlooking the backyard and adjacent neighborhood, and showing children standing on balconies
View from the 2nd story of the residence of Mrs. Comre. John Rodgers, Franklin Row, K Street at 12 & 13 Sts, Washington, D.C., overlooking the backyard and adjacent neighborhood, and showing children standing on balconies

Take a look at a map of the area from 1888. This is the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of the area. You can see Franklin Alley in square 285.

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1888 map of Franklin Square
1888 map of Franklin Square

Also, we came across this old classified advertisement in the Baltimore Sun, published on Wednesday, December 8th, 1841.

1841 real estate advertisement for Franklin Row
1841 real estate advertisement for Franklin Row

Today's Recommendation

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Suggested Reading

Connecticut Ave. Bridge
Exploring Washington D.C. History Through Postcards: The Connecticut Avenue Bridge, 1911
downtown Washington at F St. in 1942
From 1941: Washington's Traffic Problem and the Possibility of a Subway
Balloon view of Washington, D.C., Harper's Weekly, July 27, 1861, p. 476. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-71022. Smithsonian Institution Building can be seen at the top center east of the Potomac River and Virginia, Washington Canal visible, proceeding from the Potomac River due east and then southeast.
Exploring the Cool Print We Found on the Library of Congress Website
Aerial view of Washington, D.C., looking south, southwest, from old Providence Hospital, showing E Street, Duddington Place, F Street, S.E., between 1st and 2nd Streets
Uncovering the Past: Identifying Old Buildings in an Aerial View of E Street in Washington, D.C. Around 1900

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