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
GoDCers Love Maps

1891 Map of DC’s Street Lamps and Underground Cables

In 1891 there were only 321 electric lamps, mostly along major thoroughfares, and close to 5,000 gas lamps. This map shows the underground cables.

Posted 1 min read
1891 map of street lamps
1891 map of street lamps

This is an interesting and unique map … probably not one you’ve seen before. It shows all the underground cables, mapped in 1891. At the time there were only 321 electric lamps, mostly along major thoroughfares, with close to 5,000 gas lamps.

1891 map of street lamps
1891 map of street lamps (Library of Congress)

We use AI to help research, write and edit stories across our sites. Here’s how we use AI.Suggest a correction

Filed underGoDCers Love Maps

Topics1890s

The daily email

A lost Washington story, every morning.

The newest story, plus a few from the archive.

Free. Unsubscribe anytime.

Pass it on

Know someone who’d like this?

Send it to them.

Email it

Readers’ favorites

Meridian Hill Park: The History Behind the Terraces13 min read1791 L'Enfant Plan of the new cityWhy Is There No J Street in Washington, DC?9 min readEpisodeFrank Morris: From Washington Foster Homes to the Great Alcatraz Escape6 min read

More from the 1890s

1890s stroll through Rock Creek ParkCarriage Rides in Rock Creek: A Photograph from 1890Thomas Brackett Reed, Speaker of the House, circa 1890s“Czar Reed”: The Speaker Who Broke the FilibusterMay 8, 1889 photograph of the Korean Legation at 1500 13th Street with staff in gat and the taegeukgi flag flyingKorea’s Logan Circle Legation: Sold for $5, Bought Back