1951 USGS Map of Washington

We came across a great archive of maps thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey. This one shows much of Washington and some of suburban Maryland in 1951.

Historical Topographic Map Collection

More from Ghosts of DC

News Headlines from 180 Years Ago Today

July 15, 2021

Cleveland Heights - 1889

1889 Cleveland Park Real Estate Ad

December 26, 2017

Looking east at construction on Arlington Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Note the statue on the partially-constructed pedestal just to the right of the abutments (bottom center). The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts erected this mock-up to determine how high statues on the piers of the bridge should be.

Cool 1928 Photo of Arlington Memorial Bridge Construction

December 28, 2015

Sherman's subdivision of Columbia Heights in 1869

Cool 1869 Property Map of Columbia Heights

December 23, 2015

This Was F Street at Night in 1955

August 26, 2015

Rare Photo of Walter Johnson and Gabby Street

April 30, 2015

Heurich Brewery in 1910

Photo of Heurich Brewery in 1910

March 13, 2015

Metro Trains Were Almost Bright Red!

May 31, 2012

Washington Times pocket directory of apartments - 1914

1914 Directory of Apartments and Rent

July 9, 2013

Looking toward the west side of the United States Capitol building, a panoramic view of the city of Washington, D.C. shows the Mall area in the foreground before the railroad tracks were removed. A train is visible on the tracks. The domed structure in front of the Capitol is the Botanic Garden original octagonal greenhouse of 1859 and behind it the central pavilion added after the Civil War. The buildings were razed in 1932. The Botanic Garden was on a site previously occupied by the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences in Washington, D.C.

Wow. Stunning Black and White Photo of the Capitol

May 17, 2013

soldiers rolling through Washington on trucks

World War I Soldier Ogling Woman

January 7, 2014

Nazi saboteur trial, Washington, D.C. The special seven-man military commission opens the third day of its proceedings in the trial of eight Nazi saboteurs in the fifth floor courtroom of the Department of Justice building. Sitting on the commission left to right are: Brigadier General John T. Lewis; Major General Lorenzo D. Casser; Major General Walter S. Grant; Major General Frank R. McCoy, president of the commission; Major General Blanton Winship; Brigadier General Guy V. Henry; Brigadier General John T. Kennedy. (Wikipedia)

Six Nazi Saboteurs Executed in Washington

February 9, 2012

construction of Memorial Bridge

Incredible View of Memorial Bridge Under Construction

March 8, 2013

In late 1959 through 1960, the Capitol Dome underwent a significant repair and restoration effort and at the end of 1959 the exterior of the Dome was surrounded by scaffold.

The Capitol Dome Was Once Red

September 26, 2013