Personal stories about people who lived in Washington, D.C. before we did.
Learn the unique history of Cathedral Heights, from its early days of wild dogs to real estate mogul William Matteson. Read an article from 1907 that announced the birth of Cathedral Highlands and the important role Matteson played in its development.
Archibald Willingham Butt was a successful and well-known military aide to presidents Roosevelt and Taft. He was fiercely loyal to both men and near the end of Taft’s term in 1912, it was clear that Roosevelt was disgruntled with Taft and would run against him. Major Butt was caught in the middle with equal but divided loyalties.
There were a couple of requests a short while back to do a post on The Cairo, the most famous residential building in the city. You can Google it or check it out on Wikipedia, so no need to do the building’s history. I want to dig up the more anonymous stories of people associated with the building.
So, here’s one that I came across about a guy named Robert Muir. He was the Cairo Hotel’s manager back in the 1910s, about a little over 15 years into its existence.
A couple of reader comments about an Officer Sprinkle in this earlier post piqued my interest in finding out a little more about the guy who has the kind of name you’d give to a cat. An unforgettable name, so hopefully I’ll be able to dig up enough information on this guy to write a … Read more
In 1911, Henry Elphinstone from Baltimore won the marathon from Laurel to D.C., two minutes faster than the second-place runner. Read to learn more about the race, Henry Elphinstone’s background and the results.
Learn about Nick Altrock, former Major League baseball player who gained fame pitching for the Chicago White Sox in 1906, helping them win the World Series.
