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Whitehurst Freeway was envisioned I'm the 1940s to bypass Georgetown traffic. Ultimately opened in 1949, it was named for Captain Herbert C. Whitehurst.

We love sharing these old maps of Washington. This time, we’re going to share a series of maps of Petworth to show the neighborhood development over several decades. If you live in or near Petworth, you’re going to love these...

Okay GoDCers! This is a photo shared by a fellow reader Eric. He sent it in quite a while ago, so I’m a bit late on sharing this with the group. But, I promised to crowd-source the investigation with the...

Check this out. Here’s a map of something that didn’t happen. Howard University proposed extending Vermont Ave. from Florida Ave. to Georgia Ave. back in 1919. Source: Library of Congress Here’s that same intersection today on Google Maps.

This cool old advertisement shows a competition for flying innovation in the early 20th century. Click on it to read more and see that William Randolph Hearst was offering $50,000 for a successful flight across the continental U.S. Jay Gould...

The baseball nuts in the crowd are going to find this fascinating. Griffith Stadium off of Florida Ave. NW was where the old Washington Senators used to play baseball, and they were decent in the 1920s, but by the time...

Pre-dating Uber drivers by about 160 years, the hackmen of Washington used to provide transportation to locals and visitors alike. Hackmen used to rule the streets of the city, taking people wherever they wanted to go. (A hackman was one...

This photo shows the Washington Senators team during spring training of 1920. They came in sixth place out of eight that year, finishing 68-84. A short few years later, they would be world champs. Source: Detroit Public Library

The coldest day ever in Washington was in 1899. On February 11th, it was recorded to be -15 degrees fahrenheit.

What a cool old photo of Scott Circle. I’m not sure when this is from, but we dug it up at the Library of Congress. Source: Library of Congress

Thanks to GoDCer Mike for sending in this family photo from 1955. Below is the note he send: Dear Ghosts of DC This photo surfaced in our family a few years ago.  It was taken in 1955 and shows my parents,...

This is such a cool cutaway drawing of the Evening Star Building at 11th and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. We posted a great photo of it some time ago, but this was something we had to share after GoDCer Ellen sent...

Happy Sunday, and welcome to map week! Starting now, going through the rest of the week, we’re posting a map each day, so get pumped. GoDCers love maps! And this is a great one to start with. Here’s a map...

This is a photo of a beautiful old mansion which still sits in upper Georgetown. Formerly known  The home was called Bellevue and sat about 100 feet south of where it sits today on Q Street. Source: Dig DC If...

What an amazing photo this is from sometime between the 1880s and 1910s. I can’t quite tell the direction of this shot. I think it’s looking east toward Mt. Pleasant? Source: Library of Congress

What a beautiful drawing from the 1920s. This was done by Susan Brown Chase. Source: Library of Congress  

What a cool street scene on Pennsylvania Ave. This was taken some time in the 1920s. Source: Library of Congress

This is a photo taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston of the original Hay-Adams house. Source: Library of Congress

How times were different back then right? This is an advertisement for Sibley Memorial Hospital from September 1st, 1910, printed in The Washington Herald. Source: Library of Congress

Below is a painting of Brown’s Indian Queen Hotel situated on Pennsylvania Avenue. Source: Library of Congress The hotel was located on the northwest corner of 6th and Pennsylvania and was originally run by manager Jesse Brown, starting in 1810....

What a terrific old photo from 1923. We dug this gem up on Shorpy. Any idea where this was taken? Also, check out this photo of Chaconas. Soure: Shorpy

Here is a crazy story from Tennallytown that we found in The Washington Post, printed on November 8th, 1896. A serious accident happened at Tennallytown about 7 o’clock yesterday evening. Car No. 9, of the Georgetown and Tennallytown Electric Railroad ran...

This is a really cool old film that we dug up at the U.S. National Archives. Check it out and see what landmarks you can identify, then add them to the comments below.

What a handsome co-conspirator, looking like a Gap or Abercrombie model.

This is a crazy crime story that we found in The Washington Post. It was printed on February 18th, 1922 with the title “Gem Thief Holds Hundreds at Bay.” Above is a photo of the Gayety Theatre, close to the scene...

Now this is a rather interesting article that we dug up from the newspaper. It was printed in The Washington Post on October 20th, 1938, and though not often remembered today, was a pretty big story at the time. According to...

Happy New Year! I hope 2014 is a great year for you and all GoDCers … while you recover from whatever you did last night, check out this old photo from January 1st, 1925. It shows a group of military...

Fewer than 50 days until pitchers and catchers report. Here at Ghosts of DC, we’re huge baseball fans, so even though it’s the middle of every sport except for baseball, we needed to get some hardball in our lives. First,...

Before the Kennedy Center opening, the National Symphony Orchestra would perform at D.A.R. Constitution Hall. Below is an advertisement from The Washington Post, printed on November 22nd, 1963 with a quote from President Kennedy.

This is a photo of the massive storm that hit Washington, dumping so much snow on the city that the roof of the Knickerbocker Theater collapsed, killing 98 people. Source: Library of Congress