You will find these stories directly in the newspapers of Washington, D.C.
The Last New Year’s Eve Before Prohibition
It’s really hard to believe, but the year 2020 is nearly upon us. I suspect the denizens of Washington, D.C. on December 31st, 1919 felt the same way about 1920 approaching. It’s entirely likely that they...
1953’s Air Travel Predictions
We love old predictions of the future like this. This was an article from The Washington Post printed on December 18th, 1953, the day after the 50th anniversary of their first flight at Kitty Hawk in...
Five Things in the Paper 100 Years Ago
Let’s try something new. We browsed the papers from Saturday February 22nd, 1919 to come up with some fun and interesting things to share with you. This is what we came across in The Evening Star on that...
Georgetown’s Whitehurst Freeway Opens in 1949
It sure isn’t pretty, but it’s quite effective at diverting traffic from Rosslyn, around Georgetown and onto K St. Granted, traffic is still horrific on Key Bridge, M St., and K St., but imagine how it...
1904 Columbia Heights Real Estate Ad
Check out this great old advertisement from The Evening Star back in 1904. It shows a number of great properties for sale in then-new Columbia Heights, which was booming with development. Source: Library of Congress
Balloon “Bootleggers” Chased By Police
Did you know that selling balloons on the streets of D.C. was made illegal back in 1934? There was quite a booming industry of balloon vendors trolling the streets, getting parents to buy balloon for eager...
Horse Dealers Claim Automobiles a Fad
This is a great old article that we dug up in The Washington Post from May 14th, 1900. We see this same ignorance or protectionist tendencies to this day. Look at taxis versus Uber and Lyft, or...
U.S. Senate Imposes 50 Percent Tariff on Foreign Cars
No more foreign cars! They’re an abomination and a detriment to our economy … and society at large. Or so said many nearly 110 years ago. No, this wasn’t Trump’s America, it was the land of...
Booming Georgetown in 1922
This great newspaper clipping is from The Washington Times on January 29th, 1922. Source : Library of Congress
History of the Washington Hackmen (i.e., Carriage Driver)
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....
Why Does the National Mall Look the Way It Does?
What do you think? Is Washington the most beautiful city in the world? I have to believe that I’m biased, but I do think it is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world....
D.C. Lacks National Representation … Still
This print is still appropriate today … sadly. We found this in the awesome collection provided by the DC Public Library. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s amazing, and curated by an old GoDC fan,...
Great Cutaway Drawing of Evening Star Building in 1922
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...
Front Page News 110 Years Ago Today
Here is the front page of the Alexandria Gazette, exactly 110 years ago today, January 2nd, 1904. Source: Library of Congress
Washington Celebrates Christmas in 1913
One hundred years ago today, these two images were the front pages of The Washington Times and The Washington Herald, respectively. Merry Christmas GoDCers! Have a great, relaxing time around the tree with your families. Source: Library...
A Regular Friday Morning 50 Years Ago
Everyone else is going to be covering the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination and there will be no shortage of stories about it. Here at Ghosts of DC, we want to shed some light on the...
Administration Secrecy Gives Rise to Anxiety and False Reports (1913)
Interesting, and yet things never change. I don’t know if that makes you feel better or worse … but, here’s an article written in The Washington Post, exactly 100 years ago today. This article speaks to the...
Height of Buildings Op-Ed: Skyscrapers Are a Menace (1905)
The debate over building height is certainly not a new one for Washington. It seems to be heating up again and we thought it would be interesting to dig up previous arguments from the archives of The...
