The origin stories behind Washington, DC street names, neighborhood names, and landmark names. Who were these places named for?
Montgomery County was formed in 1776 from three neighboring counties and named after General Richard Montgomery, an Irish-born Continental Army officer killed at Quebec in December 1775.
Andrew Jackson’s editor found a mica-flecked spring outside Washington in 1840. His country estate gave Silver Spring its name.
Bloomingdale is not named after the department store. George Beale, a hero of the War of 1812, bought a 10-acre estate here for just $600 in 1823.
Constitution Avenue was not always called Constitution Avenue. There’s a Wisconsin connection to the story that most DC residents don’t know.
Arlington County is named for a plantation. The plantation was named for a mansion. The mansion was named for an English village.
Anacostia takes its name from the Nacotchtank people, the Native Algonquin tribe Captain John Smith encountered when he sailed up the Eastern Branch in 1612. Here’s how “Natcotchtank” slowly became “Anacostia.”
Boulder Bridge is one of Rock Creek Park’s most distinctive landmarks. Here is the history of how the rustic stone bridge was built and what makes it unique.
