What did the new capital look like in 1799? This is an account John Davis, an Englishman who spent four years in the late 18th century traveling up and down the east coast of the new country.

Pierre L'Enfant had originally planned the City of Washington around a right triangle, with the eastern portion at the Capitol, the northern portion at the White House and the 90 degree angle close to where the Washington Monument sits today. Thomas Jefferson marked this spot in 1793 with a wooden post, which was replaced in 1804 with the Jefferson Pier.

What if the Washington Monument was built as a pyramid instead of an obelisk? It could have been if this design came to fruition.

Working under commissioners that President Washington had appointed in 1790 in accordance with the Residence Act, Major Andrew Ellicott led a team that placed these markers in 1791 and 1792.

Here is a terrific old map of the plan for the federal city. Source: Library of Congress

What did the land in and around Washington look like at the end of the 18th century? This map shows the Carroll family land in what would grow into DC.

Here’s a map that we haven’t come across before. This shows the Territory of Columbia and the City of Washington surrounded by Maryland in 1795. Click on it for a much larger version. Source: University of Pittsburgh Darlington Digital Library

The map was done in 1874 and represents Washington as it would have looked before 1792.

The town of Centreville was established in 1792, near the intersection of present day Lee Highway and Sully Road. At the time, it was a village named Newgate.

That’s right, the Patawmack River, not the Potomac. Check out this cool map of what would become the City of Washington. It was done around 1893, near the city’s centennial. Source: Library of Congress

Check this out. What a fascinating old letter we found in the National Archives. This was penned by President John Adams on July 2nd, 1798, nominating George Washington of Mount Vernon to Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief of All the Armies. Source: U.S. National Archives

How did Washington, DC get its name? Look to both George Washington and Christopher Columbus.

Another amazing map, courtesy of David Rumsey. The map is based on the first official plan of the city, published by Andrew Ellicott in 1792. Source: David Rumsey map collection.

These are some great prints of Washington as it looked in the mid-1790s. They were done by George Isham Parkyns and they show a slightly different and more pastoral landscape. Here is the print of the Potomac and I’m guessing that island is Roosevelt Island.

In the English alphabet, the letter J looked too much like the letter I, so Pierre L'Enfant omitted J street in DC.

19 original landowners were negotiated with, directly by George Washington in March, 1791. He met them during the day and in the evening, closed the deal with them at Suter's Tavern in Georgetown.

Way back in the day, the building we now know as the White House was called the “President’s Palace”, “President’s Mansion”, or the “President’s House.” The nomenclature evolved over time, with the accepted name for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue becoming the “Executive Mansion.” It wasn’t until Teddy Roosevelt‘s presidency that the building would be officially referred […]

If you’re a serious D.C. history nerd, you’ll find this just as fascinating as I do. It was produced by UMBC’s Imaging Research Center (IRC) about a year ago. The voiceover is a little dry, but follow along and watch the whole thing. It’s very interesting. Here’s a cool screenshot of the final scene, imagining […]