This is an amazing old photo of the General Post Office, which still stands in Gallery Place today. Check out the beautiful image below, which is from 1846. The building is now the Washington Monaco Hotel.
What a fascinating old drawing from 1846. This is the proposed design for the Smithsonian Castle, Proposed design for Smithsonian Institution Building by John Notman, north front elevation. It is a Gothic design...
Here is an old classified advertisement from The Baltimore Sun, printed on November 12th, 1845. In the ad, you'll see some interesting property for sale, namely a large...
We came across some interesting history while digging through the rabbit hole that is Wikipedia. David Levy Yulee, of Florida, was not only one of the first...
Here is an interesting video that we found, showing a collection of really old photos of D.C. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyjhT0Z0g9Y ...
Source: DC Public Library Above is a great photo that we dug up on Flickr. The saloon above is the famous old Palo Alto Tavern,...
This is a great print from 1848, showing the view looking south and west from the White House. Washington, from the presidents house: vue de Washington, prise de la maison du president /...
The Best Of, Why Is It Named...? / 14.02.2013
Why Is It Named Chain Bridge? And, Where Are the Chains?
It's probably obvious to GoDCers where Chain Bridge Road gets its name. There is a bridge that connects the eponymous road on the D.C. side to the one on the Virginia side. But, this bridge has...
"Kalorama" is a Greek word meaning "fine view." It's also the name given to one of the finest neighborhoods in Washington. Here is a quick "Why is it Named...
The United States annexed Texas in 1845 and Sam Houston was elected with Thomas Jefferson Rusk to become the Longhorn State's first two Senators. The former President of the Republic of Texas, and one of only...
Here is a painting of Washington from the late 1840s or 1850s, done by Augustus Köllner. The view is from an angle south of the Capitol, looking northwest. We just came across this watercolor while digging through the...
Faces & Places of Yesterday / 19.11.2012
Abraham Lincoln and The Black Code of the District of Columbia
I recently saw "Lincoln" with Mrs. Ghosts and was blown away by the history and power of the film. A number of visually stunning scenes depicted life in Washington during the waning years of the Civil War. The...
Why Is It Named...? / 24.10.2012
Why Is It Named Silver Spring?
There actually was a spring and it was silver ...
Following up on our Postal Service theme from earlier today, here's a great afternoon photo for you to stare at for a bit. It's a daguerreotype taken by John Plumbe in 1846 featuring the post office...