Faces & Places of Yesterday / 13.07.2018
View of Georgetown in 1855
This lovely painting shows Georgetown in the distance as it looked in 1855. Source: Library of Congress...
Lost History / 18.02.2016
Oldest Photo of State Department
This is the oldest known photo of the U.S. Department of State. The photo is from 1857 and shows the old State Department building, before it was located in Foggy Bottom, and even before it was...
The Best Of, Why Is It Named...? / 23.02.2015
Why Is It Named Tysons Corner?
Tysons Corner has a fascinating history going back to the days of William Tyson. ...
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Whoa. This one is amazing. James Buchanan was the president when this photo was taken -- unless it was early that year, then it was Franklin Pierce. Source:...
Have you ever seen a photo of the White House stables? We haven't actually come across one until we found this at the Library of Congress. How cool is this? The photo was taken by Lewis...
GoDCers Love Maps / 12.03.2014
Incredible 1850s Map of Washington
Now this has to be one of the best maps we've come across recently. It shows Washington in the 1850s, marking all the buildings, roads, and rural property owners. It's really fascinating to see all the...
Faces & Places of Yesterday, Historical Events, Pictures Tell a Story / 18.02.2014
First Known Photo of Presidential Inauguration (1857)
This is an extremely rare photograph of James Buchanan's Inauguration at the East Front of the Capitol Building on March 4th, 1857. It's a little blurry and not the highest resolution, but amazing nevertheless. The exposure...
How cool is this? It's an 1852 dollar bill issued by the Bank of the United States. Source: currencyquest.com...
Here's a fascinating old advertisement sent in by a GoDCer. Nancy sent in an old ad for her great-great grandfather's business. Source: GoDCer Nancy...
Here is a cool series of photographs from the 1850s, when the Department of Treasury's building on 15th St. was under construction. [gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="14970,14966,14967,14968,14969,14965"] Source: Library of Congress We have a couple other great photos of the...
Now this is a really super old photo of Washington from around 1857. Click on it for a much larger version to study it. I believe this is a view looking southeast, and the Washington Monument...
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...
Old Ads & Classifieds / 05.10.2013
Wanted: a Sober Man, Without Family
Know any sober gardeners in the area? If so, in 1857, the could have earned $200 per year, with room and board. Good Hope Hill is an area in, what...