The White House Before Fences and Security
Can you even believe this photo. This dude is just sitting on what appears to be a low stone wall on the south side of the White House. This would be E St. today and if...
Negro Laborers at Alexandria Wharf
This photo was posted by the National Archives and labeled as “negro laborers, near coal wharf.” This beautiful old photo shows the faces of regular African-Americans in the 1860s, living and working around Alexandria. Photos like...
See the End of the Civil War in D.C.
This stunning old photo shows the city of Washington in May of 1865.
Stunning 1861 Photo of Chain Bridge
We wrote a great post about Chain Bridge a while back. That shared a few images of it, but we recently came across this gem. Click on it for more details. Source: Library of Congress
The Horror of an Alexandria Slave Pen
The sad truth is that slave pens existed in and around all of Washington. This photo shows one of those in Alexandria during the 1860s. We dug these up at the Library of Congress. Source: Library...
Civil War Steam Frigate Near Alexandria
These old Civil War photos of Alexandria are amazing. This one shows the steam frigate Pensacola in 1861, the beginning of the war. Click on it for some incredible details. Source: Library of Congress We also...
![View on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.[Soldiers, civilians and children stand in front of a large brick corner building.]](https://ghostsofdc.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2016/03/nypl.digitalcollections.510d47dd-e7cc-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.001.g-420x330.jpg)
Regular Life on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1865
This photo is a great moment in time, showing life on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1865, right at the end of the Civil War. Source: New York Public Library
Where Is This on F St. in 1865?
This wonderful old image from the 1860s shows F St. near the end of the Civil War. The details are quite incredible when you click on the photo. I’m a little confused as to where this...
The Treasury Building in 1860, Before the Civil War
Do you recognize the Treasury Building? This photo shows it back in 1860, before the Civil War. Source: Library of Congress
Photo of the State Department During the Civil War
We posted a great old photo of the old State Department Building earlier. Here’s another, similar angle photo of the building, but much clearer. Click on it for some amazing details. Does anyone know why there...
Do You Recognize Washington During the Civil War?
Check out this cool photo of the city back in 1861. Click on it for a larger version. Source: Library of Congress
Unrealized 1867 Vision for Meridian Hill
We posted a cool old property map of Columbia Heights the other day. Today, we’re showing you something that we dug up showing an alternate view of what Meridian Hill could have looked like, starting back...
Cool 1869 Property Map of Columbia Heights
This property map of Columbia Heights from 1869 shows John Sherman’s subdivision with the old street names (learn about the street names here). Make sure you click on it for more details because it’s very interesting....
The Smithsonian Castle in 1867
Amazing old photograph of the Smithsonian Castle back in 1867, a couple years after the Civil War. Source: Smithsonian
Incredibly Rare 1860s Photo of Capitol Dome Construction
This very rare photo of the Capitol Dome under construction shows it as it looked during the early days of the Civil War. Source: Library of Congress
Orange and Alexandria Railroad Roundhouse
I love old railroad photos like this. You’re looking at a couple photos of the Alexandria railroad roundhouse back during the Civil War. They’re just beautiful photos, frozen in time, so make sure you click on...
Civil War Reaches Tennallytown
Some of you may recall the naming debates we posted about Tenleytown some time ago. We did some more history sleuthing for some good stories about the neighborhood and came across a great article from The Baltimore...
Civil War Reconnaissance Map of Arlington
Here is an old Civil War map of Arlington. This map was for reconnaissance, done by Benjamin Church. The orientation is a little different with north being down and to the right. Click on it for...
