Washington spent most of the 1860s as a city at war. The Capitol dome was still under construction when the fighting started, and the city filled with soldiers, contraband camps, and field hospitals. Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre in April 1865. These are 139 stories from the decade that defined the District.
This photograph captures Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration on March 4th, 1865, just weeks before his assassination. The crowds stretch down Pennsylvania Avenue. The Capitol dome, completed just the year before, looms behind the platform.
The National Hotel, Brown’s Indian Queen, and the Southern Hotel once anchored Pennsylvania Avenue. By 1942 all three were gone. Here’s their story.
A reader shares the story of tracking down a newspaper article connecting their ancestor to Abraham Lincoln, who served as a bodyguard to the 16th President.
Explore the abandoned 19th century Seneca Quarry in Maryland, which provided the iconic red sandstone for DC landmarks like the Smithsonian Castle.
Sarah Rosetta Wakeman enlisted in the 153rd New York Volunteers as Private Lyons Wakeman. At least 400 other women did the same.
Lewis Powell was one of Lincoln’s assassins, assigned to kill Secretary of State Seward. This portrait was taken just before his execution.
When Union troops entered Alexandria on May 24, 1861, they found one elderly man chained to the basement floor of the slave pen at 1315 Duke Street.
Explore the 1863 convalescent camp four miles outside of Washington, run by the U.S. Christian Commission. See photos of the camp and the Commission’s 1865 D.C. headquarters.
Take a look back in time to April 1865 and see a photograph of 21st and F St. NW at the conclusion of the Civil War. Does it look a little different to you
