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.
Learn how Sarah Josepha Hale wrote to Abraham Lincoln in 1863 and urged him to establish a national day of thanksgiving. Read the transcribed letter, Lincoln’s proclamation, and Obama’s 2013 Thanksgiving Proclamation.
David Levy Yulee, of Florida, was not only one of the first senators from that state, but he was also the first Jewish senator.
This article reveals the fascinating story of Varina Davis’ visit to Washington in 1866, when her husband, Jefferson Davis, was a prisoner at Fortress Monroe. Learn how Varina Davis called on President Johnson at the White House and more!
On November 2nd, 1863, John Wilkes Booth made his acting debut at Ford’s Theatre. Check out this advertisement from the Daily National Republican and learn more about Booth’s debut in Baltimore on our sister site.
Check out this rare photo of a beer garden from just after the Civil War located at 4th and E St. NE in Washington, D.C. Discover the history of this iconic establishment with the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
Built in 1856 and demolished in 1964, Armory Square Hospital stood for more than a century on Independence Ave and 7th Sts. SW. Take a look inside Ward K of the hospital in 1865 with this photo and map of the hospital’s location.
Explore a Civil War-era map of Fairfax County, Virginia, copied by J. Paul Hoffmann and approved by S. Howell Brown in 1864. Discovered at the Library of Congress.
Mark Twain told ‘The Man Who Stopped at Gadsby’s’ in an 1868 letter to Nevada. It was a warning to Washington office seekers.
Discover the remarkable story of Col. Ulric Dahlgren, wounded in the Civil War and commemorated with a plaque at the Navy Yard. Learn how his leg ended up in a parking garage and the history of the building since then.
