Amazing 1870s Railroad Photos of Washington
These 1870s photos are incredible, showing the District just following the Civil War. Click on them for more details.
1879 Smithsonian Construction
This great old photo shows the Arts and Industries Building on the Mall under construction in 1879. And below we found an interesting 1878 rendering of what the building should look like. And finally,...
1877 Map of Georgetown
This is a great old map of Georgetown. Click on it for greater details. Source: Library of Congress
Rare Photo of Frederick Douglass in Front of His Home
This amazing find was dug up courtesy of the National Park Service. You’re look at a grainy image of Frederick Douglass standing in front of his home on Capitol Hill at 320 A St....
Best Photo of Unfinished Washington Monument in 1877
Many of you know that the Washington Monument sat unfinished for decades, an eye-sore of a stump on what would become the National Mall. Here is what it looked like in 1877, as seen...
1877 Drawing of Proposed Capitol Modifications
Fascinating drawing of the U.S. Capitol from the 1870s showing proposed modifications to the building. This is the west elevation of the building, the opposite side of the National Mall. Source: Library of Congress
Why Is It Named LeDroit Park?
Well, you might not know this, but there really was a Mr. LeDroit … sort of. LeDroit Park was established as one of the first suburbs of Washington, D.C. That’s kind of hard to...
What Did D.C. Look Like in 1872?
Here’s a cool bird’s-eye view of the Capitol and the rest of Washington from 1872. Source: Library of Congress
1874 Map of Suburban Mt. Pleasant
This is a great old map, about a decade earlier than this one of Columbia Heights and Mt. Pleasant. Click on it for a larger version to see more details. In this, Howard is...