Photo of Lower Georgia Avenue in 1870s
Here’s a great photo that we found on Park View DC. Of course it wasn’t called Georgia Avenue then, so read up on the history of the road too. Check out their post to read a...
1870s Ford’s Theatre Picture Tells a Story
Here is a fantastic old photograph of Ford’s Theatre that we’ve probably shared previously, but this time it’s extremely high resolution. Thanks to GoDCer Konetidy for sharing this with us via email. Because this photo is...
Last Mayor of Washington City, Matthew G. Emery
Before the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871, the District of Columbia had separate local municipalities, including Georgetown and the City of Washington (i.e., Old City below what is now Florida Ave.). Outside of those...
1879 Ad for “Asbestos” Liquid Paints
… And, it can be applied by the most inexperienced painter. Great news!
1879 Ad: Skinny Men and Women and Not Admired
Now this is an interesting advertisement from the Washington Post, printed on June 12th, 1879.
Amazing 1874 View of Analoston and Aqueduct Bridge
This is awesome. Thanks to Georgetown University for this one. Source: Georgetown University Library
Steamship From Georgetown to Philadelphia and Points North
Back in the 1870s, you could take a steamship from Georgetown all the way to Philadelphia, or even up to Boston. Below is an advertisement for Clyde’s New Express Line (not related to Clyde’s the restaurant...
For Rent: 1523 P St. $25/mon or 911 L St. $40/mon
Source: Library of Congress We came across this advertisement in the December 17th, 1877 Evening Star. Luckily, the home on P Street is still there and you can have 1523 P St. for a cool $1,085,000....
William Corcoran: Georgetown Could Have Been Bigger Than Baltimore
That claim might come as a shock to you, but the city’s most famous and wealthy resident of the 19th century, William Corcoran was asked his opinion about Georgetown’s prospects had the city of Washington not...
Proposed National Library at Judiciary Square
Obviously, our national library is not at Judiciary Square, but before we committed to building the Library of Congress on Capitol Hill, there were some other proposals evaluated. Below are two drawings of the proposed library...
The Egyptian Obelisk of Murder Bay
Below is a scathing letter to the editor by Clark Mills. You may recognize that name, because he’s the guy who did the statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park. We dug this interesting piece up...
U.S. Navy Medical Museum Back to 1879
GoDCer, and avid history buff, Mike sent over these great images the other week. I’m finally getting to post these, but take a look and see how great they are. Fascinating old history of the Naval...
Smithsonian Institution Building from Pennsylvania Avenue in 1874
We are loving the Smithsonian Archives! This is a great one from 1874.
The Winder Building After the Civil War
Here is a shot of the Winder Building, some time after the Civil War. It looks to be in quite a state of disrepair, and it’s amazing that this building is still standing and in use...
Lost History: Stewart’s Castle on Dupont Circle
This is one of the many tragic losses of Washington’s architectural history … Stewart’s Castle. The former home of Nevada Senator William M. Stewart, it was designed by noted architect Adolph Cluss in 1873. It also...
Inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877
Not exactly the most revered or most remembered president, poor Rutherford B. Hayes was zinged by our current president. We’d like to shine a little light on poor Rutherford, even if he didn’t think the telephone...
1879 Map of Alexandria County
The treasure trove of maps held by the Library of Congress gave us this awesome map of Alexandria County (i.e., Arlington County today) from 1879. GoDCer Tim is going to love this.
Love These! Rural Maps of Washington in 1879
Did I get too excited with that title? These are so cool. It’s hard to believe that much of the District was rural at any point, but checking out this map, you can see that much...