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1880s

Victorian Washington was booming in the 1880s. The decade brought the dedication of the Washington Monument (finally finished in 1884), the consolidation of Georgetown into DC, and a wave of grand Romanesque architecture that still defines many of the city’s neighborhoods. These posts explore Washington at its Victorian peak.

Rare Photographs of the U.S. Naval Medical Museum from 1879

May 31, 2013 by ghostsofdc
The Museum. Birth-place. 18th + K Sts, N.W. 1879-1882. Bound in a copy of "Catalogue of The Exhibits in the Museum of Hygiene. Medical Department of the United States Navy." Compiled by Philip S. Wales, Medical Director, U.S.N. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1893.

Reader and history buff Mike sent over rare photographs of the U.S. Navy Medical Museum dating to 1879.

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1870s, 1880s 1 Comment

November 14th, 1888: A Photo of Riggs Bank – the Dept. of Justice for A.P.A. by Frances Benjamin Johnston

April 27, 2026April 24, 2013 by ghostsofdc
Riggs Bank - the Dept. of Justice for A.P.A.

Take a step back in time to November 14th, 1888 with this photo of Riggs Bank – the Dept. of Justice for A.P.A. taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston. Explore the history behind this incredible image!

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1880s, Frances Benjamin Johnston, Landmarks 4 Comments

A Look Back in Time: East Capitol Street from the Dome, 1880 and Today

December 7, 2021April 22, 2013 by ghostsofdc
Photograph shows Carroll Row, a block of five houses at 1st & A Street, SE, razed in 1887 for construction of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building. Includes the sign "Architect."

Take a look back in time with us at East Capitol Street from the Dome, with a photo taken in 1880 and a modern update. Check it out!

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1880s, Capitol Building, Capitol Hill 4 Comments

Why Is It Named Petworth? The 200-Acre Estate Behind DC’s Neighborhood

April 23, 2026April 15, 2013 by ghostsofdc

Colonel John Tayloe III owned a 200-acre country estate near the Soldiers’ Home. Developers bought it in 1887 and it became DC’s largest subdivision.

Categories Why Is It Named...? Tags 1880s, Petworth 4 Comments

It’s Friday and GoDCers Love Maps: Explore an 1888 Map of Lafayette Square and Farragut Square

April 27, 2026March 8, 2013 by ghostsofdc
1888 map of Lafayette Square

It’s Friday and GoDCers love maps! Check out this amazing 1888 map of Lafayette Square and Farragut Square. See the area in a whole new way!

Categories GoDCers Love Maps Tags 1880s, Landmarks

Explosion of Gas in Sewer Main Causes Chaos in Georgetown – A Washington Post Story from 1889

April 28, 2026March 7, 2013 by ghostsofdc
a non-exploded manhole cover

Read the incredible Washington Post story from 1889 about an explosion of gas in a sewer main in Georgetown that caused chaos in the area. This is a wild story you won’t want to miss!

Categories From the Crazy Vault Tags 1880s, Pennsylvania Avenue 4 Comments

Unearthing the History of the Ebbitt House Hotel and Newspaper Row

September 1, 2019February 21, 2013 by ghostsofdc
Photo shows a horse-drawn sleigh carrying what may be Melinda and Elise Painter across 14th St. at F St. in front of the Ebbitt House hotel. The modest buildings to the right of the grand hotel housed Newspaper Row, and just across the street at number 501 was Painter's office as Washington correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer. (Source: Ison article on Painter, 1990)

Discover the historical significance of the Ebbitt House Hotel and Newspaper Row, located in Washington DC and discovered by GoDCer Brian. Learn more about the area’s past with this interesting article!

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1880s, Hotels

The View Southeast from the U.S. Capitol, Around 1880

February 3, 2013 by ghostsofdc
view southeast from the U.S. Capitol

This photograph taken from the top of the U.S. Capitol around 1880 looks southeast toward the Anacostia River. A block of five homes at 1st and A Street SE is visible in the foreground, on land now occupied by the Capitol complex.

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1880s, Capitol Building, Library of Congress 3 Comments

A Look Back at Real Estate Prices in 1886

January 25, 2013 by ghostsofdc
May 30th, 1886 real estate advertisement (Washington Post)

Take a step back in time and discover what real estate prices were like in 1886. In this Washington Post ad, you can find houses for sale for $15,000 or rent for $40 a month!

Categories Old Ads & Classifieds Tags 1880s, Washington Post
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