History of the Washington Hackmen (i.e., Carriage Driver)
Pre-dating Uber drivers by about 160 years, the hackmen of Washington used to provide transportation to locals and visitors alike. Hackmen used to rule the streets of the city, taking people wherever they wanted to go. (A hackman was one...
Where Was Herring Hill in Georgetown?
We once had a neighborhood called Herring Hill? True story. It was named for the fish pulled from Rock Creek, which, I don’t think are quite as plentiful today. Herring hill was the epicenter of the African-American community in eastern...
Beautiful 1898 Photo of the Potomac River
This is quite a beautiful photo of the Potomac River from 1898. I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to locate this photo, but if you have any thoughts, add them below in the comments. Source: Library of Congress
Police Raid Opium Den on 10th St. NW
This is probably a headline we wouldn’t see today. We found this in The Washington Post, printed on September 10th, 1894. A big opium joint, which had existed for three months at 425 Tenth street northwest, was raided about 10:30 o’clock...
Who Was the Naked Wild Man of Tennallytown?
The newspapers during the summer of 1894 were full of bizarre stories about a wild man wandering the vicinity of Tennallytown (when was it renamed Tenleytown?). Beginning on July 22nd, sightings of a “half-nude crazy man” were happening across the area, so...
Why Is It Named Cleveland Park?
What is today Cleveland Park was an area for well-off Washingtonians to build their summer cottages. It was far enough away from swampy hot downtown and elevated to provide some breezy relief.
Coldest Day Ever in D.C. at -15 Degrees
You think that it’s cold now? Try living in D.C. back on February 11th, 1899. Thanks to GoDCer Brian, we decided to look into other times when it was freezing here, and we found quite a few where it was...
Before the Hay-Adams Hotel
This is what stood on the corner of 16th and H St. before the iconic Hay-Adams Hotel. this was the home of former Secretary of State John Hay, who was also a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln (check...
Photo of Georgetown College Students in 1895
How things stay the same. Check out the faces and expressions of these young men. These guys aren’t that different from these guys about 40 years later. Source: Georgetown University I wonder if the guy at right, pointing to the other...
1892 Map of Logan Circle
Check out this awesome old map of Logan Circle (Iowa Circle then) in 1892. Source: Dig DC
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