The Willard Brother Who Built the Ebbitt House
Three Willard brothers ran the Willard Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue. The fourth, Caleb, ran a hotel just as big a block away. He just had the misfortune of calling it the Ebbitt House.
1900s
The 1900s opened with the Senate Park Commission’s plan to redesign the National Mall, launching one of the most ambitious urban transformations in American history. Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency brought energy and ambition to the capital, and the city’s grand Beaux-Arts institutions began rising across downtown. These posts cover Washington at the dawn of the American century.
Korea’s Logan Circle Legation: Sold for $5, Bought Back
In 1891, King Gojong paid $25,000 for a Victorian townhouse on Iowa Circle to house Joseon’s first mission to the United States. Nineteen years later, after Japan forced the protectorate, the empire sold the building for five dollars. Korea bought it back in 2012 for $3.5 million. The museum opened in 2018.
“Czar Reed”: The Speaker Who Broke the Filibuster
Thomas Brackett Reed rewrote the rules of Congress, crushed the filibuster, and walked away from power on principle. He died at the Arlington Hotel while a party raged downstairs.
Harrison Dyar: The Scientist Who Dug Secret Tunnels Under D.C.
In 1924, construction near Dupont Circle broke into a secret tunnel. Smithsonian entomologist Harrison Dyar had hand-dug it.
Was Pat Garrett an Outlaw or a Lawman?
Pat Garrett shot Billy the Kid in 1881. Three decades later, Teddy Roosevelt fired him and he was killed on a New Mexico road.
This Great Old Advertisement from The Washington Times: Printed in 1903
Unearth the charm of vintage advertising! Step back to May 1903 with an enchanting piece from The Washington Times.
A Look Back to 1907: An Advertisement for Silver Spring Park
Take a look back to 1907 with this advertisement for Silver Spring Park, printed in The Washington Times. See the history of the park and its attractions and offerings in this vintage ad.
The Height Debate in Washington: Examining a Letter to The Washington Post from 1905
We thought it would be interesting to dig up a previous argument from the archives of The Washington Post. Read a letter to the editor, originally printed in April 1905, and learn more about its author.
Willard Hotel Photos From 1904
What did the Willard Hotel look like just after it was built in the early 1900s. This series of photos shows the ornate interior as it was back then.