Here’s another great video of the old D.C. streetcar system.
1950s
Postwar Washington was prosperous and anxious in equal measure. The suburbs of Virginia and Maryland exploded with development as families left the city, while downtown hummed with Cold War government activity. The civil rights movement was gaining momentum, and the city’s neighborhoods were beginning a long transformation.
Film Footage of the 82 Streetcar Line from Eckington to College Park
This is some really cool old footage. It shows the 82 streetcar line running from Eckington, heading through northeast, up to Mount Rainier, Hyattsville, Riverdale Park, and College Park.
It’s really long, but well worth a watch.
Fidel Castro’s 1959 Visit to Washington, DC
In April 1959, a triumphant Fidel Castro spent a week in Washington, greeting crowds in Meridian Hill Park and dropping in as a surprise guest on a late-night DC radio show. A look back in photos and firsthand memory.
Columbia Heights in 1951: 11th and Kenyon Street NW
A 1951 photograph of 11th and Kenyon Street NW captures Columbia Heights when it was a thriving middle-class streetcar neighborhood.
A ‘Nervous’ Elvis Appears on Jimmy Dean’s WMAL-TV Show
Elvis Presley gave a short interview to Jimmy Dean on WMAL on March 23, 1956, a few weeks after he had released “Heartbreak Hotel.”
Unexpected DC History Goes Unnoticed at a Parking Garage
Dive into the unexpected DC history found at a parking garage! In this post, explore the Uline Ice Arena and its transformation over the years, from a venue for Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey circus to a site for the Beatles’ first American concert.
If Walls Could Talk: Madam’s Organ
Today, 2461 18th St. NW is one of the more popular late-night destinations in the rowdy Adams Morgan neighborhood. Far from it’s days as a store where you could buy a crib.
The Archbishop John Carroll Lions: DC’s Best-Ever High School Hoopsters
Revisit the magical and majestic memories of DC’s best-ever high school basketball team, the Archbishop John Carroll Lions, who reeled off a 55-game winning streak from 1958 to 1960, and their courageous efforts in racial integration.
Prince George’s Plaza in 1959: The Shopping Center That Defined the Suburbs
Prince George’s Plaza opened in 1959 as one of the Washington area’s first major suburban shopping centers.