Topic

Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill is one of the oldest and most historically layered neighborhoods in Washington, stretching from the Capitol itself east through the rowhouse blocks that housed members of Congress, their staffs, and generations of working families. These posts dig into the neighborhood’s history, from its earliest houses to the urban renewal battles that defined it in the 20th century.

39 stories

AI illustration of a 1920s car speeding past a crowd on a city street

Francis Aebersold, the 19-Year-Old Rum Runner Shot at 13th and D Streets NE4 min read

Before dawn on March 11, 1926, 19-year-old Francis Aebersold blazed out of Anacostia in a Peerless touring car carrying 180 quarts of corn whiskey, four DC officers chasing him north at 60 miles an hour, guns drawn.

Entrance of the Tune Inn at 331 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue SE on Capitol Hill

Tune Inn Capitol Hill: A DC Dive Bar Since 19479 min readBest Of

Three blocks from the Capitol dome sits a 1947 dive bar with deer butts on the wall and a Nardelli behind the counter.

1876. Photographer: W.W. Core, Washington, D.C. Frederick Douglass is standing on the front lawn of his home on A Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. Other family members are standing out on the front porch on both side of the houses.

Frederick Douglass’s House on Capitol Hill: A Rare 1876 Photo1 min read

A rare 1876 photo shows Frederick Douglass at his first DC home, 320 A Street NE on Capitol Hill, years before Cedar Hill. The house still stands today.

Crowds gather in front of the new Eastern High School building in 1923

Eastern High School: The Pride of Capitol Hill7 min read

Before he told the Germans “Nuts!” at Bastogne, Anthony McAuliffe was an Eastern High School kid, class of 1916.

The 1927 Tornado That Devastated DC and Alexandria5 min read

A waterspout rose from the Potomac below Alexandria, came ashore, and tore a 15-mile path across Washington in under half an hour.

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Black and white photo of the Old Naval Hospital's Italianate central pavilion and entrance portico behind a cast-iron fence

The Old Naval Hospital on Capitol Hill8 min read

Lincoln signed off on a naval hospital in 1864. By the time it opened on Capitol Hill in 1866, the war it was built for was already over.

Photo shows historic boarding house, also called Eastern Branch Hotel, on the south side of Pennsylvania Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. (Source: Records of the Columbia Historical Society, 1904, v. 7, p. 79)

Tunnicliff’s Tavern: The Real Story of Washington D.C.’s First Hotel7 min read

In 1796 an Englishman named William Tunnicliff opened the first hotel in Washington, D.C., a brick house on Pennsylvania Avenue SE that survived for 135 years. The place we call Tunnicliff’s Tavern today on 7th Street SE borrows the name. The original is something else entirely.

A stereograph image showcasing the inauguration ceremony of Rutherford B. Hayes, marking the beginning of his presidency in the United States.

Blood on the Marble: The Taulbee-Kincaid Capitol Shooting6 min read

On February 28, 1890, former Kentucky Congressman William Taulbee was shot on the Capitol’s marble staircase by a journalist.

Architectural drawing for alterations to the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. West elevation Summary

The 1877 Drawing of Proposed Capitol Modifications7 min read

In 1877 a 23-year-old draftsman named Richard Siebert filed a sweeping redesign of the U.S. Capitol with the Copyright Office. Then he vanished.

Ted’s Bulletin History: From 1928 Brick Store to Capitol Hill’s Culinary Staple7 min read

The one-story brick at 505 8th Street SE on Barracks Row was built in July 1928 for a real-estate man named Joseph Shapiro. Nearly a century later, the same shop is Ted’s Bulletin.

October 29, 1925. Washington, D.C. "Melvin Jones, 5, who pierced heart with scissors."

Melvin Jones, Age 5, Punctured His Own Heart with Scissors in 19252 min read

In 1925, five-year-old Melvin Jones punctured his heart with scissors. Washington doctors saved his life in a surgery that made national headlines.

Schott’s Alley on Capitol Hill in 19411 min read

What was alley living like near Capitol Hill? This photo shows Schott’s Alley, razed in the 1940s to make way for the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Houses at 11th and D Streets NE in a 1904 Advertisement1 min read

An Evening Star advertisement offered houses at 11th and D Streets NE for $5,200 each in May 1904.

Capitol Building and a lot of cars parked in front of it in the 1960s

Cars Parked Outside the Capitol in the 1960s1 min read

A 1960s photograph shows work on the Capitol dome and rows of cars parked in front of the building.

Mystery Smokestack Behind St. Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill1 min read

What is the smokestack behind St. Peter’s Church at 2nd and C St. SE on Capitol Hill? A reader’s photo, a satellite view and a 1921 Baist map.

Rudolph and Mary Scheitlin and the 1905 Case at 750 Ninth Street SE3 min read

In October 1905, Navy Yard worker Rudolph Scheitlin came home to 750 Ninth Street SE and found his wife and another man dead. The papers and the census fill in the rest.

Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Sherman house, 300 block Third Street N.W." National Photo Company Collection glass negative.

3rd Street NW in 1923: The Sherman House Block1 min read

The Sherman house in the 300 block of Third Street NW, photographed around 1923 for the National Photo Company. How different does 3rd Street look now?

Circa 1932. "United Food Stores." Whitman's Market at A and Sixth streets S.E. in Washington. National Photo Company safety film negative.

Whitman’s Market at 6th and A Streets Around 19321 min read

A photograph shows Whitman’s Market under the United Food Stores name at 6th and A Streets SE around 1932.

Congressional pages have snowball fight in 1923

Congressional Pages Have a Snowball Fight in 19231 min read

Pages from both sides of the aisle met outside for a snowball fight.

East Capitol Street in 1888: Brick and Wood on the Map1 min read

An 1888 map uses pink for brick buildings and yellow for wood-frame structures along East Capitol Street.