Skip to content
Ghosts of DC

Ghosts of DC

  • The Best Of
  • Neighborhoods
    • Southwest DC
      • Waterfront
    • Maryland
      • Gaithersburg
      • Rockville
      • Bethesda
      • Hyattsville
      • Silver Spring
      • Bladensburg
    • Virginia
      • McLean
      • Falls Church
      • Alexandria
      • Vienna
      • Arlington
    • Southeast DC
      • Congress Heights
      • Navy Yard
      • Capitol Hill
      • Anacostia
    • Northeast DC
      • Trinidad
      • Woodridge
      • Deanwood
      • Brookland
    • Northwest DC
      • Tenleytown
      • Park View
      • Friendship Heights
      • Brightwood
      • Crestwood
      • Sheridan-Kalorama
      • The Palisades
      • Logan Circle
      • Petworth
      • Glover Park
      • Bloomingdale
      • Georgetown
      • Woodley Park
      • Dupont Circle
      • Columbia Heights
      • Cleveland Park
      • Adams Morgan
      • Mt. Pleasant
      • Chevy Chase
      • Cathedral Heights
      • Chinatown
    • Lost Neighborhoods
      • Hell’s Bottom
      • Swampoodle
      • Murder Bay
  • Notable People & Places
    • Places
      • Washington Monument
      • Library of Congress
      • The White House
      • The Capitol Building
      • Dulles Airport
    • People
      • Franklin D. Roosevelt
      • Calvin Coolidge
      • Officer Sprinkle
      • Dwight D. Eisenhower
      • Warren G. Harding
      • William McKinley
      • Abraham Lincoln
      • John F. Kennedy
      • Teddy Roosevelt
      • Woodrow Wilson

Pennsylvania Avenue

A Look Back in Time: Pennsylvania Ave. in the 1920s

May 16, 2013 by ghostsofdc
view down Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Take a look back in time with this beautiful photo of Pennsylvania Ave. in the 1920s. We did a little Googling to find this one and came across it here.

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1920s, Pennsylvania Avenue 4 Comments

Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. in the 1920s

February 24, 2023May 16, 2013 by ghostsofdc
winter driving in DC

A vintage photograph of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. during the 1920s, showing the street in winter.

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1920s, Pennsylvania Avenue

Southern Railway Building: Fire, Then Federal Triangle

April 30, 2026March 25, 2013 by ghostsofdc
The Southern Railway Building at 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, circa 1899-1916. The Library of Congress identifies the flags as probably for an inaugural event. This is the original Second Empire building, expanded in 1893 and 1899, that burned in April 1916. Library of Congress, National Photo Company Collection.

The Southern Railway Building stood at 13th and Pennsylvania for 50 years. Then it burned. Then the federal government paid $2.68 million to clear it for Federal Triangle.

Categories Lost History Tags 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, Architecture, Federal Triangle, Pennsylvania Avenue, Transit

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

A Then-and-Now Look at Fealy’s Corner in Washington, D.C.

May 6, 2026February 22, 2013 by ghostsofdc
Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Fealy's Corner, 11th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue." Dr. Martin Fealy's pharmacy at 1024 Pennsylvania Avenue S.E. National Photo Company Collection glass negative.

Take a then-and-now look at Fealy’s Corner in Washington, D.C. with this 1920 photo and a modern look at the spot using Google Street View. See how the area has changed over the past century!

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1920s, Pennsylvania Avenue 2 Comments

This is Absolutely Horrifying: How the Ku Klux Klan Marched Down Pennsylvania Ave. in 1920s

December 13, 2023February 11, 2013 by ghostsofdc
Ku Klux Klan members march in Washington

This is absolutely horrifying.

Some of you may not know this, but a number of times in the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan was permitted to parade down Pennsylvania Ave. Hard to believe, I know.

Categories From the Crazy Vault Tags 1920s, Pennsylvania Avenue, Videos 2 Comments

Miriam Auerbach Wolf: From 1924 Photo to DC Real Estate Pioneer

May 14, 2026December 10, 2012 by ghostsofdc
Miriam Auerbach in 1924

Miriam Auerbach Wolf was 12 in this 1924 photo. She grew up to be the first woman life member of the Washington Board of Realtors’ Million-Dollar Sales Club.

Categories A Personal Story Tags 1920s, 1950s, 1970s, Dupont Circle, Pennsylvania Avenue 1 Comment

A Look Back at Washington, D.C.’s Outdoor Food Market in 1900

April 27, 2026December 8, 2012 by ghostsofdc
Shoppers at the outdoor food market, 7th Street at Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. View looking up 7th Street, ca. 1900

Take a look back in time to Washington, D.C.’s outdoor food market in 1900 with this amazing photo. See what the city looked like over a century ago!

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday Tags 1900s, Landmarks, Pennsylvania Avenue 2 Comments

Three Stories About the Department of Commerce Building

April 27, 2026November 19, 2012 by ghostsofdc
Department of Commerce, 15th St. side

A mile of hallways, 3,700 radiators weighing 420 tons, and a basement aquarium running since 1932. That’s the Commerce Department.

Categories The Best Of, Three Things... Tags 1930s, Architecture, Federal Triangle, Pennsylvania Avenue 5 Comments
Older posts
Newer posts
← Previous Page1 … Page4 Page5 Page6 Page7 Next →
Explore the Archive
The Best Of Old Ads & Classifieds Then and Now Lost History GoDCers Love Maps
From the Crazy Vault Faces & Places of Yesterday If Walls Could Talk Historical Events Notable People & Places
This Day in History Guest Posts Three Things… A Personal Story Why Is It Named…?
Ghosts of DC© 2012–2026 Ghosts of DC · AI Policy