Ella Watson’s Home: The House Behind American Gothic
Gordon Parks made Ella Watson famous in 1942. Census records, deeds and old newspapers reveal her home at 1433 11th Street NW and the block around her.
U.S. Census
Washington’s First AI Panic Happened in 1950
AI anxiety isn’t new. In 1949, an MIT professor turned down a corporate contract because he feared machines would replace human judgment. A year later, Washington had its own “electronic brain” on Connecticut Avenue. We’ve been having this argument for 75 years.
The Tenement Housing of Washington D.C. Alleys
A November 1935 photo of tenement housing in a Washington alley. DC’s alleys look nothing like this now, but many people once lived in them.
Walter Johnson at 12: His Family in the 1900 Census
The 1900 U.S. Census lists the Johnson family of Humboldt, Kansas, and their 12-year-old son Walter, the future Washington Senators pitcher.
They Were Neighbors: 1940 U.S. Census Records from the Mayflower Hotel
Discover the residents of the Mayflower Hotel in 1940 with this collection of U.S. Census records from the same year. Click on each image to see a larger version and read through the names
Echoes of Corcoran Street: Unraveling the Mysteries of 1890s Washington D.C.
Captain Jeremiah Dare lived at 1340 Corcoran Street NW in the 1890s. Next door at 1339 lived Senator Eugene Hale’s secretary.
Five Newspaper Boys at the US Capitol in 1912
A 1912 photograph shows five newspaper boys at the US Capitol. We dug through census records to trace what became of these first-generation American kids.
The Life and Times of Walter Spangenberg, Washingtonian and Naval Aviator
Get to know the life and times of Walter Spangenberg, a Washingtonian and Naval Aviator during WWII. Read about his journey from Wilson High School to the Korean War and beyond. Plus, see photos from the Library of Congress!
1940 Census: D.C. Was Bigger Than Today, Housed A “Hobo Jungle Camp”
The District’s peacetime population exploded as government grew and workers – men and women – flocked to new jobs. It was 1940. Census employees hit the streets in April. They determined that D.C. had grown rapidly.