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Washington Canal

Boss Shepherd: The Man Who Paved Washington and Cost It Home Rule

May 18, 2026May 11, 2026 by ghostsofdc

Alexander Robey “Boss” Shepherd paved Washington, lit its gas lamps, and planted 64,000 trees, then bankrupted the territorial government in 1874 and cost the city home rule for 99 years.

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday, Lost History, Notable People & Places Tags 1870s, Pennsylvania Avenue, Ulysses S. Grant, Washington Canal

The Godey Lime Kilns: Washington D.C.’s Forgotten Industrial Relic

April 27, 2026May 8, 2025 by ghostsofdc
Historic American Buildings Survey Photographer unknown, c. 1938 EXTERIOR FROM SOUTH Copied from print in files of National Capital Region, National Park Service, Washington, D. C. - Godey Lime Kilns (Ruins), Junction of Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway, Washington, District of Columbia, DC

The stone arches near the Kennedy Center are the Godey Lime Kilns, Washington’s last 19th-century industrial ruin.

Categories Faces & Places of Yesterday, Lost History Tags Anacostia River, Architecture, Landmarks, Parks, Washington Canal 2 Comments
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