Ghosts of DC

Try an address, a neighborhood, a name or a year, like “14th and U” or “1968.”

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The Best OfThe stories readers come back toIf Walls Could TalkWho lived in that house?Why Is It Named…?How DC places got their namesThe PodcastOur stories, told aloud
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Transit

Long before Metro, Washington moved by streetcar, railroad, and horse-drawn carriage. These posts trace the history of how people got around the capital, from 19th century rail companies to the debates that shaped the modern transit system.

58 stories
Restored DC Transit GMC Fishbowl bus number 1400 in green, white, and coral liveryO. Roy Chalk and the Last Days of D.C. TransitMay 28The elevated Whitehurst Freeway running along the Georgetown waterfront beside the Potomac River, photographed in May 1973 by Yoichi Okamoto for the National Archives.The 1963 Report Where DC Begged Washington to Pave Over the CityMay 26When Washington Tried to Ban Horses From Its StreetsMay 20

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Washington, D.C. Passengers, drivers, and dogs were tired by the time they reached the gas pumps on the day before stricter gasoline rationing went into effectGas Rationing in Washington, D.C.: The Long Lines of 1942May 1Brown Metro station pylon with the M logo against a blue skyMassimo Vignelli and the Design of the Washington MetroApr 5, 2024DC Taxi Fares: How 75 Years of Zones Ended in 2008Nov 10, 20231880 Statistical Maps of Washington, D.C.Jan 30, 20231880 Map of Telegraph Lines in WashingtonJan 19, 2023"Full size mockup of partial Metro station 1968" from Harry Weese Associates' 1994 book describing Metro's early plans.Metro’s 1968 Mockup Station: Before the First Tunnel Was DugApr 6, 2022
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