Pneumatic tubes: technological innovation and politics in Shepherd-era Washington DC
Excerpts.. . For complete column CLICK: Pneumatic tubes: technological innovation and politics in Shepherd-era Washington DC By Matthew B. Gilmore* Deep in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution is a … Continue reading
Non-mysterious Washington DC street names/naming
Recently published articles make much of the mystery behind the naming of Oklahoma Avenue: https://www.enidnews.com/news/state/oklahoma-avenue-thrives-despite-mysterious-history/article_07675fc8-7a66-5744-ac15-763d2d2b6d33.html and https://nondoc.com/2019/09/27/oklahoma-avenue-mysterious-history/ Frankly this is just silly–it’s never been a mystery or insoluble*. Between 1893 … Continue reading
2016 Washington DC History Books
What follows is a list of books on Washington DC history published in 2016: The National Mall: No Ordinary Public Space. Lisa Benton-Short. University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division © … Continue reading
Mrs. Cole’s Bay Window: Parking, streets, trees, projections, and the Secretary of War
By Matthew B. Gilmore* What is that space between the curb and the sidewalk (or even some entire front yards in certain neighborhoods)? Who owns it, controls it, manages … Continue reading
The Bridge a Traffic Jam Built: Arlington Memorial Bridge
By Matthew B. Gilmore* Tip: Click any image in the article to view that image at a larger size. It was Armistice Day 1921. The holiday celebrating the end of … Continue reading
Enterprise over Washington: Airship history at the Nation’s Capital
By Matthew B. Gilmore “Out of the dark Northeast, under dark clouds and through fog banks, the German-built dirigible ZR-3 poked her silvery nose into an area of blue and sunlight … Continue reading
Honk that Horn — Go to Jail: Evolution of Noise Regulation in Washington, DC
What Once Was Traffic on 15th St NW in 1936 (Library of Congress) Honk that Horn — Go to Jail: Evolution of Noise Regulation in Washington, DC By Matthew B. … Continue reading
“High-handed usurpation and outrage”: The End of Washington City Canal
Benjamin Severson was incensed. The work he’d devoted so much time and energy into had been undone. Despite many critics, Severson, a civil engineer and foreman under Montgomery Meigs for … Continue reading
Map of Washington DC Streetcar lines 1880s
" data-medium-file="https://web.archive.org/web/20200618040023/https://matthewbgilmore.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/washingtondcstreetcars1880s.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://web.archive.org/web/20200618040023/https://matthewbgilmore.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/washingtondcstreetcars1880s.jpg?w=547"/> Capital Streetcars: Early Mass Transit in Washington, D.C.–book talks by John DeFerrari
You can hear John DeFerrari speak about his newly published Capital Streetcars: Early Mass Transit in Washington, D.C. at one of these upcoming events: Saturday, Sep 26, 1:00pm – Georgetown Neighborhood … Continue reading