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
Jenny Masur – Interview with a Washington DC History Author – “Heroes of the Underground Railroad Around Washington, D.C.”
Heroes of the Underground Railroad Around Washington, D.C., by Jenny Masur was published by History Press in January 2019. https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781625859754 1. Tell us about the book. Its goal is … Continue reading
2019 Washington DC history books
What follows is a list of books on Washington DC history (and biography) published in 2019. A Goodreads link is included for those available to provide more details on each … 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
Teddy Roosevelt and Washington DC’s “Smoke Nuisance”
In of December 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt’s annual message to Congress contained a passage which would seem rather extraordinary to us today. In that day, the President sent his annual … Continue reading
UPDATE — email distribution is resuming (H-Net (including H-DC) email distribution is down)
It’s not you… emails from H-Net haven’t been distributed since last week. This affects all lists/networks, not H-DC specifically. The content being posted on all of H-Net is there–just not … Continue reading
Pamela Scott – Interview with a Washington DC History Author – “Creating Capitol Hill: Place, Proprietors, and People”
Creating Capitol Hill: Place, Proprietors, and People. US Capitol Historical Society, 2018. Tell us about the book. Antiquarian Charles Carroll Carter, political historian William C. di Giacomantonio, historian-cartographer Don Alexander … Continue reading
4th of July – Celebrating American Independence in Washington
Washington began celebrating the 4th of July as Independence Day in 1801: see https://matthewbgilmore.wordpress.com/2018/07/03/district-of-columbias-first-4th-of-july-1801/ “Free and unreserved” expression despite fiercely divided opinion was much hoped for: The definitive web resources … Continue reading
What Once Was – Washington Welcomes the Automobile: 120-year Romance — Part I, Anticipation and Local Innovation
PUBLISHED: MAY 21ST, 2019 Click this to find our archive of What Once Was articles. By Matthew B. Gilmore* “… Not calculated to frighten the horses. . . .” That … Continue reading
Building Washington: Engineering and Construction of a New Federal City: 1790-1840 – Latrobe Chapter Lecture, by author Robert Kapsch
THE LATROBE CHAPTER OF THE SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS PRESENTSBuilding Washington: Engineering and Construction of a New Federal City: 1790-1840Latrobe Chapter Lecture by Robert Kapsch, Ph.D., M.ASCE, Hon., AIATomorrow! Tuesday, May 14 at … Continue reading