Posts tagged History
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In 1861 Maryland almost annexed Virginia
This amazing map from 1861 shows a federal government proposal to redraw the borders of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and DC. The reason: To spite Virginia for the Civil War and better-protect the capital from attack. Keep reading…
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This plan would have ditched DC’s lettered street names
A federal judge proposed renaming DC’s lettered streets after presidents, judges, and cabinet members in 1897, Ghosts of DC explains. If his proposal had taken hold, we might go to movies at the Landmark Ellsworth Street Cinema downtown today. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Let’s ride!
Streetcars are open; Retired trains; Separation of powers?; 11th Street bridge in 2019; Fix Fed buildings; Shelter-skelter; Baker attacks Hogan; The architecture of oppression. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Show of force
Increased police presence; Displaced in Chinatown; Frager’s gets family friendly; A DC for you and me; A memorial to?; Eyes on Kawasaki; A different way on delays; Charm City demolition; Urban revival trends; Live near work, for less. Keep reading…
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DC’s first streetcar opened in 1862. Here’s what it was like.
The DC Streetcar will start carrying passengers on Saturday, but that won’t be the first time we’ve seen a streetcar’s opening day. DC’s first streetcar system opened in the middle of the Civil War after taking only six months to build. It ran horse-drawn streetcars along Pennsylvania Avenue, and was an instant hit. Keep reading…
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All the railroads we had in 1921, in one subway-style map
In 1921, you could take the train from downtown DC to Annapolis, from Baltimore to Harrisburg, or Winchester to DC. I built a subway-style map of the rail service our region once had. Keep reading…
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The DC Streetcar starts service on Saturday. It took a wild ride to get here.
When DC’s H Street and Benning Road streetcar opens on February 27, it’ll run on rails that were first installed almost seven years earlier. We’ve been talking about this project since 2008, with hundreds of posts. The following is a little walk down memory lane to look at everything that’s happened. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Ticked off
Bethesda “scare tactics”?; Hogan’s low-scoring choices; 123 Greedy Drive; Pullover king; Who you gonna call?; From radio to housing; From hospital to grocery; Parking benefits drive driving; And…. Keep reading…
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Vice City: A map of where all the Vice Presidents have lived
From our nation’s founding until 1977, vice presidents had to find their own place to live. I created a map of where they made their homes, from boarding houses in the shadow of the Capitol building to large estates in nearby Maryland and Virginia. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Gimme shelter
DC shelter geography; Shelters as infrastructure; This old city hall; Dude, where’s my train?; Parents have a say; Scalia and DC’s gun laws; DC construction map; Like a shiny new penny; Glover Park history. Keep reading…