Posts about History
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A look back at Prince George’s County’s library building spree
Although the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System is more than 70 years old, more than half of its branches were built in a span of just 16 years. Keep reading…
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Here’s how the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System got its start
Today, Prince George’s County — like all Maryland counties — has a county-run public library system. But it didn’t have to be that way. Keep reading…
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Union Station badly needs updates. Here’s why fixing it is so complicated.
Union Station in DC is a key transportation hub serving 37 million riders annually on various modes of transit, but the station is also in need of a makeover to address a range of issues, from insufficient train tracks to long bottlenecks for passengers. The $5 to $7-billion Washington Union Station Expansion Project involves myriad different agencies and others. Keep reading…
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Hidden tunnels, bugs, and bigamy
In May of 1917, while working on the foundation for the luxurious Pelham Courts apartments in Dupont Circle, workers made an unusual discovery - a mysterious tunnel made of brick. But, who built it, and why? Turns out this was only the beginning of the story. Keep reading…
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This weird fruit is native to North America and an ‘ecological anachronism’
I was standing in a parking lot in Montgomery County on Saturday when something big and hard hit the ground near me with a loud cracking sound. What had fallen next to me was a Maclura pomifera, otherwise known as the Osage orange. I picked it up, and so began a lesson in the native fruit trees of North America and the eccentricities of our local ecology. Keep reading…
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A rich history and rising development could make the neighborhoods east of Fort Totten Metro a destination
For most District residents, the Fort Totten area is just where you transfer metro lines or drop off your solid waste at the solid waste disposal transfer station (or, as residents call it, Big Stinky). But the often-overlooked communities near this metro station offer a rich history dating back to the Civil War, a unique urban-suburban feel, and increasing development. Keep reading…
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Here’s how real estate professionals in 1948 perpetuated segregation in DC
It wasn’t that long ago that DC’s Real Estate Board told agents not to sell homes in white areas to black people. A 1948 report called Segregation in Washington put the discrimination into plain language. Keep reading…
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Here’s how the Washington & Old Dominion railroad created Northern Virginia’s suburbs
Today, the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) is a paved trail used for fun and commuting across Northern Virginia. Of course, originally the Washington & Old Dominion was a railroad — one with a long and convoluted history that helped form Dunn Loring, Reston, Herndon, Sterling, Ashburn, and other communities that still exist to this day. Keep reading…
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Columbia Heights has a transit-themed playground
Nerd alert: One of DC’s old trolley turnarounds is now a transit-themed playground. Keep reading…
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Grassy lawns exist to prove you’re not a peasant. It’s time to let that status symbol die
Grassy lawns originally became popular for members of the pre-industrial aristocracy to show they could afford to waste land rather than farm it. Today, lawns are mandated by zoning codes that outlaw other uses, even front yard gardens. Keep reading…