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DC History

WTOP: The making of Marion Barry, Part 3: ‘There was no way we could win’

Editor Nov 7, 2018

WASHINGTON — When Marion Barry began to run for mayor of D.C. in 1978, he could point to his record on the D.C. Board of Education and the D.C. Council, where he had been chairman of the Finance and Revenue Committee and had proposed more…

WTOP: The making of Marion Barry, Part 2: Street activist to power player

Editor Nov 6, 2018

In the second part of WTOP’s three-part series “The making of Marion Barry,” the future mayor arrives in a very different D.C. to the one we know today.

Washington Post Magazine: Is it Meridian Hill Park or Malcolm X Park? Your answer is meaningful.

Editor Nov 5, 2018

On a hill in the middle of Washington sit 12 acres of landscaped lawns, shaded walkways dotted with statuary, and a majestic cascading fountain. For decades, this public park has been the site of a weekly drum circle; in recent years, it…

WTOP: The making of Marion Barry, Part 1: A DC mayor’s activist beginnings in the South

Editor Nov 5, 2018

WASHINGTON — Seemingly every successful political campaign says it ran a different kind of campaign. But Marion Barry’s first campaign for mayor of D.C., which reached its ultimate goal 40 years ago this week, reflected a change in how the…

Afro-American: Impact of Development on Inner Cities Discussed at Smithsonian

Editor Nov 5, 2018

The nation’s capital is among several American cities where rapid re-development has borne ills such as the destabilization of long-standing communities of color, and increased poverty.

Washington Post: Good to the last drop: The drinking straw was invented in Washington

Editor Nov 3, 2018

If you go to 900 Franklin St. NE, you will find the Stone Straw Building. The seemingly incongruous name sounds like something from the “Three Little Pigs.” Though the building is made of bricks (not stone), it was made by straws: millions…

Washingtonian: What Was it Like Being a Black Washingtonian in the 1940s? Gordon Parks Captured it…

Editor Nov 3, 2018

On Sunday, the National Gallery of Art will open a new exhibit dedicated to Gordon Parks, a famed photographer, musician, poet, and filmmaker who dedicated much of his career to documenting African-American life during Jim Crow,…

WAMU: The Last Hand: Inside D.C.’s Underground Black Poker Club

Editor Nov 3, 2018

In 1942, an exclusive poker club was formed in the District by a handful of distinguished African American men. At the monthly gatherings, members took turns visiting each other’s homes on the weekends, where they’d socialize and play…

DCist: The Street Grid In Trinidad Is Rotated. What’s Up With That?

Editor Oct 31, 2018

Despite the occasional diagonal state street or traffic circle, D.C.’s street grid makes it easy to navigate the city. East-west streets are lettered or named, and north-south streets are numbered. But there are plenty of exceptions to the…

Washingtonian: The Forgotten Epidemic: A Century Ago, DC Lost Nearly 3,000 Residents to Influenza

Editor Oct 31, 2018

In October of 1918, during the last stages of World War I, major US cities were swept by a devastating wave of Spanish influenza. Washington was especially hit hard: an estimated 50,000 cases were reported from October 1918 to February…

Washington Post: Varied blasts from the past at this weekend’s annual D.C. History Conference

Editor Oct 30, 2018

On Feb. 17, 1947, mechanical problems with an Eastern Airlines plane delayed a flight from Washington National Airport to St. Louis. The temporarily grounded passengers received vouchers from Eastern to eat in the airport’s terrace…

WTOP: Haunted DC: Georgetown’s phantoms

Editor Oct 29, 2018

As the stories go, almost a dozen specters haunt Old Stone House, including a violent one named George. Then there's the Halcyon House and the M Street Bridge. But are there any actual hauntings in Georgetown? Maybe. WTOP's Will Vitka…

WTOP: Haunted DC: Lafayette Square’s ghosts

Editor Oct 27, 2018

WASHINGTON — Of all the allegedly haunted locations in the District, Lafayette Square Park and the immediate area surrounding it is like a supernatural stew. The buildings purported to be visited by otherworldly forces include the park…

Art

DC’s own Alma Thomas rises to new heights in the art world

Robert Bettmann Oct 26, 2018

Forty years after her death, DC artist Alma Thomas is becoming a museum idol, one of a hyper-select group of artists around whom institutions are building their permanent collections. Artwork by the trailblazing African-American…

DC History

Another summer comes and goes with no events on Carter Barron stage

Michelle Goldchain Oct 19, 2018

The 1960s were the heyday of Rock Creek Park’s Carter Barron Amphitheatre. Diana Ross & the Supremes, Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald were among the musical acts highlighted in a May 12, 1968, article in The Washington Post previewing…

WTOP: Get to know the history behind the headstones this Halloween

Editor Oct 19, 2018

WASHINGTON — It’s rare for Congressional Cemetery to open its iron gates to visitors after dark. But for four days this month, the National Historic Landmark is doing just that — all for a little Halloween fun. On Oct. 19, 20, 26 and 27,…

DC History

Eckington looks to celebrate its history with DC’s 18th Neighborhood Heritage Trail

Jennifer Anne Mitchell Oct 17, 2018

Cultural Tourism DC is laying the groundwork for its 18th Neighborhood Heritage Trail in the city — this time in Northeast’s Eckington neighborhood. The area has been a desirable place to live for years and is becoming increasingly popular.…

DC History

Brightwood honors a local Civil War legend buried in lore

Leigh Giangreco Oct 12, 2018

Two simple wreaths at Fort Stevens are all that comprise the grandest memorial that stands today for Elizabeth Proctor Thomas, a Brightwood resident who became a local Civil War legend and a symbol of sacrifice for black Washingtonians.…

Washington Post: This D.C. monument is ‘virtually impossible’ to reach. Here’s how I found it — past…

Editor Oct 11, 2018

The hornets almost made me turn back. I was standing beneath the Oxon Cove Bridge, an unremarkable stretch of the Anacostia Freeway that crosses over Oxon Creek just before it empties into the Potomac, on the border of Maryland and…

DC History

Dunbar and Wilson alums remember 1968 as year of turmoil and change

Catherine Lee Oct 10, 2018

In the fall of 1968 Valerie Bell Youmans started her junior year at Wilson High School, bused from DC’s Petworth neighborhood following a federal court case that paved the way for desegregation of the Northwest DC school. Just a few miles…

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District Links: Trump tells prosecutors to seek death penalty in DC cases via federal charges; tensions flare as…

Sep 26, 2025 20

President Donald Trump yesterday signed a memorandum directing federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty in all appropriate cases in DC, as well as to seek federal jurisdiction for death…

jonetta rose barras: Is a managed care contracting fight looming in DC?

Sep 26, 2025 235

That’s the question I asked myself, after learning from several sources that CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health had optimistically announced earlier this year during an internal meeting…

District Links: Ward 1’s Brianne Nadeau won’t seek fourth term on DC Council; new lawsuit accuses feds of…

Sep 25, 2025 13

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau announced this morning that she won't seek a fourth term, likely setting the stage for a crowded field of candidates looking to become just the fifth person to…

District Links: AG Schwalb files 12 more suits against dangerous drivers, wins first judgment; surge highlights impact…

Sep 24, 2025 31

DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb today announced a first-of-its-kind judgment against a dangerous driver under recently implemented DC Council legislation, as well as a slate of 12 new lawsuits…

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