After burning the Nation’s capital, the British head north to Baltimore and stay there from Sept 11-17, 1814. From Sept 13-14, 1814, Fort McHenry was under attack. It was during that time that F.S. Key wrote the Star Spanglaed Banner. There are many activities taking place this year throughout Maryland in remembrance of this (second)…
Category: DC History
Washington Monument Opening Stairs for Walkdown Tours this Fall
The Washington Monument reopened in May 2014 after a 33-month long renovation following the August 2011 earthquake that damaged the memorial. Now, the NPS is also going to open the stairs! The NPS announced that starting this month, September, tickets will be available for purchase through Recreation.gov for $15 ($12 with a $3 handling fee)…
Today is the Anniversary of the creation of the District of Columbia
On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. The exact location was to be selected by President George Washington, who signed the bill into law on July 16. Formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, the initial shape…
Geo Washington Statue at the National Cathedral
Statue: George Washington Equestrian Statue Location: At the entrance to the Olmsted Woods Walk; at the bottom of the Pilgrim Steps Sculptor: Herbert HaseltineUnveiling: February 22, 1959 Cost: Gift. Donated by James Sheldon On the anniversary of his birthday, George Washington was honored at the National Cathedral with the dedication of an equestrian statue. The…
Free Walking Tour, January 20
Mark this historic inauguration week by joining us for a free, 90-minute walking tour, “From Slavery to Freedom in Adams Morgan,” on Sunday, January 20th at 1:00pm. starting at the Sun Trust Bank Plaza at 18th Street and Columbia Road, N.W., Washington, D.C. Our starting point at 18th Street and Columbia Road is about an…
Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital
Located at 9th and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, the building now known as the Hill Center was built in 1866 as a Naval Hospital. The Navy used it during the Civil War and up until 1906 when the Naval Hospital was moved to Observatory Hill at 23rd and E Streets, NW (in Foggy Bottom). The large…
St. Thomas Parish
I recently attended a presentation at St. Thomas Parish, the Episcopal church at 1772 Church Street, NW., organized by the DC Preservation League and given by Matt Jarvis, the architect for new church plans. Presented as A Civil Union: Marrying the Historic and Modern – the talk discussed the long history of the church and…
WalkingTownDC
I recently gave a tour of Meridian Hill Park as part of WalkingTownDC – a 10-day festival of tours organized by Cultural Tourism DC. If you haven’t heard of Cultural Tourism DC check out their website at culturaltourismdc.org. They offer a weekly e-newsletter distributed on Wednesdays and filled with activities and other interesting happenings. It’s…