Robert Pohl worked for many years as a computer programmer but recovered from that and became a full time stay-at-home dad. With his son now in school, he has expanded his horizons and become a self-taught historian. He has written books about his house as well as Emancipation in the District of Columbia. You can reach Robert at Robert[at]thehillishome.com
Having looked at the first execution in the District last week, it behooves me to follow up with the last one. It, too, took place on Capitol Hill; this time, in the D.C. jail. On July 11, 1953, George W. Cassels (pictured), a two-year veteran of the D.C. police, was waiting for a colleague when […]
While it has been over 60 years since the last execution in the District of Columbia, the first was done almost immediately after the founding of the city. The site? Just off Capitol Hill, and close enough for us to have a look at the deed today. James McGurk was nobody’s idea of a good […]
Two weeks ago, we looked at The Hole in the Wall, a bar on the Senate side of the Capitol. As it turned out, it did not last long past its initial exposure to the public. The death knell for The Hole in the Wall came just two short years after the Saulsbury incident. On […]
On this Emancipation Day it is appropriate to look at the story of one man who was freed because of Lincoln’s signing of the D.C. Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862. His name was Philip Reid. While you may not know him, you see his work every time you look at the Capitol. I have […]
Alcohol and Congress have gotten along just fine since the earliest days on the Hill, when the preferred meeting places for one and all were the local taverns. For some, heading across the street was apparently too much of a hassle, and thus they wanted more convenient places to tipple. They did not want anyone […]