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
Last week, I was running out of time, so I simply put up a rerun with a tiny bit of research to add a little more detail. While doing so, I stumbled onto information that I dearly wish I had known when I wrote my book on the D.C. Emancipation Act. When Abraham Lincoln moved to […]
In trying to look at all the places that Abraham Lincoln lived and worked in Washington D.C. over the years, it becomes clear how much the city has changed over the last 150 years. It’s also clear how much of it has been torn down and replaced. Today, we’ll look (again) at the place he […]
I have previously written about James Buchanan’s inaugural parade and the model ship built by the men at the Washington Navy Yard for that occasion. This was, it turns out, not the only time they were engaged in a project of this nature. While Lincoln’s first inauguration was a fairly anxiety-riddled affair, with war in […]
It seems unlikely, but there was – for a time – a club on Capitol Hill named the Ugly Club. It flourished for a few years – in a couple of incarnations – before the Civil War. After that, it disappeared again. The original Ugly Clubs were formed in Great Britain in the 18th Century, as […]
One hundred and fifty-five days ago yesterday Abraham Lincoln signed a bill “An Act For the Release of Certain Persons Held to Service or Labor in the District of Columbia” which freed all the slaves in the District of Columbia. This marked the first time the Federal Government freed any slaves, and the only time the […]