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
One of my favorite stories to tell about the White House is how the Presidents are moved out and in between the time that the outgoing resident leaves for the inauguration and the newly-inaugurated President arrives late that evening. It was not always thus, of course, and so, many years ago, Capitol Hill hosted a […]
It’s August in D.C., and thus everyone –including me– is on vacation. The Library of Congress website is down. It’s time for a rerun. This is one of the earliest columns that I wrote for The Hill is Home, and a subject I return to every time I give a tour of the Capitol. ________ […]
I have previously written variously of new technologies that have been tested at the Washington Navy Yard over the years, from lights to radio. Unsurprisingly, there was also a great deal of interest in new ways of protecting and improving the ships that were being built there. One of the new technologies to be employed […]
Today was Ward 6 day at the National Building Museum‘s Iceberg exhibit. An hour before the museum opened to the general public, Ward 6 residents could get in to see the hottest (coolest?) exhibit in town – for free! As an extra bonus, councilmember Charles Allen was there, as well. A few pictures from the […]
It is not often that my research on the history of Capitol Hill ends up leading to the possible identity of Jack the Ripper, so I will certainly milk this connection for all its worth. It starts with Francesco Maria Scala, the Italian-born leader of the Marine Band for many years. Scala was born about […]