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
When we last looked at the Water Witch, she had been sent off to the Gulf of Mexico. For about a year, she served honorably in that theater, but by November of 1848, she was in need of repairs, which were done in Pensacola, before being returned to Norfolk, and thence to the Washington Navy […]
Today we continue with our series on interesting ships from the Navy Yard. This time, the ship was actually built here – and sunk here, though that’s a story for another week. After the (dubious) success of the Germ, plans were made to build a number of ships using Hunter’s wheel. The first indication of […]
The Washington Navy Yard has not only produced a multitude of ships during its life, but has also hosted many, many more. Often, expermimental boats would be brought here, to be shown off to the powers that be at the Navy Department. One such boat – with what would today be a rather disturbing name […]
One of my favorite places to do research is the Library of Congress’s map website. The number and range of maps available is truly amazing, and can give great insight into how Washington changed over the years. While the most useful maps are the extremely detailed maps that were published occasionally over the years. However, there […]
The 1850s were a quiet time for the Washington Navy Yard. With no wars looming, there was no pressing need for new ships. Nonetheless, new technologies did drive some urgency, and thus in April 1854, six new steam frigates were authorized to go along with the three that had been previously built. The new frigates […]