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
Like most Hill residents, I swing through Eastern Market every weekend to see what’s for sale. You never know when you might find just the right piece of furniture, article of clothing, or item to hang on your wall there. A few weeks ago, I came across something in the last category. It’s currently being […]
When we think of memorials and monuments today, structures of bronze and marble are what first spring to mind. Whether the figure on horseback such as the Grant statue in front of the Capitol or the simple obelisk that honors the memory of the father of our country and namesake of our city, monuments are […]
Over the last two weeks, we’ve looked at one of the oldest urban legends related to the Capitol: that of the keeper of the crypt. One of the interesting features of urban legends is their ability to change over time, as people either wish to emphasize or de-emphasize various aspects of the story to fit […]
Last week, we saw how a story was started and spread, but how the question of the truth of the original Tribune article on which the whole story is based was casually omitted. In the article, the reporter makes a number of allegations, and, as it turns out, very few of them really happened the […]
In researching my scandal book, I was surprised in how often the scandal, as generally told differed from the scandal as it was initially reported. To researchers of urban legends, those supposedly true stories that we tell each other to make a point, this would come as no surprise. Changing details to either improve the […]