Legal guns are, by design, difficult to acquire in Washington D.C. This has been the case for quite some time, and in spite of some liberalization since the Heller decision, not that much seems to have changed. It was therefore somewhat surprising to discover that there used to be a gun store just two blocks […]

Five years ago, we looked at the aftermath of a raid on Henry Wilson, a young enslaved African-American. Despite having almost bought himself free, he was taken away from Mrs. Sprigg’s boarding house and sold. Joshua Giddings, Abraham Lincoln’s messmate at Mrs. Sprigg’s, attempted to rescue the young man from a slave pen, but was thwarted […]

Over the last few weeks, we looked at Charles William Janson’s book The Stranger in America, and, in particular, what he saw and did on Capitol Hill. When we last saw him, he was looking at the Navy Yard and its surroundings. He finished up his section on the neighborhood by casting a jaundiced eye […]

Last week, we looked at visitor Charles William Janson’s rather dour view of Washington D.C. in 1806. Continuing on in this vein, we look today at one part of the city which he has some positive words to say about. Well, one positive word. Which is also misspelled: The only part of this city which […]

Reading about Washington in general, and Capitol Hill in particular, from 200 plus years ago is always a treat. The changes that have come over the place in the intervening years is rather remarkable. Even more fun is when the writer pulls no punches, and tells us what it was really like. One such writer […]