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 […]

For the past couple of years, the Anacostia Watershed Society has partnered with local schools to help with the shad population in the Anacostia River. By protecting the eggs during their gestation and hatching, a far larger percentage of the eggs turn into hatchlings, jump-starting the fish’s recovery in the river. As it turns out, […]