I usually try to stay on the Hill for these pieces. Occasionally, however, there is reason to go further afield. Like when the D.C. Council asks questions that seem custom-made for me. This week, I try to answer their question: “Why is there a Unicorn Lane NW?” Unicorn Lane is an odd street, to be […]
As residents of Capitol Hill, we have become used to strange sounds emanating from local military installations, whether the guns of Arlington Cemetery, aircraft flyovers, or the sounds of the National Anthem in the morning. While these are usually greeted with a simple,“What was that?” there are also historical precedents that do not accept these […]
That the Civil War pitted brother against brother is hardly a new insight. Stories of tragic reunions occurring on the battlefield are legion. However, some of the coincidences are more far-reaching. One of these stories begins at the Washington Navy Yard, and ends in Congressional Cemetery– but not in the direct route one would expect. […]
Two years ago, I wrote a piece on Anne Royall, a worthy subject if I ever had one. A strong 19th century female who was not only involved in an urban legend, but lived on the Hill, was tried and convicted of being “a common scold” at that time, and ended up being buried in Congressional Cemetery? […]
I have previously written about scientific equipment built on Capitol Hill, as well as how the shops of the Navy Yard were used for non-Naval purposes. What I did not realize –until I came across an article in the Washington Evening Star of March 29, 1854– was that these two things had come together at […]