Today is Emancipation Day in Washington DC. In 1862, nearly 3,100 enslaved people were freed, and the owners compensated for their financial loss. This is the story of the men, women and children who were released from bondage in our area 163 years ago. Remember their names.

I know I don't have many followers here, but I just had to post a little bit about my beloved wife, who passed today. Kee Malesky was a research librarian for NPR for over two decades, and every reporter, producer and editor there owes her a great debt. We were married for 55 years.

Folk musician Rhiannon Giddens said on social media that she has moved her May concert – originally scheduled for the Kennedy Center – to a different venue in Washington, D.C.

It's Lincolns birthday, a good day to remember his life, and his death. When he was killed at Ford's Theater, John Wilkes Booth headed south, but one of the other conspirators headed to the future Brookland neighborhood, looking to escape. bygonebrookland.com/2025/02/12/t... #DChistory

The origins of Brookland's first church.
in a neighborhood known for its Catholic roots, it may surprise people that the initial church built here was Baptist. #DChistory
bygonebrookland.com/2025/01/27/b...

She quit the Post, and I understand why. Very sad. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Edgewood is one of DC's lesser known neighborhoods, but there's some absorbing history there, including grave-robbing and sexual scandal. #DCHistory
bygonebrookland.com/2017/03/06/t...

A short, photo-rich history of the Brookland neighborhood in Washington DC. bygonebrookland.com/2022/03/29/a...

A lovely wintertime photo of the tracks north of Washington DC's Union Station in 1920.

Early 1900s postcard with a dramatic nighttime view of the Old City Hall (now the DC Court of Appeals) on Judiciary Square. Designed by George Hadfield and built between 1820 and 1849, it was one of DC's first major public buildings.

Nice, crisp aerial of DC from the Washington Monument in 1911. Pepco plant, old Post Office, Pension Building, GPO, Union Station, Agriculture Dept. greenhouses on mall, Center Market all visible. Some still stand. #DChistory

I been helping the Mapping Segregation folks by transcribing various deeds in Washington DC for racially restrictive covenants. If you've never seen one, this is what the language looks like.

As a 50-year+ resident of Washington DC, this is what I'm most worried about after the election - losing home rule. Washingtonians have only been able to elect our own mayor and council since 1973. Before that rule was by appointed commissioners..appointed by Congress. wamu.org/story/24/11/...

I've been writing a local history blog about my Brookland neighborhood and the larger history of Washington DC. After ten years, my most popular post is this one, about treading the line between Black and White. bygonebrookland.com/2020/05/21/w...