Our Story
@DCHistory and the DC History Center in the Carnegie Library are managed by the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. The Historical Society of Washington, D.C., is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community-supported educational and research organization that collects, interprets, and shares the history of our nation’s capital. Founded in 1894, it serves a diverse audience through its collections, public programs, exhibitions, and publications. Washington is known throughout the world as a monumental federal city. Less well-known are the stories of Washington’s many diverse and vibrant communities. The Historical Society helps make this local history readily available to the public to promote a sense of identity, place, and pride in Washington and to preserve this heritage for future generations. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram! @DCHistory
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Customers place their orders at a Hechinger hardware store, ca. 1940.
Recognize this interior? We'll award a gold star to anyone who can identify which Hechinger store was captured in this photo! ⭐
📷: General photograph collection, CHS 12658.08. This image comes from the Hechinger Company records manuscript collection.
We’re hiring!
The DC History Center is seeking to fill its full-time Librarian position, as well as two newly created part-time positions: Library Assistant and Visitor Services/Retail Associate.
Our small but mighty team works year-round to bring local Washington, DC history to life through field trips, educational programs, exhibits, and our research library. We are committed to being a welcoming and inclusive workplace that prioritizes justice and equity in everything we do.
We invite you to join this passionate and dedicated group! Link in bio.
When it comes to baking, don't be afraid to take whisks–especially on !
‘Tis the season for batch biscuits, crumbly confections, and gourmet galletas. What is your favorite cookie to make at the holidays?
📷 Richard England, chairman of the Hechinger Company, takes a frosted “H” cookie at the opening of the new Hechinger Company Hardware Store at 835 Bladensburg Road NE, 1968 (Hechinger Company records, CHS 12660.25)
EDIT: We're back!
impacted DC History Center's instagram page. We are working to get this platform back, but please check Facebook, Twitter, or our website for information until the issue is resolved.
👻 Happy Halloween! Do you have your costume yet?
In 1929, popular department store Woodward & Lothrop presented their colorful wares to celebrate the spooky season. Also known as “Woodies,” the store formerly headquartered in DC is now a ghost themselves. In 1994, the chain filed for bankruptcy before the company’s complete liquidation by 1995.
Today, you can still see the ghost of Woodies at 11th Street NW between G and F Streets; the flagship building still remains a DC historic site.
📷 Advertisement of the Woodward & Lothrop Department Store, October 1929. General photograph collection, CHS 15366.
📣 Stop the presses! The latest edition of Washington History magazine is here!
Its stories spotlight relationships rooted in DC’s history, like historian Jane F. Levey’s interviews with artist Clarice Smith. Their conversations—and a trove of Clarice’s family photos—paint an intimate portrait of a young Jewish girl growing up in 1930s Southwest.
Want to read more? You can find the magazine for sale at the DC History Center Store, a digital version on JSTOR, or join as a DC History member to never miss an issue!
Get your copy today!
👉
https://bit.ly/WashingtonHistoryF22
📷 Grocer Shea Chasen holds his daughter Clarice in front of his store at 331 H Street SW, 1934. Clarice Smith Collection, DC History Center.
The DC History Center has established the Latino/a/x Advisory Group to address the absence of Latinx stories and histories in formal memory-keeping institutions in Washington, DC.
The group is seeking two more members to join and serve a one-year term. Members of the Latino/a/x Advisory Group will be provided with a stipend for their participation and collaboration in the group's activities. Members will be on-boarded between October-December 2022.
Please fill out the application below and we'll be in touch!
👉
https://bit.ly/3eLMu3D
📷 Latino/a/x Advisory Group member Jose Gutierrez presents on June 22, 2022 during Movements + Moments, a conversation series centering Latinx LGBTQ+ experiences, influences, and roles in DC history. Photo by Sajel Swartz.
As part of our Collecting the City fundraising campaign, we invite you to take a behind-the-scenes look at the DC History Center’s collections! From the hidden stacks to the Kiplinger Research Library, where you can come to see our collections by appointment, our organization is dedicated to preserving, storing, and making accessible collections that bring our city's history to life.
Please consider giving to our Collecting the City Campaign! All contributions will be matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000, for a total potential impact of $100,000.
👉
https://bit.ly/CollectingTheCity
🙌 We’re OPEN!
On October 15, from 10 am to 4 pm, get to know Mount Vernon Square and Downtown by spending the day with us! During this special community event, come see our mission in action and enjoy:
🔍 Browsing the Kiplinger Research Library and its DC history collections
📖 Reading together during Family Storytime
🏳️🌈 Learning about the Rainbow History Project's oral history work
🚶♂️Joining a walking tour of Chinatown with the and Mount Vernon Square with
🛍 Shopping our store
💃 Dancing on the lawn with
And more!
Registration will be available onsite, but sign up by October 14 for a chance to win the Open Day raffle! A full schedule of events will be available soon.
👉
https://bit.ly/3fSxwZx
Attention visitors! Our exhibits and store are closed today through Saturday (9/24) due to a COVID exposure. Thank you for understanding, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
🍻 Prost!
The historic Chr. Heurich Brewing Co.’s was popularized in the 1890’s, survived Prohibition, and was produced until 1956 when the Chr. Heurich Brewing Co. closed. It was thought that Senate's unique formula was lost to history until historian Pete Jones found a recipe for the classic corn lager at the while researching Korean War tin rations. With this recipe, the beer we know and love was revived by DC’s RIGHT PROPER BREWING COMPANY]!
On October 1, from 1-3 pm, join and HEURICH HOUSE MUSEUM]] at to learn from its creators about what makes Senate Beer a unique public history project, community collaboration, and piece of DC history. We’ll hear from Kimberly Bender, CEO & Museum Director of HEURICH HOUSE MUSEUM]], and Thor Cheston, Co-founder of RIGHT PROPER BREWING COMPANY] as we raise a glass to history.
Tickets are limited, so register today! This is a 21+ event. Cost of admission includes one Senate Beer.
👉
https://bit.ly/3BxlcVL
📷 Courtesy, HEURICH HOUSE MUSEUM]]
🔍 Searching for some family fun this weekend?
On Saturday, September 10 from 10 am to 12 pm, join the DC History Center for the first-ever Family Workshop!
During this open-house style program, families will use their detective skills to solve the case of the missing research project! Education staff members will be on hand to assist as you explore key themes in local history by following clues, deciphering codes, and reading maps. Prizes will be awarded upon solving the case!
The suggested age range for this program is 7-11 years old, though all ages are welcome. Children must have an adult present to participate.
Space is limited; registration is required.
👉
https://bit.ly/3ASkt1l
📷 Students from Oneness-Family Montessori School interact with primary sources during a class visit to the DC History Center.
🚶♀️Walking tours aren’t only for tourists! See DC through new eyes on a two-hour walking tour with the DC History Center and .
Since its founding, DC’s markets and restaurants shaped the city’s landscape, defining neighborhoods, introducing immigrant cultures to the region, and feeding an ever-changing, always-hungry citizenry.
Join us for a morning stroll through DC’s Penn Quarter and Chinatown neighborhoods!
👉
https://bit.ly/3TBuRms
📷 Commercial buildings on the north side of the 600 block of H Street NW, including the China Doll Restaurant and the Da Hua Market in Chinatown, ca. 1990. Wei Li Fang, CHN 079.
🛠 recognizes the numerous contributions of American workers throughout its history. Some of these achievements can be found in DC’s own built environment, or captured in the Martha Tabor Photograph Collection (SP 0090).
Martha Tabor (1939-2004) was an activist, union organizer, educator, photographer and artist based in the DMV. As a laborer in the 1960s and 1970s, Tabor captured her fellow workers on film, commenting on the experiences and working conditions of blue and white collar workers, women, midwives, and DC municipal employees, such as Lillian Lightbourne photographed here.
📷 Lillian Lightbourne, a welder and member of Ironworkers’ Local #201, working in a metal fabrication shop in DC, ca. 1979. Martha Tabor Photograph Collection, SP 0090.
Ladies and Gentlemen! May we have your attention please! Oh, we had such fun when veteran announcer Charlie Brotman stopped by our ongoing exhibit: THE BIG PICTURE. With an assist from interviewer Michael Akin, Charlie recorded memories of his extensive career. Charlie announced Senators games (1956-1971) and Presidential inaugurations: Truman, Eisenhower's second, through President Obama, and then returning for President Biden!
Before there was Nats Park, home of the Washington Nationals, there was Griffith Stadium. Prior to demolition in 1965, Charlie was given a special souvenir—the presidential box seats. Since the opening of THE BIG PICTURE, the Griffith Stadium presidential box seats have been on display in the exhibit. But they're returning home with Charlie soon. Stop by through Sunday September 25 for your last chance to see the seats! Thank you!
In recognizing the one and only Charlie Brotman, we also want to thank his daughter Debbie Doxzon, Michael Akin and Jamal Holtz of LINK Strategic Partners, videographer Cintia Cabib, and TBP curator Jane Levey.