Stereographic print of Pleasant Plains & Cowtown neighborhood in Washington DC taken from Howard University, looking southwest

Exploring the History of Cowtown Neighborhood in Washington DC

ByValerie Moore

This stereo card was taken from Howard University looking southwest in the late 1800s, showing the Cowtown neighborhood of Washington DC. From Streets of Washington flickr gallery. Wait–Cowtown!? The names of old neighborhoods in Washington, DC would have many today scratching their heads: Hell’s Bottom, The Island, Swampoodle, and Bloodfield. My favorite, though, is the…

Old map showing Columbia Heights and planned roads in 1896

2 Traffic Circles in Columbia Heights Lost to History

ByValerie Moore

What if there were traffic circles in Columbia Heights? In 1896, the land above Florida Avenue was still being developed. It had been subdivided, and there were some buildings built, but largely it was still growing. At that time, they were still working out how they wanted the roads to run, so they had widened…