Bytes of History
Collections
Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia was authorized by Congress in August 1861 and the majority of the first 150 patrolmen to serve the MPD were sworn in on September 11, 1861. This collection consists primarily of documents transcribed from records located at the National Archives and transcriptions of articles from early DC newspapers. The collection contains information about approximately 3,000 men who joined the MPD prior to 1905.
19th Century Neighborhoods
When James Croggon died in 1916 he was described as probably the oldest newspaper man in Washington. He began his career in 1862, writing many stories of the Civil War. He retired in 1894, and from 1906 to 1915 The Evening Star published approximately 300 of his articles. His interest was the early history of the Capital city, and he wrote of holiday traditions, merchants, organizations such as the fire department and much more. The majority of the articles focus on city neighborhoods, describing the buildings and property owners.
The Wawaset Steamboat Disaster
On August 8, 1873, The Wawaset left the 7th Street Pier in Southwest Washington on a regular run down the Potomac. There were approximately 120 adults and 20 children on board by the time it reached Chatterton's Landing in King George County. It was about 11:40 a.m., when a fire broke out in the engine room. Within minutes it had consumed the entire boat. Family and friends waiting on the landing watched in horror as 75 passengers and 2 of the crew perished by fire or drowning.
Obituaries from Washington Newspapers
This collection consists of 26,000 selected obituaries transcribed from the National Intelligencer, Evening Star and Washington Post for the period 1800 to 1925 (with some from later years). The National Intelligencer is the source for the years 1800 to 1854, when the Evening Star began publishing. The Evening Star is the primary source for the period 1854 to 1925. REMINDER: This collection contains only selected obituaries. Work continues on filling in the gaps.