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Websites

The Starting Place

Primary Sources Online

Library of Congress

  • Built in America: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record, 1933-Present. Public domain images of the built environment, including hundreds of images of Washington.
  • The Capital and the Bay: Narratives of Washington and the Chesapeake Bay Region, ca. 1600-1925. One hundred and forty-one books from the Library of Congress.
  • Prints and Photographs Catalog.
  • Washington As It Was: Photographs by Theodor Horydczak, 1923–1959

Other

  • ProQuest. Includes The Historical Washington Post, a digital version of the newspaper from 1877 - 1990. (Mason affiliation required.)
  • Washington, D.C., History Matters. Primary sources on Washington, D.C., primary from the Department of Special Collections, Gelman Library, George Washington University.
  • Learning from Langston Terrace. Primary sources about a New Deal public housing project designed by and for African Americans.
  • HarpWeek. Electronic Access to Harper's Weekly: 1857-1912. Includes many fine illustrations. (Mason affiliation required.)

Secondary Sources

Bibliographies

Printed Resources

Here are a list of some of the most useful books on Washington that I have found. Please consider this list to be a starting place, not an ending place. Consult me or a librarian for more suggestions. Call numbers are for reference only; not all books are in Fenwick Library. Please also see the online bibliographies listed above.

Fenwick's periodicals section has an incomplete run of Washington history : magazine of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. The City Museum has posted a full Table of Contents for the magazine, begun in 1989. Articles from its predecessor, Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C., are listed at H-DC. They can be requested from the Washington Research Library Consortium.

Reference Works for Tours

These books, most of them organized by neighborhood, will be particularly useful for reference material on specific buildings, statues, and places. Keep in mind that they deserve citation.


Applewhite, E. J.
Washington itself: an informal guide to the Capital of the United States
New York: Knopf, 1981.

Washington (D.C.)--Guidebooks.

F192.3.A7 1981

Evelyn, Douglas E.; Paul Dickson
On this spot: pinpointing the past in Washington, D.C

Washington (D.C.) Guidebooks. Historic sites Washington (D.C.) Guidebooks. Washington (D.C.) History.

F192.3.E84 1999

Federal Writers' Project.
The WPA guide to Washington, D.C.: the Federal Writers' Project guide to 1930s Washington

Washington (D.C.) Guidebooks.

F192.3.W7 1983

Goode, James M.
The outdoor sculpture of Washington, D.C. A comprehensive historical guide
Washington, Smithsonian Institution Press [distributed by G. Braziller] 1974.

Outdoor sculpture--Washington (D.C.)--Guidebooks. \ Monuments- -Washington (D.C.)--Guidebooks. \ Washington (D.C.)--Guidebooks.

NB235.W3 G66

Leach, Sara Amy
Capital IA : industrial archeology of Washington, D.C.

Industrial archaeology -- Washington (D.C.)
Industrial archaeology -- Washington Metropolitan Area.
Historic buildings -- Washington (D.C.)
Historic buildings -- Washington Metropolitan Area.
Bridges -- Washington (D.C.)
Bridges -- Washington Metropolitan Area.
Aqueducts -- Washington (D.C.)
Aqueducts -- Washington Metropolitan Area.

T22.5.W18 C37 2001

Passonneau, Joseph
Washington through two centuries : a history in maps and images

Washington (D.C.) History. Washington (D.C.) History Pictorial works. Washington (D.C.) History Maps. City planning Washington (D.C.) History.

F194 .P37 2004

Scott, Pamela, 1944- \ Lee, Antoinette J. (Antoinette Josephine) \ Society of Architectural Historians.
Buildings of the District of Columbia.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Architecture--Washington (D.C.)--Guidebooks. \ Architects--Washington (D.C.) \ Washington (D.C.)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Guidebooks.

NA735.W3 S36x


Wiencek, Henry. \ Kennedy, Roger G.
Virginia and the capital region.
New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang: Distributed by Workman Pub., 1989.

Middle Atlantic States--Guidebooks. \ Virginia--Guidebooks. \ Washington Region--Guidebooks.

F106.W64 1989

Other Books on Washington

Adler, Bill.
Washington: a reader
New York, Meredith Press [1967]

F194.A47

Allgor, Catherine

Parlor politics: in which the ladies of Washington help build a city and a government


Women in politics Washington (D.C.) History 19th century. Upper class women Washington (D.C.) History 19th century. Entertaining Washington (D.C.) History 19th century. Washington (D.C.) History 19th century. Washington (D.C.) Politics and government 19th century. Washington (D.C.) Social life and customs 19th century.

HQ1236.5.U6 A45 2000

Barber, Lucy G.
Marching on Washington: the forging of an American political tradition

United States Politics and government 20th century. United States Politics and government 1865-1900. Demonstrations Washington (D.C.) History 20th century. Civil rights movements United States History 20th century. Social movements United States History 20th century. Political participation United States History 20th century. Political culture United States History 20th century. Mall, The (Washington, D.C.) History 20th century. Washington (D.C.) Politics and government 1878-1967. Washington (D.C.) Politics and government 1967-1995.

E743.B338 2002

Borchert, James.
Alley life in Washington: family, community, religion, and folklife in the city, 1850-1970.
Urbana: University of Illinois Press, c1980.

Afro-Americans--Washington (D.C.)--Social conditions. \ Afro-American families--Washington (D.C.) \ Rural-urban migration--Washington (D.C.) \ Washington (D.C.)--Social conditions.

E185.93.D6 B63

Brinkley, David.
Washington goes to war.
New York: A.A. Knopf: Distributed by Random House, 1988.

Brinkley, David. \ World War, 1939-1945--Washington (D.C.) \ Washington (D.C.)--History.

D769.85.D6 B75 1988

Cary, Francine.
Urban odyssey: a multicultural history of Washington, D.C.
Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, c1996.

Migrant labor--Washington (D.C.)--History. \ Alien labor--Washington (D.C.)--History. \ Immigrants--Washington (D.C.)--History. \ Pluralism (Social sciences)--Washington (D.C.)--History. \ Washington (D.C.)--Emigration and immigration--History. \ Washington (D.C.)--Ethnic relations.

JV6940.U73 1996x

Cowdrey, Albert E.
A city for the nation : the Army engineers and the building of Washington, D.C., 1790-1967
Historical Division, Office of Administrative
Services, Office of the Chief of Engineers : for sale by the
Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1979.


Public buildings--Washington (D.C.)
City planning--Washington (D.C.)--History.
United States. Army. Corps of Engineers--History.

F204.A1 C68

Dalzell, Robert F.
George Washington's Mount Vernon: at home in Revolutionary America.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Washington, George, 1732-1799--Homes and haunts--Virginia--Fairfax County. \ Mount Vernon (Va.: Estate)

E312.5.D24 1998

Fisher, Perry G//Lear, Linda J.
A selected bibliography for Washington studies and descriptions of major local collections

Washington (D.C.) -- Library resources/ Washington (D.C.) -- Bibliography

Z1269 .F58

Furgurson, Ernest B.
Freedom rising: Washington in the Civil War

Washington (D.C.) History Civil War, 1861-1865. Washington (D.C.) Biography. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865. Washington (D.C.) History Civil War, 1861-1865 Social aspects. United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 Social aspects.

E501.F87 2004

Gillette, Howard.
Between justice and beauty: race, planning, and the failure of urban policy in Washington, D.C.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995.


HN80.W3 G55 1995

Green, Constance McLaughlin, 1897-
The secret city; a history of race relations in the Nation's Capital.
Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1967.

Afro-Americans--Washington (D.C.) \ Washington (D.C.)--Race relations.

E185.93.D6 G7

Green, Constance McLaughlin, 1897-
Washington.
Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1962-63.

Washington (D.C.)--History.

F194.G7

Jaffe, Harry. \ Sherwood, Tom.
Dream city: race, power, and the decline of Washington, D.C.
New York: Simon & Schuster, c1994.

Racism--Washington (D.C.) \ Washington (D.C.)--Politics and government--1951- \ Washington (D.C.)--Social conditions. \ Washington (D.C.)- -Race relations.

F216.2.J34 1994

Lessoff, Alan.
The nation and its city: politics, corruption, and progress in Washington, D.C., 1861-1902.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, c1994.

Washington (D.C.)--Politics and government--To 1878. \ Washington (D.C.)--Politics and government--1878-1967.

F198.L58 1994

Luria, Sarah
Capital speculations: writing and building Washington, D.C

American literature Washington (D.C.) History and criticism. American literature 19th century History and criticism. Architecture and literature History 19th century. Washington (D.C.) Buildings, structures, etc. Washington (D.C.) Intellectual life. Washington (D.C.) In literature. Architecture Washington (D.C.) Speculation Washington (D.C.) Washington (D.C.) History. Architecture in literature.

PS253.D6 L87 2006

McGovern, Stephen J., 1959-
The politics of downtown development: dynamic political cultures in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 1998.

Urban renewal--California--San Francisco. \ Urban renewal--Washington (D.C.) \ Central business districts--California--San Francisco. \ Central business districts--Washington (D.C.) \ Political culture--California--San Francisco. \ Political culture--Washington (D.C.) \ Political participation- -California--San Francisco. \ Political participation--Washington (D.C.)

HT177.S38 M34 1998

Miller, Fredric. \ Gillette, Howard.
Washington seen: a photographic history, 1875-1965.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995.

Washington (D.C.)--History--Pictorial works.

F195.M52 1995

Miller, Iris
Washington in maps: 1606-2000

Cartography Washington (D.C.) History. Washington (D.C.) Maps. L'Enfant, Pierre Charles, 1754-1825.

GA417.M55 2002

Pearce, John N. \ Aurand, Martin. \ McDaniel, George W. \ George Washington University. Center for Washington Area Studies.
Images of Brookland: the history and architecture of a Washington suburb.
Washington, D.C.: Center for Washington Area Studies, George Washington University, c1982.

Architecture--Washington (D.C.) \ Washington (D.C.)--History. \ Brookland (Washington, D.C.)--History.

F202.B9 I46 1982

Peatross, C. Ford;Pamela Scott;Diane Tepfer;Leslie Mandelson Freudenheim;Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division.
Capital drawings: architectural designs for Washington, D.C., from the Library of Congress

Architectural drawing Washington (D.C.) Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. Architecture Washington (D.C.) Designs and plans. Washington (D.C.) Buildings, structures, etc.

NA2695.U6 L533 2005

Schmidt, Lorraine H.
Washington - the design of the Federal City.
Washington, National Archives Trust Fund Board, National Archives and Records Service, 1972


Washington (D.C.)--Buildings, structures, etc.
Washington (D.C.)--History.
Buildings--Washington (D.C.)

F195 .S35

Smith, Sam, 1937-
Captive Capital; colonial life in modern Washington.
Bloomington, Indiana University Press [1974]

Urban renewal--Washington (D.C.) \ Washington (D.C.)--Social conditions. \ Washington (D.C.)--Politics and government.

HN80.W3 S45

Young, James Sterling
The Washington community, 1800-1828

United States Politics and government 1783-1865. Statesmen United States. Politics, Practical. Washington (D.C.) Social life and customs.

E338 .Y6


Except where noted otherwise, all original material on this site is copyright © 2005-2007 Zachary M. Schrag. It may be used for non-commercial personal and educational purposes provided it is attributed to Zachary M. Schrag.