Online Resources from Our Partners
As a means to further scholarship in DC history, the DC History Center has gathered helpful online resources from our partners. Researchers find these resources useful and self-explanatory.
DC CITY DIRECTORIES
Select city directories are available online through UPenn and via HeritageQuest, available with a DC Public Library card. Also available are two GIS Story Maps for the 1822 Directory for Washington City and 1858 Directory of the City of Washington by GIS specialist Brian Kraft.
REAL ESTATE ATLASES
Available in high resolution
DigDC: Real estate atlases from 1874 to 1896
Library of Congress: 1903, 1907, 1909, 1913, and 1919
NEWSPAPERS
The Evening Star (1852-1981) and the Washington Post (1877-Present) are available online via the DC Public Library. Available with a DC Public Library card.
MAPPING SEGREGATION
Through a series of interactive maps, this public history project created by Prologue DC reveals the profound role of race in shaping our city.
FOGGY BOTTOM HISTORIC DISTRICT HOUSE HISTORIES
This site offers a unique combination of maps, databases, and photos that document the Foggy Bottom Historic District community, its houses, and the lives of its residents. The map is created and maintained by the Foggy Bottom Association and hosted by the DC History Center.
ORAL HISTORIES
The 2017 Oral History Collections Survey identified 3,995 existing oral histories available at repositories across the city (including 300+ at the DC History Center). This included collections with varying levels of accessibility, from those only accessible through original analog recordings, to those with digital transcripts and online audio.
In 2021, GIS specialist Brian Kraft, with support from Humanities DC, released a map identifying significant DC locations referenced in 461 of the surveyed oral histories. The map thus far only reflects oral histories that have either an online transcript and/or an audio recording available online. Click on an icon to connect to the oral history related to that location.
BUILDING PERMIT DATA
HistoryQuest searchable database stores historical information (building permit, architect, builder, etc.) on existing DC buildings.
PUBLIC DEED AND LAND RECORDS
For public deed and land records from 1921 to the present, visit the DC Recorder of Deeds. For records that predate 1921, contact the DC Archives.
A key resource for DC history scholarship is Washington History magazine and its predecessors. Washington History is a benefit of membership in the DC History Center. Here are other ways to get access:
WASHINGTON HISTORY MAGAZINE VIA JSTOR
The magazine, published since 1989, is now searchable by article title in the DC History Center online catalog. Washington History, and its predecessor, Records of the Columbia Historical Society, are available online through JSTOR. Membership in the DC History Center or subscription to JSTOR repository required for unlimited access. Browsers are granted limited free access.