
Boundary Stones
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A blog about local history in Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland and northern Virginia.
These pages (or pixels!) seek to uncover and share some of the stories that have helped to shape our community over the years -- some serious stuff, some light stuff, some photos, and even some videos.
Boundary Stones
1w ago
Knights of Pythias: The Secret Society That Tried to Heal America After the Civil War
You've heard of the Freemasons. You may have heard of the Illuminati. Secret societies are finding it harder to stay secret in our surveillance-saturated world. In 1864, a former schoolteacher from middle-of-nowhere Michigan arrived in the nation's capital. Justus Henry Rathbone sought to create a secret society that would heal the nation's divisions after the Civil War. There was just one thing. His not-so-secret society glowed in the national spotlight once presidents fro ..read more
Boundary Stones
3w ago
The Last Fatal Duel in Congress: Jonathan Cilley vs. William Graves
A needless debate over honor in the House of Representatives sparked the only fatal duel between two congressmen in American history. The killing of Rep. Jonathan Cilley triggered outrage across America and anti-dueling legislation. But did it end the practice altogether?
Jake Seboe Fri, 01/24/2025 - 12:57 ..read more
Boundary Stones
1M ago
As World War II Rages, “Lady Death” Comes to Washington
In 1942, the USSR sends a young woman, its most effective sniper, to the United States as a member of its delegation to President Roosevelt's International Youth Assembly. But she has a second reason for her trip: to entreat the Allies to open a second front in Europe. American observers, unfortunately, seem less interested in her rhetoric than the unflattering cut of her uniform.
Isabel Sans Thu, 01/16/2025 - 22:00 ..read more
Boundary Stones
1M ago
The Human Moments That Made the Camp David Accords Possible
In September 1978, Jimmy Carter brokered a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, which has lasted over 40 years. Over nearly two weeks of tense negotiations, each side threatened to walk away from the table. But Carter used a combination of diplomacy and personal appeals to bring them back.
Hunter Spears Thu, 01/09/2025 - 20:52 ..read more
Boundary Stones
1M ago
Jimmy Carter's Play Days: 39th President Was a Mainstay in DC's Theater Scene
Despite serving only a single term as President, Jimmy Carter holds the record among sitting presidents for attending shows at the Kennedy Center — 28 in his four years in the District. But that's only the beginning of his love of the theater!
Hunter Spears Sun, 12/29/2024 - 18:20 ..read more
Boundary Stones
2M ago
DC’s Spy Mailboxes: The Story of CIA Mole Aldrich Ames
30 years ago, FBI agents descended upon a cozy corner of Arlington to arrest one of the most destructive spy-turned-moles in United States history. For nearly a decade, career CIA officer Aldrich “Rick” Ames fed some of his agency’s most sensitive intelligence to the Soviet Union—a betrayal that compromised dozens of agents and led to the execution of at least ten.
Ethan Ehrenhaft Thu, 12/19/2024 - 22:15 ..read more
Boundary Stones
2M ago
How Howard University Students Challenged its Identity as a Black University
On March 22, 1968, Adrienne Manns, senior editor of Howard University’s official student newspaper, The Hilltop, summed up the lively scene on campus in a bold editorial:
“If this is not revolution, then what is?”
Three days earlier, one thousand students had taken over the university’s main administration building – known as the “A” building – refusing to leave.
Christal Wilson Tue, 12/17/2024 - 11:53 ..read more
Boundary Stones
2M ago
The Maryland Snallygaster: Devil of Racist Politics
Legend tells of a beast that flies over Middletown, Maryland looking for prey to drag back to its lair on Catoctin Mountain. The creature, a half-bird half-reptile, had “huge wings, a long pointed tail, occasionally a horn, one eye in the middle of its forehead and, strangest of all, octopuslike tentacles that trailed behind it like streamers and retracted like a cat’s claws.” It came to be known as the Snallygaster and supposedly, it had a taste for human flesh…and a particular group of people above all others.
Jake Seboe Wed, 12/04/2024 ..read more
Boundary Stones
2M ago
Meet Frances Benjamin Johnston, "The greatest woman photographer in the world"
In the 1890s, Frances Benjamin Johnston opened a photography studio on V St., NW, in Washington, DC. Defying gender norms, she established herself as a White House portrait photographer, a photo journalist, and historic preservationist. By the end of her life, some called her "the greatest woman photographer in the world," but her most well-known work gained attention decades after her death.
Isabel Bozarth Mon, 11/25/2024 - 11:20 ..read more
Boundary Stones
3M ago
Dunbar: The Evolution of America's First Black Public High School
Northwest D.C.'s Dunbar High School transcended humble beginnings in the basement of a church to become, as W.E.B. DuBois' The Crisis put it, the "greatest negro high school in the world." It's mission towards black academic excellence made it the alma mater of many prominent African Americans.
Christal Wilson Thu, 11/14/2024 - 11:14 ..read more