Category Archives: History

Items of historical interest and relevance.

Mill? Brewery? Dairy? Ice House? Gym? 3400 K St Historic Photo Tour

3400 K St., Google Maps, Dec 2021. Note how the three supports for the Whitehurst Freeway extend out and into the wall of the structure. This is where a 4-car siding was located on the Georgetown Branch.

Something that has been a bit of a conundrum for me over the years is what type of business, exactly, was located at 3400 K St during my modeling era, 1945-55 and what exactly the structure looked like. On the 1954 B&O Form 6 (which describes rail customers, siding lengths, freight agents, locations, etc.) it reads “Chestnut Farms-Chevy Chase Dairy”, 4-car length, milepost 10.4. The siding does not appear on the 1941 Form 6.

1954 B&O Form 6 excerpt
June 1963, B&O RR Track chart with proposed Potomac River Freeway shows the siding at 3400 K St.

Maps have varying names listed for the industry located at 3400 K St.:

  • 1888 Sanborn: vacant flour mill & coal house
  • 1903 Sanborn: Crystal Plate Ice Co. & vacant
  • 1919 B&O map: no name, just “2 Story Brick
  • 1921 Baist: American Ice House
  • 1928 Sanborn: Crystal Plate Ice Co.
  • 1954 B&O Form 6: Chestnut Farms-Chevy Chase Dairy
  • 1959 Sanborn: National Dairy Products Co.
  • 1963 B&O map: W.S. Brenizer and “Brewery” (I suspect it was The Guggenheim Co.)

I decided to go back through photos and maps I have in my files to see if I can get an idea of what type of structure existed at this spot over the years. I’m starting way back, long before the railroad came to town because I think the history and background is pretty special. The first image comes from the year the Civil War ended. Georgetown looked pretty different back then than it does now.

The waterfront in 1865. An image from the Georgetown Metropolitan website. I believe the 3400 block of K St is where that very large four-story warehouse is located, about a third of the way from the left. The Washington Aqueduct bridge is visible on the very far left side. Georgetown Univ. is also visible, top left.
Sept 28, 1886. Another view showing some waterfront detail. A few years after the previous photo and the “coal house” structure has a large sign painted on its end. DC Historic Society, Potomac Boat Club collection. http://hdl.handle.net/1961/dcplislandora:29620

First map reference is a snip from an 1888 Sanborn Map. Note the 3400 K St. location is occupied by a Vacant Flour Mill and a Coal House, visible in the photos above. Also note the prominent overhead coal trestles which were used to transload coal from canal barges on the C&O Canal to ships docked on the Potomac River wharves.

(1888) Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia. Sanborn Map Company. [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn01227_001/.

And here is a detail from the above map:

1888 Sanborn Map, LoC.
View down K St, ca 1890. I believe the large mill building in the center occupied the 3400 K St. location. This is an excellent view of the overhead coal trestles. Note what looks like tracks visible in the pavement below. Image from Old Washington, D.C. in Early Photographs, 1846-1932, By: Robert Reed, 0486238695, 1980.

Here is a clip from a Sanborn Map from ca. 1903. Remember this pre-dates the arrival of the B&O (1910), but the Georgetown Barge Dock and Elevated Ry. Co. had been incorporated in 1889. 

(1903) Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia. Sanborn Map Company, – 1916 Vol. 1. [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn01227_002/.

The business is listed as Crystal Plate Ice Co. Within the warehouse are “Freezing Tanks” and “50 Ton Ice Machinery” and an attached “Cooling Shed.”

August 14, 1904. Note the presence of the tall coal trestles extending to the wharves. DC Historic Society, Potomac Boat Club collection.
http://hdl.handle.net/1961/dcplislandora:29662
August 14, 1904. Another nearly identical view from the same collection.
DC Historic Society, Potomac Boat Club collection. http://hdl.handle.net/1961/dcplislandora:29660
A few years later, 3400 K St, ca 1911-18. HABS collection. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/dc0048.photos.025822p/
(1920) Key Bridge under const. United States Washington D.C. District of Columbia Washington D.C, 1920. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2016826863/.
1921, “Airscapes” of American and Foreign Areas, 1917 – 1964, National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68144007
Note the “coal house” structure to the right has been razed. Ca. 1920s, “Airscapes” of American and Foreign Areas, 1917 – 1964, National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68144007
Aug, 1927, “Airscapes” of American and Foreign Areas, 1917 – 1964, National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68144007
Ca. 1920s. A view from the other direction. “Airscapes” of American and Foreign Areas, 1917 – 1964, National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68144007
1928 Sanborn Map.

A photo by Theodor Horydczak shows the site ca 1920s, likely the late 20s. Note that the building appears to have been either been razed, rebuilt or heavily renovated and the Key Bridge is now complete.

Horydczak, T., photographer. Lone Star Cement Co. Lone Star Cement Co. and negative of adjacent property. Washington D.C, None. ca. 1920-ca. 1950. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019673071/.
1931. “Airscapes” of American and Foreign Areas, 1917 – 1964, National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68144007
June, 1931. “Airscapes” of American and Foreign Areas, 1917 – 1964, National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68144007
July 1931, “Airscapes” of American and Foreign Areas, 1917 – 1964, National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68144007
July 1931, “Airscapes” of American and Foreign Areas, 1917 – 1964, National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68144007
A view down K St. October 28, 1936, from the Barriger Collection. https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/12230291546/
Harris & Ewing, photographer. (1930) Train tracks near Potomac River, Washington, D.C. United States Washington D.C. District of Columbia Washington D.C, 1930. [April] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2016889645/.

It appears that in the 1940s an addition was made on the east end of the block. I believe sections of the older structure (from the 1920s era) remain, but it seems that some of the structures were replaced.

Note the large “bottle” sign at the top right corner of the building, facing away from the photographer. A neat detail. If only I could see the front of it!
Oct 17, 1942, 3400 K St. – flooding. Credit: Acme Photo. eBay purchase, personal collection.
A promotional photo by Theodore Horydczak captured a portion of the “new” structure, with the bottle sign clearly visible. Horydczak, T., photographer. Potomac Electric Power Co. miscellaneous. Manhole crew and truck I. Washington D.C, None. ca. 1920-ca. 1950. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019672478/.

It is likely the structure was changed when the Whitehurst Freeway was being constructed, ca 1946:

1958 Sanborn Map. Note that the structure now reads “Built 1946”. I suspect that in the mid-40s, or perhaps when the Whitehurst was being built in 1947, the old structure was razed and a new on built in its place to accommodate the new freeway structure.
1948. Whitehurst Freeway construction showing the roof of the new 3400 K St. structure. https://ddotlibrary.omeka.net/
1948. Whitehurst Freeway construction showing the roof of the
new 3400 K St. structure. https://ddotlibrary.omeka.net/
1948. Whitehurst Freeway construction showing the roof of the
new 3400 K St. structure. https://ddotlibrary.omeka.net/
1948. Whitehurst Freeway construction showing the roof of the
new 3400 K St. structure. https://ddotlibrary.omeka.net/
1963, DDOT DC.
1972, Hurricane Agnes. DDOT DC.
1972, Hurricane Agnes. DDOT DC.
1991, DDOT DC
1991, DDOT DC
1991, DDOT DC
1991, DDOT DC
1997, DDOT DC
1997, DDOT DC

I hope you enjoyed this photo tour of the 3400 K St. location. I commuted from Bethesda to Rosslyn by bicycle for a few years and every morning and evening I walked up and down 34th St past this location from K St to the bridge over the C&O Canal and on up and over Key Bridge. Often I would ponder the history of the building and what came before. When I was commuting, it was a fitness center / gym and various professional offices. No doubt more research is in order to get more details on the businesses that operated here, but this is a good start. When I have more information, I will post an update.

GB Mystery Boxcar Wreck… Solved?

As some of you may or may not know, there are remains of a wrecked boxcar located on the Georgetown Branch just a bit north of the Dalecarlia tunnel. The wreckage has been somewhat of a mystery as to how it happened, where the car came from and why it was partially scrapped in place. I first got wind of this discovery in 2014 when some photos were shared online:

The underframe center section sat further in the woods and was dragged closer to the right of way during a cleanup event by locals. Lots of folks (including myself) developed theories on just how the car came to be where it lay. In 2019 I visited the site with my friend Kelly and snapped many photos of the wreck. This past Fall I circled back on my notes and spent some serious time studying the photos I had taken and correlating details on the wrecked car with photos of other steam era freight cars. My goal was to hone in on what type of car it is and where it may have came from. I created a presentation (which you can download below!) that outlines my findings. The TL:DR is that I believe it’s a B&O class M-26 (X-29) boxcar that was wrecked in the flood of 1942 near Fletcher’s Boathouse. The car was likely loaded on a flatcar, useful sections scrapped from the car and the flood-mangled carcass tossed by the wayside in an area away from the National Park land (C&O Canal) which is where it rests today.

Here is a download link to my presentation:

I hope you enjoy my journey to solve this riddle and I welcome any and all questions or comments. If you think there’s something I may have missed or got wrong, it would be great to hear from you! I am not an expert in freight cars, but over the last few years have taken a major interest in studying steam era freight cars and prototype modeling. (I now own a couple ORERs and various other reference books which are wonderful resources!) Please have a look at the presentation and leave your comments below!

Then and Now: 1954 Georgetown Branch Excursion Train in Silver Spring

Yesterday I had lunch in Silver Spring with a friend and was reminded of the fine photos taken by Dr. Ira Pearlman on Sunday, Ocrober 24, 1954. This NRHS excursion traversed the Georgetown and Alexandria Branch lines. The train was pulled by B&O GP7 743 and consisted of three passenger cars. Here we see a couple shots from 1954 and the view as it looks today. Enjoy!

Here Dr. Pearlman captures GP7 743 leading its train west, about to cross over Georgia Ave. on the morning of October 24, 1954.
Today, the bridge is still in place but now a second span supports both the CSX tracks as well as the Metro tracks. Station platforms are still evident and the original lamp posts as well. The nearby Silver Spring Metro station opened in 1978.
Dr. Pearlman snaps the train as it picks up passengers at the Silver Spring station. The train was scheduled to depart Eckington around 8:45am, so I imagine this was a scheduled stop for others to hop on before heading to Georgetown. The station was built in 1945.
The same view, Nov 28, 2021. The photographer was a bit closer to the station. The single-fixture lamp post (seen in the “then” photo) is in storage on the ground on the other side of the station.

I’d like to get back one day to take more detailed/composed shots, as these snapshots were serendipitous after we had lunch across the street. To view the rest of Dr. Pearlman’s wonderful photo set, please visit my Gallery. Hope you enjoy them! I snapped a few additional photos:

The Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail Photo Collection

A couple years ago I met Chris Brown who was writing a book on the history of the Washington Canoe Club. He was one of the founding members of the CCCT and had accumulated a very large collection of slides documenting the early years of the CCCT’s efforts to convert the Georgetown Branch into a rail trail. In the early 1990s, the rail trail concept was a relatively new one and converting the Georgetown Branch would prove to be a great challenge. The efforts of the CCCT members paid off and the success of the Capital Crescent Trail is a testament to their hard work. I spent a few years in the early 2000s commuting from Bethesda to Rosslyn via the CCT and its during that time that I really fell in love with this little branch line.

Chris generously involved me in the slide review and cataloging process which was eye-opening, with many views of the right of way as it existed in the 1990s before being and during its conversion to a rail trail. I hope you will enjoy this large collection of slide scans!

http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/railroad_and_industrial/georgetownbranch/gb_prototype_photos/Coalition-for-the-Capital-Crescent-Trail-Collection

Rock Creek Trestle on Google Street View

Found this great creek-level view of the Rock Creek Trestle just before it was demolished over on the BridgeHunter website. Some of the bents have been removed, and it is shown in its final days, but it’s great to have a visual time capsule of the bridge and surrounding area.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9979825,-77.0624045,0a,73.7y,203.95h,91.02t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sAF1QipMdLzidy4H3IwbI6yxJXaJEhmiV5twvOhdOf5x7!2e10?source=apiv3

Mystery Caboose in Bethesda

I have long heard legend of a caboose that sat forlorn on a siding in Bethesda in the years after the railroad was abandoned. Apparently a private owner had parked the caboose there for future restoration or display, but instead it sat, torched by an arsonist and rotting away until finally being removed.

Caboose on a siding in Bethesda.
Date unknown – likely ca late 1980s/early 1990s. Collection of the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail.

I have no idea of the disposition of the caboose or of its heritage. The only B&O caboose I could find that resembles this one is an I-10 class, but it may be a stretch. There appear to be numbers on the side of it, but the only one I can definitively read is an eight and perhaps a five to the left. I believe it sat on the siding just south of River Rd. on the west side of the tracks; the location of the old oil unloading siding.

If anyone knows any additional information about this caboose and its heritage, I’d love to hear it!

PS. I have a large collection of images shot in the years after the Branch had been abandoned and during its conversion to a rail trail that I will be sharing over the coming months. Stay tuned!

The Washingtonian, Westbound at Georgetown Jct., ca 1942

Westbound Washingtonian at Georgetown Junction, 1942.

July 26, 1942, 10:32am. Newly-shopped B&O V-2 class 4-6-4 locomotive 5340, the “Lord Baltimore,” heads up a westbound train #21, “The Washingtonian,” as it pounds across the crossover at Georgetown Junction. The iconic locomotive was built by in 1935 by the B&O at its Mt. Clare shops in Baltimore, MD. In 1942, it was shopped and assigned #5340. The locomotive was scrapped seven years after this photo in April, 1949. The Washingtonian ran between Baltimore, MD and Cleveland, OH from 1914 to 1956.

Photo by Bruce Fales. (A recent eBay purchase.)

When The Troops (and Guns) Came to Georgetown by Rail

I recently struck gold whilst looking for Georgetown-related articles in the Library of Congress “Chronicling America” online newspaper archives. One such article really blew me away, no pun intended! It details how on October 18, 1912 three batteries of field artillery normally stationed at Ft. Myer traveled from Tobyhanna, PA to Georgetown in DC via the B&O. The troops had been in PA for exercises and came to town in a series of three trains, each 20 cars long carrying all of the troops, officers, horses, and their equipment, including the artillery pieces!

The yard was cleared and special equipment had been prepared to facilitate the speedy offloading of all equipment and personnel. The troops then marched up 30th St., west on M St. and over the Aqueduct Bridge to Ft. Myer. I can only imagine what a spectacle this must have been for the locals. Imagine, the scene! The B&O’s Georgetown Terminal was in its infancy at this point and had only been operational for about two years. This would have been a major undertaking and a real test for the personnel working there. Apparently the special equipment created for the exercise was preserved for future troop activities. I haven’t found anything else to indicate there were more of these exercises.

Washington Times article from Oct 18, 1912 chronicling the movement of troops from PA to DC via Georgetown on the B&O.

The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]), 18 Oct. 1912. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1912-10-18/ed-1/seq-11/

There has long been discussion by folks in the B&O circles about whether troop trains went down the Georgetown Branch and the consensus was generally “yes” due to the proximity to Ft. Myer and downtown DC, in general. This is the first time in recent memory I’ve found information about such movements and I hope to find more. The timeframe I model includes two major conflicts; WWII and the Korean War. There is a good chance that at some point there was a special movement of troops via the GB to support an activity in the area.