Who were they? Why are their names honored in the nation's capital? Over 275 stories answer those questions. Here are fun-to-read tales behind the names of the memorials, fountains, government buildings, parks, bridges, streets, subway stations, schools, museums, theaters, neighborhoods, and statues of the city. This book is a "must-have" for visitors, a wonderful reminder for those who have been in Washington before, and a necessity for D.C. workers and residents who want to be sure they really know what (or who) they're talking about.
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About the Author
Dex Nilsson was born in Washington, D.C., a long time ago. Although he grew up in the Midwest and spent a dozen years in Huntsville, AL, he returned to the Washington area in the 1960s. He's lived in nearby Rockville, MD, for the last 30-plus years. Dex has been a writer since his teens. Most recently and for more than 20 years, he managed the writing and publishing activities at GE Information Services. For ten years he served on and/or chaired the Committee on Editing for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School. He is a fellow of the Society for Technical Communication.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
For the complete Washington D. C. tour collection,
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This review is from: The Names of Washington, D.C. (Paperback)
This is a handy guide to obvious, but not necessarily easy to answer questions about how things in Washington D.C. got their names. When the names are derived from people, there is a brief biography of the person as well. The author tells us that space and cost have limited the book to 275 stories, which is a bit of a pity, but also makes the book much more manageable for carrying on a tour. The book is organized by the type of feature, i.e. parks, streets, statures (lots of those), but it also includes an index for direct access. Items are also cross-referenced to related articles.
In cases where Nilsson has not been able to be exhaustive for want of space, he has recommended other books. For statues, he recommends Outdoor Sculpture of Washington D.C.: Comprehensive Historical Guide (Smithsonian Institution Press publication no. 4829) by James M. Goode, but at over 500 pages, you will probably not want to lug it around with you. Mr. Goode also has the even larger Washington Sculpture: A Cultural History of Outdoor Sculpture in the Nation's Capital, which one may want to consult before, or as an armchair toour. For streets, he recommends George Washington Never Slept Here: The History of Street Names in Washington, D.C. by Amy L. Alotta, which is unfortunately out of print and hard to find. Very good for an in-depth tour of the nation's capitol.
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