Skip to main content
RETURN TO Return to WETA website Donate
Boundary Stones logo

Main navigation

  • Washington, D.C.
  • Maryland
  • Virginia
  • Video
  • About

Katherine Brodt

Kate, a native of Prince George's County, first became interested in history when her parents bought her a First Ladies coloring book. She's been researching, collecting, and writing interesting stories ever since. She has a BA in History and Art History from Skidmore College, as well as a MA in Early Modern History from King's College London. 

Posts by this Author

Maryland
How Ethel Barrymore Helped Bring Theater to Olney, Maryland

How Ethel Barrymore Helped Bring Theater to Olney, Maryland

01/27/2023 in Maryland by Katherine Brodt

As Washingtonians and Marylanders began to recover from the hardships of the Great Depression, movies and local theater were a great way to find some escape. In the late 1930s, outdoor theaters were beginning to spring up on the outskirts of the District, where they were especially popular in the summertime. Most of the new playhouses, though, were in Northern Virginia. Maryland lacked options... until organizers of a new theater project in Olney called in a favor from Ethel Barrymore.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Maryland
How the B&O Railroad Almost Gave Kensington, Maryland its Name

How the B&O Railroad Almost Gave Kensington, Maryland its Name

09/23/2022 in Maryland by Katherine Brodt

Kensington, Maryland boasts the second-oldest continuously operational railroad station in the country, serving D.C. commuters since 1891. In 1894, as the area started to grow as a commuter suburb, "Knowles Station" was set to be officially incorporated as a town in Maryland... until a man named Brainard Warner pushed back.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Maryland
What's in a Name? Silver Spring

What's in a Name? Silver Spring

03/22/2022 in Maryland by Katherine Brodt

How did Silver Spring, Maryland land one of the prettiest, most mystical-sounding names in the Washington, D.C. area? Was there really a magical silver spring that once flowed through the area? Is it as pretty and idyllic as it sounds? Actually, that's exactly where the name comes from: a "silver spring."

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
America's First Modern Art Museum

America's First Modern Art Museum

01/28/2022 in DC by Katherine Brodt

The country’s first modern art museum was established 100 years ago in a Dupont Circle townhouse. And since the Phillips Collection celebrated its centenary last year, it’s a great time to remind Washingtonians that their city has a rich art history—largely exemplified by the story of this museum.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Virginia
What's in a Name? Virginia

What's in a Name? Virginia

11/01/2021 in Virginia by Katherine Brodt

Perhaps, in some alternate history, the name “Virginia” may have applied to our entire country. When the English first settled North America, that was certainly the case. 

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Brood X in the Eighteenth-Century Headlines

Brood X in the Eighteenth-Century Headlines

05/11/2021 in DC by Katherine Brodt

As a historian, seeing the media “buzz” surrounding cicadas makes me wonder how our ancestors reacted to their periodical swarms. Who were the first people to realize what was going on? Did they understand the seventeen-year cycle? Were they afraid, curious, or unbothered? As I suspected, Washington-area locals have been fascinated by Brood X for a very long time. 

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
The Presidential Hippopotamus at the National Zoo

The Presidential Hippopotamus at the National Zoo

04/19/2021 in DC by Katherine Brodt

Before pandas became the celebrities at the National Zoo, President Calvin Coolidge's pet hippopotamus drew the large crowds. Meet William J. Hippopotamus, one of the most famous animals in D.C. history. 

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Margaret Bayard Smith: A Writer of Washington

Margaret Bayard Smith: A Writer of Washington

03/24/2021 in DC by Katherine Brodt

Anyone who reads The First Forty Years of Washington Society will form an image of Margaret Bayard Smith as a lively social butterfly and busybody. After all, her published letters seem like the nineteenth-century equivalent of a gossip column. What readers may not realize is that, just like her husband, Margaret was an accomplished writer. In nineteenth-century Washington, she was well-known as an author in her own right, not just a socialite.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Eli Nugent's Asbury Chapel

Eli Nugent's Asbury Chapel

02/16/2021 in DC by Katherine Brodt

When Reverend Eli Nugent witnessed the silencing and segregation of fellow Black worshippers at a D.C. church, he decided that his community would be better off worshipping somewhere else. His efforts created one of the first and oldest Black churches in the city: Asbury United Methodist. 

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
What's in a Name? Chevy Chase

What's in a Name? Chevy Chase

02/01/2021 in DC by Katherine Brodt

Though most Americans (and Google) associate the name with Cornelius “Chevy” Chase, the actor of National Lampoon fame, those of us in the D.C. area know that Chevy Chase, Maryland had it first. Rumor has it, though, that the man and the town actually get their names from the same place: an English ballad that’s at least 500 years old.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »
Surprise Me!

Not sure where to start reading? Let us pick a story for you!

Categories

  • DC (565)
  • Maryland (106)
  • Virginia (146)

Latest Posts

"DC" Really Stands for Demon Cat... Which Haunts the U.S. Capitol

03/17/2023

"DC" Really Stands for Demon Cat... Which Haunts the U.S. Capitol

From the Mixed-Up Files of the Smithsonian Museum of American History: The Heist of 1981

03/10/2023

From the Mixed-Up Files of the Smithsonian Museum of American History: The Heist of 1981

The "Capitalsaurus": How a Dinosaur That Never Existed Became an Official Mascot of D.C.

03/03/2023

The "Capitalsaurus": How a Dinosaur That Never Existed Became an Official Mascot of D.C.

Most Popular

How the B&O Railroad Almost Gave Kensington, Maryland its Name

09/23/2022

How the B&O Railroad Almost Gave Kensington, Maryland its Name

Encore: How the Tivoli became the Epicenter of a Debate over Urban Renewal

07/27/2022

Encore: How the Tivoli became the Epicenter of a Debate over Urban Renewal

Mighty Yet Stubby: A Four-Legged War Hero Takes D.C. By Storm

08/09/2022

Mighty Yet Stubby: A Four-Legged War Hero Takes D.C. By Storm

Tags

1860s1870s1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990sAlexandriaArlingtonBlack HistoryBygone DCCivil WarGeorgetownMusic HistorySports HistoryWhite HouseWomen's HistoryWorld War IWorld War II
More
Historical D.C. Metro Map
Tweets by BoundaryStones
WETA

Footer menu

  • Support WETA
  • About WETA
  • Press Room
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • RSS
  • Accessibility

Contact Us

  • 3939 Campbell Avenue
    Arlington, VA 22206 | Map
  • 703-998-2600
  • boundarystones@weta.org

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About Boundary Stones

Boundary Stones explores local history in Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland and northern Virginia. This project is a service of WETA and is supported by contributions from readers like you.

DONATE

Copyright © 2023 WETA. All Rights Reserved.

Bottom Footer

  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Guidelines