Washington and Its Environs
A Descriptive and Historical Hand-Book to the Capital of the United States of America (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Washington and Its Environs: A Descriptive and Historical Hand-Book to the Capital of the United States of America<br><br>The necessity of a reliable and complete Descriptive and Historical Hand-book to the Capital of the United States has long been felt. Warden's Geographical and Statistical Description of the District of Columbia, published in Paris in 1816, and the several editions of the Guides compiled by William Elliott, 1826 and 1830, and George Watterson, 1848, are really the only ones which possess the merit of original research. The productions of a similar character published since 1848, and especially the later ones, have been crude and imperfect, impositions in character and price, and noticeable only as containing the smallest amount of information for the Largest amount of money.<br><br>The compiler of the present work hopes to avoid these objections at least, and to give to the public a Hand-book of attractive and useful descriptive information about all places of interest in and around Washington, and at the same time to supply some appropriate historical data which may be valuable to carry away as a souvenir of a visit to the Seat of Government.<br><br>In the preparation of the historical portions of the Handbook to Washington and its Environs, original authorities only have been examined, including the manuscript records, correspondence, and proceedings of the Commissioners charged with the superintendence of the building of the city, 1791-1800; the correspondence of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others on the same subject; the Statutes at Large; official documents, from the establishment of the permanent Seat of Government down to the present time; besides the writings of travelers and public men and files of newspapers.<br><br>Respecting the descriptive features, all points of interest in the city and surroundings, still in existence, have been personally visited and inspected.<br><br>It is hoped, therefore, that the Hand-book wall prove not only an invaluable companion on the spot, but an ever-welcome and entertaining friend for future perusal and reference at the home fireside.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.