A History of Dupont Circle: Center of High Society in the Capital

by Stephen A. Hansen, John DeFerrari (Foreword)

During the Gilded Age, Dupont Circle was Washington’s undisputed center of wealth, power and status. Over twenty years, it evolved from small farms and an overrun city cemetery to a community of grand homes for society’s elite. Residents included future president William Taft, inventor Alexander Graham Bell, newspaper publisher Cissy Patterson and many more. From the intimate dinners and receptions of the Cave Dwellers to the lavish balls of Mary Townsend and others in the “smart set,” Dupont Circle marked each social season in the capital. Satirized in Mark Twain’s novel The Gilded Age, the nouveau riche lifestyle of Dupont Circle was fodder for newspaper celebrity gossip. Author Stephen Hansen brings to life the intriguing history of Washington’s famed Dupont Circle.

Genres: Dc Comics, Nonfiction, History

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 17, 2014

Reviews

[Doug McGuire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of interesting facts about DC in the last decades if the 19th Century, but no real flow too the book.

[Mariama Thorlu-Bangura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with history and society gossip...the perfect match for the time period covered. A really enjoyable read.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up in one of the house museums in DuPont Circle, so all of the facts about the original homes were fascinating. I wish I had read it before I toured DuPont Circle, so I could have known where all of the homes were located. The facts about the homeowners don't go as deep as I would have liked, but the book was still worth reading.