This book is the first comprehensive, documented history of this popular institution, which millions of Americans fondly remember. For 150 years, the soda fountain was a community social center. In big cities, the neighborhood fountain had a clubby atmosphere because it drew its clientele from nearby businesses and apartment buildings. In small towns, soda fountains were very democratic because they attracted all ages and all classes of people. In both cities and small towns, soda fountains were part of the social infrastructure that held the neighborhood together. The evolution of the soda fountain reflected momentous developments in American history: urbanization, the temperance movement and Prohibition, the Great Depression, technological progress, the decline of Main Street and Center City, the Car Culture, and the growth of suburbia. The fountain's evolution was also closely tied to trends in retailing, food service, lifestyles, and the decorative arts.

Even in the city where the Eighteenth Amendment was passed, the party went on—a history of bootleggers and speakeasies in the nation’s capital. Despite the passage of the Volstead Act, it was estimated that in 1929, bootleggers brought twenty-two thousand gallons of whiskey, moonshine, and other spirits into Washington, DC’s speakeasies—every week. The bathtub gin-swilling capital dwellers made the most of Prohibition. This rollicking history brims with stories of vice—topped off with vintage cocktail recipes and garnished with a walking tour of former speakeasies. Discover an underground city ruled not by organized crime but by amateur bootleggers, where publicly teetotaling congressmen could get a stiff drink behind House office doors and the African American community of U Street was humming with a new sound called jazz. Includes photos!

Around the world, Washington, DC, is known for its powerful government, majestic monuments, and world-renowned museums. Secret Washington, DC: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure reminds us that the fabric of the city isn’t solely embedded in its callous political parties, exhausting lawmaking policies, and rampant tourism. Rather, it’s woven through its rich and complex history, mysterious relics, underground societies, forgotten and abandoned buildings, and controversial scandals. From the assassinations of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield and Francis Scott Key’s son, to crimes of passion and rage at the US Capitol, Secret Washington, DC uncovers many of the dark and untold truths of how our nation emerged. At the same time, it shines a bright light on the capital’s numerous signs of creativity and innovation through the exploration of quirky art installations like Foamhenge and Barbie Pond on Avenue Q, to oddly shaped and decorated homes like the Mushroom House and the Vanadu Art House. Local author and educator JoAnn Hill will introduce you to the other side of Washington, DC: a treasure trove of mystique, peculiarities, and hidden history just waiting to be explored.