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Hometown Business
"Alvin, Washington, DC is the place for us." This telegram, sent to Alvin Lothrop by his business partner Walter Woodward in 1879, said it all. Washington, with its steady government employment and well-educated population, became fertile ground for business growth after the Civil War. The partners opened their Boston Dry Goods store on Pennsylvania Avenue and soon flourished as Woodward & Lothrop. They, and many others, profited in the comfortable modern city recently created by the efforts of local business interests. The Historical Society's records of signature Washington businesses provide rich commentary on business growth and charming details of everyday life. |