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

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.