A Capital Community
Civil War Merchants
Many Jewish Washingtonians during the Civil War operated small businesses, particularly along Seventh Street, NW. Some of these establishments grew to become prominent in the Washington community.
In the early 1860s, brothers Gustav and Max Lansburgh opened Baltimore House, a small fancy goods store on C Street, NW.
Baltimore House was the predecessor to the landmark Lansburgh’s Department Store on Seventh Street, NW.
German immigrant Max Cohenheim edited and published a weekly German-language newspaper, Columbia. Starting with 200 readers in 1863, it grew to more than 1,600 by 1865.