Bob Arnebeck

About the Author 


Bob Arnebeck was born in Washington, DC, in 1947 and was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He graduated from Montgomery Blair High School, and then got a B.A. in English Literature and Composition at Beloit College in Wisconsin. He produced his own play, "Boom Power: a history of the Ford Motor Company," in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which was described as a "fascinating failure" in Boston After Dark. He worked briefly at the American Revolution Bicentennial Commissioner where he leaked documents that informed three days of front page articles in the Washington Post. He briefly worked for the People's Bicentennial Commission. Then he worked as a free lance writer primarily for the Washington Post Magazine. He wrote many articles on historical topics, and briefly was a regular commentator on NPR's Morning Edition. In 1994, he moved with his wife and son to a large island in the St. Lawrence River where he observed otters and beavers and for around ten years shared an on-line nature journal. He also kept writing about early American history.


 Publications - Books

Through a Fiery Trial: Building Washington 1790-1800, Madison Books 1990.

Slave Labor in the Capital: Building Washington's Iconic Federal Landmark, History Press, 2014. 

Proust's Last Beer: a History of Curious Demises, Penguin Books, 1981

On-line books

Seat of Empire: a History of Washington DC - my work on this paused by working on other books. Below are links to long chapters in what would be a relatively short book focusing on Washington as the federal city, as opposed to the growth of its neighborhoods and communities

Seat of Empire: The General and the Plan 1790-1801

The City Rises Burns and Rises Again 1801-1820 

Liberty - Adjusted by Race, Class and Religion 1820-1840 

Insecurity and Grandeur 1841-1861 

Seat of Empire 1861-1881

 

Destroying Angel: Benjamin Rush, Yellow Fever and the Birth of Modern Medicine

web paper: "To  Tease and Torment: Two Presidents Confront Suspicions of Sodomy (about L'Enfant and Charles Adams, the second son of John and Abigail Adams)

 Book Reviews 

Arnebeck on Kennon, A Republic for the Ages: the United States Capitol and the Political Culture of the Early Republic 

Arnebeck on Allgor, Parlor Politics: In Which the Ladies of Washington Help Build a City and Government, Washington History Magazine vol.13 num. 2 Fall/winter 2001-2002

Arnebeck on Watson, George Washington's Final Battle: the Epic Struggle to Build a Capital City and Nation, Washington History Magazine, Fall 2022 

History Blogs

Washington Examined

Slave Labor in the Capital

Yellow Fever Casebook 

 

E-mail: bobarnebeck@gmail.com

telephone: 315-482-2874

mailing address: 42822 St. Lawrence Avenue Unit 67

                            Thousand Island Park, New York 13692

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Table of Contents: Case of the Ingenious A

Image
The Case of the "Ingenious A" Or Why William Thornton Didn't Design the Octagon House and Isn't the "First Architect of the Capitol"  By Bob Arnebeck Figure 1: Described as Thornton's first take on the Octagon design, based on an entry in Mrs. Thornton's diary, it is most likely his design for his own house to rival the Octagon. (Library of Congress)   Introduction:  How Glenn Brown, an architect of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, helped his own career by making William Thornton the most famous American architect of the 18th century.  Chapter One:   A Tale of Two Properties (1755 to 1786) Lancaster, Tortola and a Scientific Education - The roots of Thornton's wealth, his Quaker education, medical degree and mentors  Chapter Two:   Going to Africa Via Boston (1786-1790) - His reaction to his Tortola slave plantation and his secret plan to take America's blacks to Africa; a philosophical career in Philadelphia with Fitch'...
Read more

Introduction

Image
Table of Contents                                                                            The Doctor Examined, or Why William Thornton Did Not Design the Octagon House or the Capitol by Bob Arnebeck Introduction   1. William Thornton in 1804 In January 1793, Dr. William Thornton, who was just off a boat from Tortola, British Virgin Islands, drew the elevation and floor plan that won the design contest for the United States Capitol. The judge was President George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson quickly fed his boss's enthusiasm. Not five months later, the latter told the former that they had been fooled by an amateur. What Thornton had designed could not be built. The thirty-three year old's sole professional credential was an M.D. from a Scottish medical school. J...
Read more

Chapter 12: Designing the Octagon

Image
The Doctor Examined, or Why William Thornton Did Not Design the Octagon House or the Capitol by Bob Arnebeck Table of contents Chapter 12: Designing the Octagon 132. 18th century dragoon In July 1798, President Adams asked the General to once again be a general, and r aise a provisional army to defend the country from possible French aggression. John Tayloe III promptly volunteered and the General so informed the secretary of war who would then see that the president included Tayloe in the long list of officers sent to the Senate for confirmation. The General did not doubt that it would give the president "pleasure to find Gentlemen in his situation, and Independent fortunes, stepping forward at such a Crisis with a tender of their Services." To the secretary of war, the General described Tayloe as "among the most wealthy & respectable men in this State; active, zealous & attentive to whatever he undertakes...." It took over five months for Adams to forwa...
Read more