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FormatJournal Article
Author, AnalyticFeest, Christian F.
Title, AnalyticLukas Vischer in Washington: A Swiss View of the District of Columbia in 1825
Journal TitleRecords of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D. C.
Date of Publication1973/1974
Volume ID49
Location in Work78-110, ill.
URLPDF
AbstractTranslations of portions of the diaries of Lukas Vischer, who was born in 1780 into a patrician family of Basel, Switzerland. At the age of 42, Vischer left Switzerland for the New World, ostensibly to make business contacts and open new markets for his family's industry, but he appears to have spent most of his time traveling and exploring American society. He arrived in the United States in June 1823 and first took up residence in Stamford, Connecticut. In October he moved to Philadelphia, but in December he was persuaded to take a boat to Charleston, South Carolina, where he remained until the end of February 1824. Subsequently he crossed the South via Savannah, Georgia, the Creek Nation, to Montgomery, Alabama, down the Alabama River to Mobile and finally to New Orleans. In May 1824 he went up the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers to Pittsburgh and across Pennsylvania. Once again residing in Philadelphia, he visited New Jersey, New York, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia. After five years in the United States, he lived for ten years in Mexico. “Vischer's judgments may at times seem to be overcritical, but his observations are always fresh and personal and at times amusing. His continuing concern for facts and details makes his diary an interesting source for local history.”
Call NumberDigital file (PDF)
MKI TermsVischer, Lukas, 1780–1840/ 19th century/ United States -- Description and travel/ Washington (D. C.)