The DC History Conference is an interdisciplinary, community conference considering the District’s past, present, and future. The first conference was organized in 1973 and delivered in January of 1974, marking this as the 50th year of the conference. Since then, the conference organizers have provided a welcoming, educational, and stimulating forum for original research on and engagement with the history of the Washington, DC metropolitan area—prioritizing the local city but including nearby Maryland and Virginia, and the federal government.

The DC History Conference is co-presented by the DC History Center, DC Public Library, and HumanitiesDC, and supported by organizational partners and a volunteer planning committee.