The Octagon house is one of the oldest houses in downtown Washington, D.C. The often and easily overlooked house is a beautifully maintained example of an 18th Century house. The Octagon House,…
Author: dcmemorialist
DC Memorialist is run by Fiona Clem, a local historian, licensed DC tour guide, member of the Washington Guild of Professional Tour Guides, and author of Meridian Hill Park, Images of America.
Bartholdi Fountain
Bartholdi‘s Renaissance-style fountain of cast iron was first exhibited at the International Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. Congress bought it a year later for $6,000. Its first location was at the…
Kahlil Gibran
The memorial to the Kahlil Gibran, who wrote “The Prophet” in 1923, was conceived of by Sheryl Dekour Ameen and is the first monument to an Arab-American on federal land in Washington.
John Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover, former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is buried in Congressional Cemetery near his family’s plot at site R20/117. He died on May 2, 1972. There is a…
Cenotaphs
A cenotaph is an “empty tomb” or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a…
200th Anniversary of the Battle of Ft. McHenry
After burning the Nation’s capital, the British head north to Baltimore and stay there from Sept 11-17, 1814. From Sept 13-14, 1814, Fort McHenry was under attack. It was during that time…
Washington Monument Opening Stairs for Walkdown Tours this Fall
The Washington Monument reopened in May 2014 after a 33-month long renovation following the August 2011 earthquake that damaged the memorial. Now, the NPS is also going to open the stairs! The…
Edmund Burke
Statue: Edmund Burke, January 12, 1729, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Died: July 9, 1797, Beaconsfield, UK Location: Massachusetts Avenue between 11th and 10th Streets, NW Dedication: 3:00 p.m., October 12, 1922 Sculptor:…