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, at 1799 New York Avenue NW, is actually 6-sided and was designed by William Thornton who also designed the Capital Building, and built…
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 base of Capitol Hill to the south of where the Grant Memorial is located. Later it was removed and stored. And in 1932…
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 person who has since been interred elsewhere. The history of Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St SE, Washington, DC 20003) begins around the beginning…
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 that F.S. Key wrote the Star Spanglaed Banner. There are many activities taking place this year throughout Maryland in remembrance of this (second)…
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 NPS announced that starting this month, September, tickets will be available for purchase through Recreation.gov for $15 ($12 with a $3 handling fee)…
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: James Havard Thomas (recast from Bristol, England statue) Architect: Horace Peasley, Washington, DC Cost to Taxpayers: $0, gift of the Sulgrave Institution Edmund…