The National Museum of American History

The American History is home to many artifacts that, as you may guess, chronicle American History. It is aptly called “America’s attic” for this very reason. There, you can find Lincoln’s top hat… the same one worn the night he was assassinated. You can find the first-ladies inaugural gowns. There is also a pop culture exhibit that houses Kermit the Frog, Dorothy’s red slippers from the Wizard of Oz, Seinfeld’s puffy shirt, and Archie Bunker’s chair from “All in the Family.”

This small building was designed by Charles Bullfinch and served as a guardhouse on the grounds of the Capitol Building. In the 19^th Century, one of the biggest security concerns was the livestock that grazed on the mall. Cows, sheep and pigs would migrate to Capitol Hill and distract/bother Congress.

The Washington Monument is 555 ½ feet tall – the tallest free-standing masonry structure in the world. The monument weighs approximately 82,000 tons. At the base of the monument, the stones are 15 feet thick and get smaller as they go up – the stones are only 18 inches thick at the top. Construction started in July of 1848 and was worked on until 1854 when donations ran out. Construction resumed in 1879, but the designer was unable to find the same quarry stone, which is why the bottom is a shade darker than the top. The monument was finally completed in 1884 and dedicated the next year. It’s said that men were invited to ride the steam-powered elevator that was used to haul materials during construction to the top. However, it was considered unsafe for women and children, so they had the privilege of climbing the 893 steps to the top! Thankfully, the monument has been renovated and everyone is invited to ride the elevator to the observation deck for a great view of the city.

The Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in 1943 to our country’s third President and drafter of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin Roosevelt was the President responsible for the creation of the Memorial and he was also responsible for some of the controversy surrounding it. In 1912, the City of Tokyo, Japan, donated the U.S. Government the famous Cherry Trees that line the Tidal Basin near the memorial, possibly as a thanks for our part in ending the Russo-Japanese War. When they were constructing the memorial in the late 1930s, FDR ordered some of the trees to be removed so that he could keep an eye on construction. Well the idea of disturbing the trees was considered blasphemy at the time so some prominent ladies of Washington came down and chained themselves to trees. So, to solve this problem, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes came up with a simple scheme. As the story goes, he sent the ladies tea and coffee knowing they would eventually need to use the bathroom. When they could no longer ‘postpone the inevitable,’ workers would come in and knock the trees down. Just a few years later, in the days following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, guards actually had to be called in to prevent angry citizens from cutting the trees down in anger.

George Mason is often called the ‘forgotten Founder’ because he was so instrumental in the fight for Independence and the founding of the United States yet most people don’t really know who he was. He wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights which inspired the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. This memorial opened in 2002 and along with the gardens around it features a large statue of Mason reclining on a bench on the far end.

We are now outside the FDR Memorial, which was built here in 1997. Originally, the Memorial was just a single block of marble that sat and continues to sit at the northwest corner of the National Archives. While he was President, Roosevelt told Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter that he wanted a memorial no larger than the size of his desk. Franklin Roosevelt was our countries longest serving president, being elected to four terms (now you can be only elected to two terms). He did suddenly, however, on April 12, 1945 of polio, 80 years almost to the day of Lincoln’s death. He did just as the United States was on the verge of winning World War II with Hitler cowering in a bunker somewhere in Germany.

We now stand at the edge of the Potomac River looking our into Arlington County Virginia. It’s the fourth largest river on the east coast and actually used to run over where we are standing, almost up to the Washington Monument. It would even flood to just south of the White House at some points. However, over time, it gradually receded and with the help of the construction of the Tidal Basin and other dredging projects, the Potomac became a lot more contained. This is why the area we are traveling on now is called Potomac Park, because about 100 years ago, it was under the Potomac River!

One of the most important men in Naval History is probably unknown to most, but he has a beautiful memorial here. John Ericsson was a Swedish engineer who invented the screw propeller and also designed the USS Monitor the single ship that gave the Union naval supremacy in the Civil War. (He also had some fantastic mutton-chops!) This memorial was dedicated in 1926 by President Calvin Coolidge and Swedish Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf. It stands almost 20 feet tall and its three sides represent ‘adventure,’ ‘labor,’ and ‘vision.’ Lastly, it was designed by famed architect James Earl Frasier who designed the Buffalo Nickel, as well as countless statues and memorials around DC.

The Korean War Memorial was dedicated July 27, 1995 on the 42^nd anniversary of the ceasefire that ended the war, or conflict. You will see 19 statues as you go around the memorial – the statues were designed by Frank Gaylord, a World War II veteran. Originally, the designers wanted to have 38 to represent the 38^th parallel that the conflict broke out in in 1950. Because of lack of funding and space, the designers hope people will see the 19 statues reflect on the wall of faces, showing a total of 38 statues. As you walk ahead, you’ll see the 22 United Nation countries that were involved in the action. At the top of the memorial, you’ll see the casualties of the conflict over the period of just three years. The United States lost 54,246 soldiers and the United Nations lost 629,000 lives, close to the amount of the Vietnam War which lasted almost 17 years. You’ll also see the “wall of faces” – the faces are actual soldiers, nurses, and pilots whose pictures were submitted by their families.

The Lincoln Memorial was started on the 105^th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth on February 12, 1914, designed by Henry Bacon. The memorial took 8 years to build and was completed in 1922 and dedicated over Memorial Weekend. There are 36 columns representing the number of states in the union when Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. The attic at the top of the memorial lists the 48 states that were in the union when the memorial was completed. Hawaii and Alaska were added later on a plaque at the base of the stairs. As you walk up the stairs, you are greeted by President Lincoln. Inside you’ll see the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address on the north and south walls. The statue is 19x19 feet, designed by Daniel Chester French. If Lincoln were to actually stand up he’d be 28 feet tall. Originally, the statue was supposed to be only 10 feet tall, but was enlarged so that he didn’t look insignificant in such a large chamber.

This memorial was actually developed because of what happened when the veterans came home from war. As you may know, the war was not considered victorious for the US and soldiers did not receive a welcoming home parade or thank you as other veterans had. In 1979, a group of veterans, led by Jan Scruggs, teamed together with Texas billionaire Ross Perot to make a non-political statement about the war – they wanted the focus to be on the veterans. A competition was announced to find a designer for the memorial – after several rounds, Maya Lin’s quiet, yet powerful design was chosen. She was an undergraduate at Yale University. Legend is that one of Lin’s professors actually gave her a B- for her design and the professor had actually submitted his own design anonymously. (don’t like the wording – will figure it out)

This is one of DC’s newest memorials, dedicated on Memorial Day in 2004 by President George Bush. The memorial was designed by Friedrich St. Florian who studied at the Rhode Island School of Design. As you can see, there are 56 seventeen foot columns, which represent the states and territories that participated in the war. The columns are in order as the states entered the union. First, you’ll see Delaware on the left, then it jumps to Pennsylvania on the right and third you’ll see New Jersey on back on the left and so on. There are two wreaths on each column, one is oak, which represents the industrial strength of the nation at the time of the war and the other is wheat, showing the agricultural strength. The two large arched structures represent the two theatres the war was fought in, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In the back, you’ll see the “wall of stars” – there are 400 gold stars on the wall. Each star represents 100 deaths. As the soldiers left for service, their families would hang a blue star in the window. If the star was changed to gold, it meant the soldier had died while serving. As you walk around, you’ll see several quotes from Generals and Presidents, enjoy your time.

This whole area was actually a canal in the 1800s – the stone house across the street was built for the lockkeeper, who allowed barges to transfer between the two major canals of the time. It’s said that he lived here with 13 children!

The area from Constitution Avenue through the Ellipse to Pennsylvania Avenue was known as Murder Bay for several years. Before the Civil War, freed slaves from Virginia and poor whites lived in this area in what reporters wrote as the worst area in the city. Whole families were crowded into small rooms that had little to no light and/or fresh air. Thankfully, Murder Bay was removed when construction of Federal Triangle began in the 1920s.

This memorial represents the Second Division of the United States Army from World War I. The flaming gold sword signifies the US defending Paris during the First World War. In 1962, a new wing was added to the memorial – when the workers were putting the 8 inch thick slab of granite into place the workmen heard the sound of rustling newspapers and found two sleeping men inside, a major cause of excitement at the time.

The OAS was founded in 1890 as the International Union of American Republics and adopted its current name in 1948. Its purpose is to strengthen peace and security among the United States and Latin American countries, promote democracy, and promote economic, social, and cultural development.

This is the Daughters of the American Revolution Building headquarters. Constitution Hall is in the back – in 1939, Marian Anderson, a famous African American opera singer, was scheduled to perform here. At the last minute, the DAR cancelled her performance. A lot of people believed it was because she was African American. Eleanor Roosevelt was furious, so she canceled her membership and worked withher friends at the Department of the Interior to have Ms. Anderson perform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This was the first performance/rally to ever take place there – obviously the same site Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.

Clara Barton and several friends founded the American Red Cross in Washington, DC on May 21, 1881. She learned about the Swiss-inspired movement and immediately started campaigning for the organization to care for and protect people injured in war. The organization boomed during the First World War and has been called upon ever since. This building serves as the headquarters for the Red Cross – it has a food court and small museum dedicated to Clara Barton for all of her hard work.

The Old Executive Office Building houses most of the White House staff but was originally built for the State, War, and Navy Departments. Alfred Mullett was the supervising architect – he chose a 2^nd French Empire design, which was very unique for the time period. The building took 17 years to complete (1871 to 1888) – Mr. Mullett actually resigned before the building was completed because of the flak he received from the public and the Secretary of the Treasury, Benjamin Bristow. At first, people were unhappy with his design because they said the building was ornate and represented big government. Mr. Mullett was also never paid his entire fee for designing the building because of a technicality between two courts. Now, the OEOB houses the Vice President and First Lady’s offices. In fact, Lyndon B. Johnson was the first Vice President to have an office here in 1960.

The Renwick Gallery is part of the Smithsonian and features arts and crafts. The gallery was built in 1859 to house the American and European art collection of Washington banker and philanthropist William Corcoran. The building was completed in 1861, the city’s first art museum, and was named after James Renwick, Jr. who also designed the Smithsonian Castle.

The Blair House was built in 1824 and was home to Francis Preston Blair, friend to many presidents and publisher of the Globe Magazine. The government purchased the building in 1942 and it has been used a guest house for heads of state visiting DC. It’s said that the Roosevelt administration purchased the house because first lady Eleanor Roosevelt was sick of visitors staying in the White House. Early one morning, Mrs. Roosevelt was walking through the living quarters when she encountered Winston Churchill pacing the hallway with a cigar in one hand and a glass of brandy in the other. She asked, “Winston, where are you going at this time of the morning?” He replied, “To see Franklin.” Mrs. Roosevelt quickly told him to return to his room – she was already agitated he had kept the president up half the night!

Today’s Blair House is actually a combination of five row houses and is larger than the White House! It has 119 rooms with a total area of 70,000 square feet. Its goal is to be comfortable, discreet, and secure and has 14 guest rooms, 35 bathrooms, 4 dining rooms, and even a florist and hair salon.