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In 1814, Washington was Woefully Unprepared to Defend the Young Capital

In 1814, Washington was Woefully Unprepared to Defend the Young Capital

01/22/2021 in DC by Michael Kohler

The U.S. Capitol Building has been attacked a small handful of times, but the first and most devastating assault on the seat of American democracy in 1814 by the British army bears a striking resemblance to the events of January 6, 2021.

 

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DC
The Congressional Cemetery: Forgotten and Found

The Congressional Cemetery: Forgotten and Found

10/02/2020 in DC by Katherine Brodt

In the 1970s, the Congressional Cemetery was in trouble. After years of neglect, it looked abandoned: broken headstones littered the ground, family vaults caved in, and the grass was waist high. Fifty years later, the cemetery has undergone a stunning transformation. As well as being an active burial ground, it serves as a community garden, urban wildlife sanctuary, place of remembrance, and historic site. Volunteers, many from the local Capitol Hill neighborhoods, work tirelessly to keep up the grounds and reverse the damage of decades past. Because, as it turns out, the Congressional Cemetery has always been a people’s effort. Despite its official-sounding name, and despite its importance to national history, its story is much more local.

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DC
Anne Royall and the President's Clothes

Anne Royall and the President's Clothes

08/03/2020 in DC by Katherine Brodt

When the stresses of life in Washington became too much, John Quincy Adams calmed his nerves by taking early-morning swims in the Potomac River. In a move that might be considered questionable by today’s standards, he especially liked to soak in the brisk, cold water wearing nothing but his own skin. According to local lore, it once got him into a bit of trouble: Anne Royall, a trailblazing journalist, caught him in a very awkward situation. But is there any truth in the tale?

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DC
Dolley Madison, the Queen of Washington

Dolley Madison, the Queen of Washington

03/26/2020 in DC by Katherine Brodt

Today she is widely remembered for her heroism during the War of 1812, when she saved a portrait of George Washington from being taken and burned by British invaders. But during her lifetime, Dolley Madison was best known as a prominent socialite, hostess, and politician in her own right — one of the country’s first celebrity personalities. 

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Virginia
The Female Stranger of Alexandria

The Female Stranger of Alexandria

10/14/2016 in Virginia by Claudia Swain

Two hundred years ago, an unknown woman breathed her last in room 8 of Gadsby’s Tavern in Old Town Alexandria. Her husband prepared her body for death in secret and sealed her coffin personally. After seeing that she was placed in a local graveyard, he vanished. It’s the sort of story that would condemn a person to be lost to history, but the circumstances surrounding this woman’s death and interment sparked centuries of questions and outlandish theories. Even now, no one alive knows her name. She remains the Female Stranger of Alexandria.

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DC
Fire and Rain: The Storm That Changed D.C. History

Fire and Rain: The Storm That Changed D.C. History

07/30/2015 in DC by Benjamin Shaw

On Aug. 24, 1814, for the first and only time in our country's history, Washington, D.C. was overrun by an invading army. The British army had easily defeated inexperienced American defenders, and set the city ablaze. The President fled to Brookeville, MD, and many of the citizens had fled along with the army. Those few residents of the capital who hadn't already fled may well have prayed for anything that could stop the flames. What they got, however, was something far more than they were hoping for: a "tornado" more powerful than any storm in living memory.

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DC

Emergency Quarters for Congress: The War of 1812 Forces the Senate to Take Up Lofty Business in a Lowly Tavern

10/09/2013 in DC by Ariel Veroske

August of 1814 was a pretty hot month, thanks to Mother Nature… Oh, and the British. After trouncing local militia troops at the Battle of Bladensburg, the redcoats burned the majority of important government buildings in D.C. and chased President Madison out of town. In addition to the White House, the fires destroyed the Senate’s wing of the Capitol and turned much of the Library of Congress’ books and manuscripts into smoldering ash. The intense heat melted the marble chamber into limestone, transforming the room into “a most magnificent ruin.”

Beyond cleaning up the damage, there was the obvious problem of getting the government back up and running. Sound familiar?

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DC
Impressions of Washington: By the Light of the White House being Engulfed in Flames

Impressions of Washington: By the Light of the White House being Engulfed in Flames

04/18/2013 in DC by Claudia Swain

Washington, D.C. has had many visitors since it’s inception, but it cannot be said that everyone was a huge fan. Actually, in 1814, there were quite a number of people who were a bit upset with the Capitol. You might have heard of them... The British?

Yes, on August 24, 1814, the British attacked and burned Washington, D.C. One of their number, George Robert Gleig, apparently found enough time whilst attacking the city at night in the middle of a hurricane to take in the sights and form some opinions.

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