Washington, DC

My husband I took a trip to Washington DC about 3 weeks ago. We had a fabulous time! There is so much to see and do. All of the buildings are HUGE. Everything is made from marble and sandstone. I will be posting lots of pics from our trip. I took over 500 photos!!! I'm such a camera hog. :) I decided to start with the Capital and the Library of Congress.

We did not tour the inside of the Capital, but here is a brief history: In 1782 Dr William Thornton wins a design contest for "Congress House" in which he proposed a simple central domed hall flanked by two rectangular wings. In 1800 Congress moves from Philadelphia to occupy the north wing of the Capitol. By 1810 the Capitol is full occupied by the House, Senate, Supreme Court and Library of Congress. In 1815 and 1851 it is damaged by fire. Between 1958-1962 the east front is completely rebuilt. The west front is restored between 1983-1987. The statue on the top of the dome is Thomas Crawford's Statue of Freedom, commissioned in 1855.

all of this information was taken from Eyewitness Travel, Washington, DC.