The Capitol Visitors' Center Opens...Finally

More than 10 years after the idea was first hatched, the U.S. Capitol visitors center opened late last year. It was supposed to be completed in time for President Bush's second inaugural, but that date came and went. The massive 580,000 square foot (that is not a misprint) underground center is the largest addition to the Capitol since the Civil War. Inside, visitors can find exhibits on the history of the Capitol building and the legislative branch of government.


The primary purposes of the center are to accomodate the larger crowds coming to the Capitol and maintain security. Officials wanted an underground center to keep as close as possible to landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead's original 1876 plan for the Capitol's East Front. The East Front was historically the location for Inaugural Addresses, including Lincoln's second inaugural address, with John Wilkes Booth in the audience. Our Civil War Tour discusses this historic address and much more.

Now, tourists seeking a Capitol tour can book tickets online. While it's been a little while since we went on one, we recall them being first-rate.

Celebrate Lincoln's 200th birthday at Lincoln Cottage in Washington, D.C.

As 2009 begins, you'll no doubt hear quite a lot about the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. The year began with President Obama taking the oath of office (the first time) on the same Bible used by Lincoln in 1861. Ford's Theater, where Lincoln saw Our American Cousin the last night of his life, will reopen after a major renovation to celebrate his 200th birthday.

But also consider seeing Lincoln Cottage, just outside of downtown Washington, three miles from The White House. This summer home for the Lincolns from 1862-1864 opened in 2008 after a $15 million dollar preservation effort.

Washington was built on a swamp, and as a result, the summer heat and humidity was especially oppressive. The Lincolns wanted to escape oppression of the heat and the numerous office seekers hounding the President. But they had another more personal reason to escape to the house at the Soldiers Home: they were still mourning the loss of their son Willie.

President Lincoln would ride 40 minutes each day back and forth to the house--unescorted--down what is today Georgia Avenue. He survived an assassination attempt on that route in the summer of 1864.

Before John Wilkes Booth's shots at Ford's Theater. Booth himself designed a plot where he would kidnap the President during his commute, but never carried it to fruitition.

The Cottage was built on property that also held a retirement home for injured veterans of American wars. During his visits, Lincoln could see the Civil War's toll each day as men were buried on the adjoining grounds. He and Mrs. Lincoln would visit injured soldiers in nearby hospitals. But it was also here in 1862 that he wrote the final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. On January 1, 1863, those slaves became free.

If you visit, advance tickets are recommended, and parking is available on the grounds. The cottage is located, not far from Grant Circle, at Rock Creek Church Road & Upshur Streets, NW.