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Unless otherwise noted, all content and photos are © 2013 Monumental Thoughts.
Category Archives: Monuments and Statues
Wait, that’s not the White House
A recent vacation to New Orleans (yes, tour guides go on personal trips even during the busy season) had me returning to Jackson Park to see a statue I often see outside the White House. Andrew Jackson, hero of the … Continue reading
The lady in white
It’s not often a statue gets center stage – twice. The Statue of Freedom lies atop the U.S. Capitol dome, but also inside the Capitol Visitors Center underneath. The statue shows the “Lady Freedom” with her right hand on a … Continue reading
Posted in Monuments and Statues
Tagged Lady Freedom, Photo by Rick Snider, Statue of Freedom, U.S. Capitol
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By the shores of gitchigoomie
Maybe it’s ironic that the man who wrote “Paul Revere’s Ride” is remembered in the middle of a busy intersection. A bronze statue of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is at Connecticut and M Sts. N.W., one of the busier crossroads in … Continue reading
Lefty Driesell honored in bas relief
Finally, somebody I know is now featured in bronze. Maryland basketball coach Lefty Driesell was honored on April 16 by former players and boosters with a bas relief wall in Comcast Center next to a large center court used in … Continue reading
MLK controversial quote still there
The National Park Service was supposed to remove the quote shown above in February. Now we’re closing in on April and it’s still there. Blame it on the sequester. I don’t take a stand on whether the shortened quote makes … Continue reading
Lincoln and Lee – the myth and photo
OK, let me mess with your mind. One of the stories of the Lincoln Memorial is Robert E. Lee is in the back of Abe’s hair looking at the Southern general’s mansion across the river. It makes for a good … Continue reading
Seabees Monument stands ready for action
The toughest men of World War II might have been the Navy Seabees. Created in March 1942 to construct whatever was needed in World War II, the “Construction Builders” were known as “CBs” and hence Seabees. These guys could build … Continue reading
John Carroll still overseeing his campus
Bishop John Carroll grew up in Upper Marlboro, Md., educated in Europe, returned to become the leader of American Catholics and established Georgetown University. So why do students put toilet seats under the bronze statue on campus and place jack-o-lanters … Continue reading
Posted in Monuments and Statues
Tagged Georgetown University, John Carroll, Photo by Rick Snider, statue
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A statue for Len Bias? Not so fast
News broke today that a Maryland lawmaker was withdrawing his bill for a $50,000 statue at Northwestern High for a statue of the late basketball star Len Bias. That bit of news went across the local sports landscape like a … Continue reading
Posted in Monuments and Statues
Tagged Len Bias, Northwestern High, statue, Washington Examiner
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Buffalo Dancer II offers prayers
George Rivera described his bronze statue of a Buffalo Dancer as showing Native Americans showing respect to the buffalo that provide their sustenance through dance. It’s the first statue of an American Indian on the National Mall. The Pueblo of … Continue reading
Where eagles soar
John “Black Jack” Pershing Park has it all. A statue of the famed World War I general. A waterfall not seen from the street that gives it a hidden oasis feel. And, an American eagle statue on the corner of … Continue reading
The memorial FDR really wanted
Name the five greatest U.S. presidents and Franklin Delano Roosevelt should make the list. Ironically, he received the least striking memorial until a second was built in 1997. But that’s the way Roosevelt wanted it. Shortly before his 1945 death … Continue reading
The Hall family and the angel
Mary Ann Hall was a popular madam in Washington, running a bordello where the Native American Museum now stands. It was said to be the classiest one in Washington during the Civil War. Mary Ann and a sister are buried … Continue reading
Handscaping U.S. Capitol grounds was visionary
Give Frederick Law Olmsted credit — he didn’t miss a thing. When landscaping the U.S. Capitol grounds in 1874, Olmstead wanted to create things that were both aesthetic and functional. The walls were low so the public could see over … Continue reading
The Watergate Steps to nowhere along the Potomac
It was supposed to be a staircase to heaven, but turned into a helluva waste. The Watergate Steps between the Potomac River and the Lincoln Memorial was built in 1932 as part of the Arlington Memorial Bridge complex. According to … Continue reading
Posted in Monuments and Statues
Tagged Photos by Rick Snider, Washington D.C., Watersgate steps
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Summerhouse been a quenching respite since 1880
Where can you go for a drink around the U.S. Capitol? Well, since 1880 or so The Summerhouse has always offered refreshment. Water, that is. The hexagonal red brick building on the west lawn of the Senate side has a … Continue reading
The general of them all
It’s not often you’ll see a monument with Greek, Roman and Egyptian markings, but Gen. Alexander Macomb’s 14-foot marker at Congressional Cemetery has them all. The general is surrounded by four lions paws. A sword for his military career, cross … Continue reading
