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Unless otherwise noted, all content and photos are © 2010-2020 Monumental Thoughts.
Tag Archives: Photo by Rick Snider
Unfolding a La Nina mystery
I used to make paper planes as a kid. Sometimes they only flew a couple feet, but I could see how the crisp lines made air travel work. “La Nina” provides a chance to see how Christopher Columbus’ ship might … Continue reading
Lincoln’s hands – Urban legend or truth?
Tourists love stories. I could tell them the date, cost and weight/height of statues and they’d forget it as soon as I said it. But the stories, that’s different. Sometimes I’ll tell a PG tale if there is no one … Continue reading
Posted in Memorials
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, deaf, hands, Lincoln Memorials, Photo by Rick Snider, sign language
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Rawlins rides on Grant’s coattails
General John Rawlins’ best move was living next to Ulysses Grant when the Civil War started. Grant returned to uniform and took Rawlins with him. Rawlins was a former gold prospector and attorney who managed to keep Grant largely sober … Continue reading
Posted in Monuments and Statues
Tagged Civil War, John Rawlins, Photo by Rick Snider, U.S. Grant, Washington D.C.
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Have a drink, kill a president
Lincoln Assassination What did John Wilkes Booth do the hour before killing Abraham Lincoln? Why, have a drink. Hey, if you’re going to assassinate a president you might want to drink some courage first. Booth spent one hour nursing … Continue reading
Jose Artigas – The Gaucho Statue
He stands on a spit of land at 18th and Constitutional Aves., but Jose Artigas is another of the giants of South American revolution that dominate the blocks around the Organization of American States building. Artigas was a gaucho, typically … Continue reading
The Lone Sailor is hardly alone
For someone who’s supposedly alone, The Lone Sailor usually has plenty of tourists around him. Part of the United States Navy Memorial at 7th and Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., The Lone Sailor is a tribute to all the personnel of the … Continue reading
St. John’s – “Church of the Presidents”
Every president since James Madison has attended the “Church of the Presidents” just a short walk (if they could do so nowadays) from the White House at 15th and H Sts. N.W. Madison started the tradition of the “President’s Pew” … Continue reading
Chinese Community Church has something old, something new
It took modern science to make the Chinese Community Church look like 1852. Founded by U.S. Capitol architect Thomas Ustick Walter as a Presbyterian church, it was later a Jewish temple and Baptist church before purchased by the Chinese Community … Continue reading
Posted in Attractions
Tagged Chinese Community Church, formstone, Photo by Rick Snider, Washington churches
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Remembering Jane Delano, founder of American Red Cross nurses
Jane Delano loved nursing so much that on her deathbed in France while inspecting hospitals during World War I, her last words were, “What about my work, I must get back to my work.” Born on March 12, 1862 near … Continue reading
John Paul Jones Memorial lost in traffic
One of the feistiest American admirals of all time has been marooned on a traffic island. John Paul Jones is on a spit of land at the intersection of 17th St. and Independence Ave. SW just a few yards from … Continue reading
Native Washingtonian 101 – It’s “War-shington”
Want to sound like a local? Here’s the first clue – we say “War-shington.” Yes, we sneak an “r” in there. I don’t know why. It’s not because this town makes war on other countries. It’s just something we say … Continue reading
Lafayette urns have their mystery
Much like the urns in the gardens of the Versailles Palace, these two Lafayette urns were forged in the same furnaces that created Union cannons in the Civil War. They were used for flowers in the late 1880s, but now … Continue reading
Pan American 103 marker at Arlington National Cemetery
With Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi killed, American will remember the tyrant for his backing of terrorists who blew up Pan American Flight 103 in 1988. A monument to the 270 killed from 22 countries, including 15 U.S. active duty … Continue reading
Joseph Darlington fountain makes you sneak a peak
Occasionally, statues make me feel like a voyeur. Why is that man or boy naked I’m sometimes asked. It happens all too often say at the Boy Scout or Von Steuben statues near the White House. I say I don’t … Continue reading
A little statue in the corner has a story to tell
I love the Organization of American States building. It is absolutely fascinating and filled with overwhelming art projects both inside and out. One is tucked away from the front view, but you shouldn’t miss this one. Just to the right … Continue reading
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
I wish my flowers grew this big. The Federal Triangle Flower is 10 feet tall and 13 feet wide. Created in 1997 as part of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Center, the courtyard art was sculpted by Stephen … Continue reading
LBJ Memorial Grove is a quick hit
Funny how I can live a lifetime in one town and still see new things even in my seventh decade in Washington. I’ve driven by the Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Grove many times, but always in a hurry to be … Continue reading
