by “Very chaotic” is really the only way to describe a regular tour of the United States Capitol. There are literally hundreds of people going on the tour at once, spread out between several groups. Everyone is given a headset and told to keep up. But since we’ve been working on visiting all the state capitol buildings, it seemed only fitting to give the federal one a go.
Construction of the building began back in 1793, and sections were completed with remarkable progress for a government project. The north wing was ready for use in 1800, and the south wing in 1807. Of course, by the time the south wing was completed, the north wing needed repairs, as it was already suffering from rotting floors, a leaking roof, and falling plaster.
Progress got set back a bit when the British set the capitol on fire during the War of 1812. Restoration of the damaged sections was completed within a few years, and the center portion was good to go by 1826. Within a few decades, however, space was already at a premium -– in part due to newly admitted states -– and in the 1850s the south and north wings were both extended.
The original dome looked rather pathetic after the 1850s expansion more than doubled the length of the building to 750 feet. A new dome, three times taller than the original, was completed in 1866, pushing the capitol to nearly 300 feet tall. The dome is 100 feet in diameter and weighs 9 million pounds!
The Statue of Freedom was placed on top of the dome in 1863. It was designed by Thomas Crawford in his studio in Rome, and cast in a local foundry from 1860-1862. It is 19.5 feet tall, weighs nearly 13,000 pounds.
The tour includes the Crypt, the Rotunda, and National Statuary Hall, but not the Senate and House Galleries – those require special tickets arranged through your state representatives. Considering the logistical planning involved in our time in DC, we thought it best to save those for another time. After the tour we spent some time in the exhibition hall, which had some historical artifacts on display.
Statuary Hall is home to many of the statues donated by the states. Each state is represented by two statues to “honor notable citizens,” as chosen by their state legislature. There were lots of civil rights leaders and positive role models. Imagine my surprise to see that Mississippi is represented by traitor Jefferson Davis – I mean, they literally chose a man who attempted to rip apart the United States to be the approved representative of their state. I cursed out loud – repeatedly – and spent the rest of the tour stewing over it. I did email Mississippi’s governor after the tour, so I’m sure they’ll get on fixing that. Even Virginia has removed their statue of Robert E. Lee (to be replaced by a leader of the Civil Rights movement).
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