Washington's Tomb is an empty burial chamber two stories directly below the Rotunda of the United States Capitol building in Washington, DC. It was included in the original design of the building by William Thornton and intended to entomb the body of George Washington, the first President of the United States. The original design of the rotunda, and the Crypt beneath it, included a central glass floor allowing the public to view Washington's Tomb two floors below, but this was never implemented.[1]
Washington's Tomb with Lincoln Catafalque, 2007
When Washington died in 1799, the Capitol was still under construction. Both houses of Congress passed a resolution calling for Washington to be entombed in the Capitol upon its completion. His wife, Martha Washington, agreed to the plan despite the presence in her husband's will of a provision that he be buried at Mount Vernon. However, the original resolution was never carried out due to disputes over the specific design and cost of the tomb and the body was placed in a temporary tomb at Mount Vernon. Congress again attempted to resolve these issues in 1800, 1816, 1824, and 1829, when the Architect of the Capitol prepared plans for the tomb in anticipation of the approaching centennial of Washington's birth.[2]
Congress renewed its call to transfer the body to the Capitol in 1830, after an attempt to steal Washington's head in which the Mount Vernon tomb was vandalized and several of Washington's relatives' corpses desecrated in 1830. The current owner of the property, John Washington, decided to build a new, more secure tomb on the site instead.[3]
Formerly, the Lincoln Catafalque was stored and exhibited in the tomb. It is kept, at present, in a specially constructed display area in the Exhibition Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center.[4]
^"How the Crypt Got its Name". AOC Curator Office. March 4, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
^"The Resolution to Bury President George Washington at the U.S. Capitol | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
^Carlsson, Brady (2016). Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nations Leaders. Norton. ISBN9780393243949.
^"The catafalque". Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
washington, tomb, united, states, capitol, washington, tomb, empty, burial, chamber, stories, directly, below, rotunda, united, states, capitol, building, washington, included, original, design, building, william, thornton, intended, entomb, body, george, wash. Washington s Tomb is an empty burial chamber two stories directly below the Rotunda of the United States Capitol building in Washington DC It was included in the original design of the building by William Thornton and intended to entomb the body of George Washington the first President of the United States The original design of the rotunda and the Crypt beneath it included a central glass floor allowing the public to view Washington s Tomb two floors below but this was never implemented 1 Washington s Tomb with Lincoln Catafalque 2007 When Washington died in 1799 the Capitol was still under construction Both houses of Congress passed a resolution calling for Washington to be entombed in the Capitol upon its completion His wife Martha Washington agreed to the plan despite the presence in her husband s will of a provision that he be buried at Mount Vernon However the original resolution was never carried out due to disputes over the specific design and cost of the tomb and the body was placed in a temporary tomb at Mount Vernon Congress again attempted to resolve these issues in 1800 1816 1824 and 1829 when the Architect of the Capitol prepared plans for the tomb in anticipation of the approaching centennial of Washington s birth 2 Congress renewed its call to transfer the body to the Capitol in 1830 after an attempt to steal Washington s head in which the Mount Vernon tomb was vandalized and several of Washington s relatives corpses desecrated in 1830 The current owner of the property John Washington decided to build a new more secure tomb on the site instead 3 Formerly the Lincoln Catafalque was stored and exhibited in the tomb It is kept at present in a specially constructed display area in the Exhibition Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center 4 See also EditUnited States Capitol crypt List of burial places of presidents and vice presidents of the United StatesReferences Edit How the Crypt Got its Name AOC Curator Office March 4 2013 Retrieved June 7 2016 The Resolution to Bury President George Washington at the U S Capitol US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov Retrieved 2019 04 20 Carlsson Brady 2016 Dead Presidents An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nations Leaders Norton ISBN 9780393243949 The catafalque Architect of the Capitol Retrieved June 7 2016 Coordinates 38 53 24 N 77 00 32 W 38 8899 N 77 009 W 38 8899 77 009 This article about a building or structure in Washington D C is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Washington 27s Tomb United States Capitol amp oldid 1133995789, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
