The Crypt

Angie and I took a tour of "The Crypt" ocated in the basement of the U.S. Capitol Building. The electricians were busy putting up the spotlights for President-elect Barack Obama's walk-through to the West Lawn right before the inauguration.

I found it interesting that this round room is called "The Crypt" because it holds the empty tomb of our first U.S. President George Washington. It was the plan of our forefathers to bury Pres. Washington there, but he unexpectedly died long before his final resting place was complete. The Capitol architects talked to his wife, Martha, about moving his body from Mount Vernon to Washington D.C. and, apparently, she agreed. However, the construction was still not completed before she died and the surviving members of his family said they had never heard of the arrangement and they were unwilling to release his body for re-internment. The matter went to court and the State of Virginia agreed and he has forever remained buried on the property of his beloved home. No one has since been buried there and the crypt remains empty. It's probably for the best, because the place would have been a bit spooky with the remains of dead bodies and assured rumors about hauntings and ghosts hanging around. That would have made for some awesome American Folklore!