Capitol Tour

This crypt in the basement of the capitol, 2 stories directly under the rotunda, was designed and made for the remains of George Washington.  However, the capitol was still under construction in 1799 when Washington died and he was buried at Mt. Vernon and was never moved.  Therefore the capitol crypt will forever remain empty.

"Freedom" sits at a lofty place in Washinton, as she stands with the best view in the city on top of the nation's capital. From atop the Captiol's dome, the statue of Freedom has had an almost unobstructed view for more than 140 years.  Although the 19-foot, 6-inch statue looks like a mere hood ornament from the ground, up close it is an imposing figure whose defiant glance stares east, with her right hand resting on the hilt of a sheathed sword and her left on the shield of the United States. She faces this way so that, symbolically, the sun never sets on the face of freedom."