CAPITOL
BUILDINGS
After visiting
my sixth state Capitol building, I realized that it was a thing, not
just something I did. I tend to go to historic places and museums, so this made
sense.
However, I have no real purpose for it. I just go because it's appealing.
And that's fine.
The buildings
are very nice to look at, but I have little interest in architecture. I don’t
particularly care how state government works. And I have no ritual at these
places, such as doing a certain pose in the rotunda.
So why go?
I don’t
know. But it has continued, and now my count is up to 23.
I’ve taken
a picture of myself in front of each Capitol (sometimes called a State House).
I even returned to Columbia, South Carolina, because I had toured that
building but failed to get a picture with it.
So yeah, I
guess it kind of is a thing.
A goal of
mine is to visit all 50, which would mean returning to some capital cities I’ve
already been to, such as Juneau and Denver.
I am from
New Jersey but have never been to the building in Trenton. I would like that to
mark my 50th, followed by the US Capitol is Washington, D.C.
Each
building has a rich history, was probably not its state’s first, and is beautiful
outside and in.
Explore
for yourself if you’re curious about architectural inspirations, the materials
used, and/or artwork adorning the halls, such as meaningful portraits and
statues.
My journey
has consisted of getting some fun facts. Follow it below.
DISCLAIMER: Some buildings have more interesting histories than others. And that’s the way it goes.
*was first called the Stadt Huys, because of New York’s Dutch settlers
*most expensive building at the time (completed in 1899), delighting some but
annoying others, who thought it was a giant waste of money
*is said to be haunted by the ghost of Civil War veteran Samuel Abbott, who was
the only fatality in the its 1911 fire
*the cornerstone isn’t visible because somebody forgot to mark it
*if I had to pick, this would be the nicest building I’ve seen yet, though that
may just be because the city surrounding it looks terrible
*the city was named for the British king's brother, the Duke Of Albany, in 1664
Annapolis, Maryland
*where the Treaty Of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War, was signed on January
14th, 1784
*George Washington resigned there as Commander-In-Chief on December 23rd,
1783
*the country’s oldest continuously-used Capitol
*dome was built without using nails
*honors Mary Risteau, an important political activist and the first woman
elected to the Maryland House Of Delegates, a year after women got the right to
vote
*only state house to serve as US Capitol, from November 1783 – August 1784,
because the Congress of the Confederation met there and Annapolis was being considered
for the national capital
*lightning rod on top was designed by Benjamin Franklin
*the city was named for Princess Anne, younger sister of Queen Mary II; 'polis' is Greek for 'city'
Boston, Massachusetts
*built on land owned by John Hancock, the state’s first elected governor
*main doors only get opened for three reasons- a visiting US President or
foreign head of state, when the governor leaves on their final day, and returning
a flag from battle (which hasn’t been done since the 1970s)
*the dome was painted gray during World War 2 to avoid attracting attention
*the city was named for a town in Lincolnshire, England, and Botolph, patron saint of travelers
*the state’s sixth Capitol building
*constructed purposely to be impressive and for a city to be built around it
*the eight-foot chandelier looks small under its impressive dome
*during a House session I watched, the buying of vaping products increased to
18, even though one delegate vocally did not understand bill
*the city (originally called Charlestown) was named for Charles Clendenin by his son George, one of the area's first settlers
*had the US’s only black-majority state legislature (in 1869), which was likely
only used to frighten white people
*six stars adorn the building, marking the places where artillery from William
Tecumseh Sherman’s army hit while the building was still being constructed
*the city was named for the poetic personification of the United States
*only Capitol with its state's original constitution displayed
*the city was created around building
*the city was named for Italian explorer Christopher Columbus
*oldest continually-used legislative chambers in the US
*there is security at the entrance but no metal detectors or X-ray machines
*at 400, New Hampshire has the most representatives of any US state
*has the fourth-largest English-speaking Legislature in the world
*features a statue of Christa McAuliffe, local teacher who died in the 1986's Challenger space shuttle explosion
*the city was named for a word meaning 'harmony' to suggest it and the nearby town of Bow were no longer feuding
*until Dover was founded, there was no capital city in Delaware, since it was
part of what Pennsylvania
*US delegates ratified the Constitution in a nearby tavern
*in a special deal with schools, children are able to propose bills witness them being debated
*the city was named for a place in England, which got its name from an ancient Welsh word meaning 'waters'
*dome was modeled after Napoleon’s tomb in Paris
*proudly displays a statue of Abraham Lincoln, who was born in Kentucky, though
his family moved out of state when he was seven
*site of the US’s only assassinated governor, William Goebel
*there is a famous floral clock on the grounds near the building
*the city (originally called Frank's Ford) was named for Stephen Frank, a pioneer who was killed by local natives
*called “the handsomest building I ever saw” by Theodore Roosevelt
*former home of the Liberty Bell
*murals made from Mercer tiles make up the floor in the rotunda
*Pennsylvania’s capital was in Lancaster until a politician offered four acres of land, provided it be used for the
Capitol Complex
*the city was named for John Harris, Jr., who founded it in 1791
*has a statue of state heroine Prudence Crandall, a teacher who was ahead of her time and fought for equal rights
*touchable replica of the Liberty Bell
*the city was named for co-founder Samuel Stone's hometown of Hertford, England
*the building is in the shape of a cross
*a time capsule containing government reports, crops, newspapers, coins, and
other items was installed in the cornerstone, which was laid in 1880
*the city was named for a combination of its state and the Greek word 'polis'; it's the equivalent of Indiana City
* built on the grounds of a former penitentiary
*double-domed, meaning the inside is different from outside
*the building features prominent light bulbs, which can be sponsored by individuals
or companies
*a lawsuit requiring the Illinois Central Railroad to pay one million dollars
to Mississippi covered most of the cost of building the Capitol
*the city was named for Revolutionary War General and (eventual) President Andrew Jackson
*built on the grounds of a former penitentiary (apparently this was a thing)
*an eagle on the main chandelier can only be seen from the fourth floor
*the city was named for a group of rocks recognized by a French explorer; and yes, there is a little rock in the city
*Capitol Hill was originally called Goat Hill
*legislature meets at the State House instead
*first capital of the Confederacy and where Jefferson Davis was sworn in
*third and most-famous march from Selma ended in front of the building
*the city was named for Revolutionary War General Richard Montgomery
*smallest Capitol building in the US, which makes sense because it’s in the country’s
littlest capital city
*the front doors and main stair-case were painted to look more expensive than
they are
*the governor’s chair is partially made from timbers of the USS Constitution, better
known as Old Ironsides
*the city was named for the town of Montpellier in France, to honor its contribution to the Revolutionary War
*unrelated but interesting- Montpelier is the only state capital without a
McDonald’s
*one of 11 Capitol buildings that has no dome
*the city was named for Revolutionary War General Francis Nash
*only Capitol grounds to have oil rigs, which stopped use in 1986
*one of two Capitol buildings along Route 66, the other being Springfield,
Illinois
*first building to use geo-thermal energy
*the city was named for its territory, which means 'red people' in the Choctaw language
*the state’s official Capitol but not currently in use by the government
*statue of woman on the dome is also a wind vane
*built to prove seriousness about wanting statehood
*a hallway features art from a nearby juvenile detention center
*has elected five female governors, the most of any US state
*the city was named for a mythical bird that represents new life, because the city was built on top of a former civilization
*designed by the same firm that renovated the White House from 1948-52
*has the world's fourth-largest self-supported marble dome (behind St. Peter's Basilica, the Minnesota Capitol building, and the Taj Mahal)
*except for extreme circumstances, all members of the legislature must vote on an issue; there are no abstentions
*the city is named Providence because its founder, Roger Williams, credited God's "divine providence" with getting him there safely
*designed by Thomas Jefferson
*first post-Revolution Capitol
*Virginia (along with Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Kentucky) is officially a
commonwealth instead of a state, though the meaning is historical and meaningless
*second-oldest active Capitol
*in 1870, the supreme court’s floor collapsed onto the House, killing 56, in
what would become known as The Capitol Disaster
*the city was named for a town near London, England
*the US’s only circular Capitol building, giving it the nickname The Roundhouse
*was designed to look like the sun symbol of the Zia Pueblo people, which makes
up New Mexico’s state flag
*Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in the country
*the city was named for the Spanish phrase meaning 'Holy Faith'
SOURCES
google.com, ourcarpediem.com, cbsnews.com, legislature.ky.gov, kids.kiddle.co, Wikipedia.org,
uncommonwealth.virginiamemory.com
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