We are going to tell you about five weird memorials you can see in Washington DC.
Hello! Welcome to Trip Hacks DC, my name is Rob.
I'm a tour guide here in the nation's capital.
if you're coming to Washington DC and you're looking for the best tips, tricks, and hacks for exploring the city make sure to subscribe to
this channel ant at the bell notification icon so that you don't miss any new videos.
Hi. My name is Carolyn.
I'm with DC Design Tours. DC Design Tours offers walking tours of Washington DC with a focus on
architecture and design. If you want to learn more about DC design tours
feel free to visit our website at www.dcdesigntours.com
And we are going to tell you about five weird memorials that you can see
when you visit
including a few that you can see on your tours. If you live in or been to DC before and seen any of these weird
memorials, leave a comment on this video and let us know what you thought about them.
Otherwise, let's get started... 1. the temperance fountain.
It was designed to encourage people to drink water instead of alcohol.
So the temperance fountain was built in 1882 by a very strange character, a guy named Henry Cogswell
who was very much anti alcohol. He considered it his mission to
hydrate the masses by building water fountains in seedy neighborhoods across the United States. Henry Cogswell had made his money as a dentist working out
in California during the gold rush.
Cogswell funded over 20 different fountains all across the country and one of them he built right here in Washington DC, in a neighborhood that
was then called Murder Bay. Today we know Pennsylvania Avenue, the street that inaugurations, protests, and all kinds of other important events happen
but at that time it was really slummy. Henry Cogswell designed the fountain to be placed right in the middle of the worst possible
neighborhood of the city and he had fresh water flowing from the mouths of two sculpted fish. Beneath
the fish was what they called a common cup, not a sense of Hygiene in those days.
The common cup was used by everyone. It hung from a chain
and that's how you drank your water. The vast majority of these temperance fountains have been removed.
The communities generally hated them both for their philosophy and also for their design.
There's only a few left and one of them thankfully is in Washington DC right across the street from the National Archives.
So when you're going to the Capitol to do your Capitol tour or your exploring the museums on the National Mall, you can stop by
the temperance fountain and check out this weird one.
The next weird one is the Titanic Memorial.
Anyone who is a big fan of the Leonardo DiCaprio movie will definitely want to come and check this one out.
The Titanic Memorial is located now down by the newly developed Wharf but it wasn't actually always there.
Originally when the statue was commissioned in 1930
it was placed on the river right near where the Kennedy Center is today. To design the memorial, just like a lot of the other
monuments and memorials in Washington DC
they held a design contest and the designer who won was named Gertrude Vanderbilt.
If you recognize that last name, Vanderbilt
it's because the Vanderbilts are one of the most famous and wealthy families in the United States. The base of the memorial is designed by
Henry Bacon who we know best for being the designer of the Lincoln Memorial. The sculpture depicts a 13-foot man with his arms outstretched
gazing out to the water almost like a ship's mast.
And while I don't think it's necessarily worth going out of your way to see
this one, it's definitely worth checking out the Wharf which is a really cool newly developed area of the city and while you're over there
come see the Titanic memorial.
Number three is a monument that is a replica of one that you probably have seen if you visited Philadelphia.
The Freedom Bell is actually a replica of the Liberty Bell and it's located just to the north of the Capitol near Union Station.
The Freedom Bell was commissioned by the American Legion in 1975 to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States.
The Bell is a copy of the Liberty Bell, which hangs in Philadelphia,
which is famous for having its big crack and being rung at one of the first public readings of the Declaration of Independence in
1775. After the bicentennial celebration the Freedom Bell was actually put into storage and it wasn't brought out until more recently.
So even though millions of people have traveled through Union Station over the years
a lot of them have actually walked right past the Freedom Bell.
So if you're arriving by train, car or bus
make sure you stop and check this out on your way in.
4. the Jefferson pier.
This is a very very small memorial that is literally
overshadowed by a much larger memorial, the Washington Monument.
So when Thomas Jefferson was president of the United States and overseeing some of the layout of Washington, DC
he actually wanted to realign the prime meridian of the entire world to go right through Washington.
The Jefferson Meridian was laid out at the intersection of a right triangle formed by the White House the Capitol building and
Pennsylvania Avenue. The Washington Monument was actually supposed to be built in that spot, but when they started construction
they were nervous about the soil conditions, so they shifted the Washington Monument over to the east and hope nobody would notice.
That's actually why the monument is a little bit out of line between the White House the Capitol and the Jefferson Memorial. The pier actually
disappeared for a time, eventually was re-erected and today's stands as a tiny little monument more to the ego of Thomas Jefferson than anything else.
So even though it's not one that I will typically point out on my tours
it is one that I will show you if you complain about the fact that the Washington Monument, Capitol,
White House, and Lincoln Memorial are not in a perfect line.
5. the Joan of Arc statue.
This one has the unique distinction of being the only female equestrian statue in the entire city.
Joan of Arc was actually a peasant girl from eastern France who claimed divine
inspiration in fighting against the British in the Hundred Years War.
She was only 19 years old and she was finally captured and burned at the stake.
In 1920 the Society of French women of New York donated the statue to be displayed in Meridian Hill Park
which is where it is today.
It's meant to be a symbol of friendship between the women of France and the women of the United States.
One other bizarre fact about the statue is that Joan of Arc's sword has unfortunately been stolen multiple times.
The original sword was stolen in 1978 and was only replaced in 2011.
Unfortunately on our last Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan walking tour, it turns out that she is once again missing her sword, so
who knows when it will come back.
And this one compared to some of the others is a little bit off the beaten path.
So make sure you check out where it is on Google Maps or sign up for Carolyn's walking tour of that area to make sure
you see it. And that's it!
Thank you for watching this video and thank you Carolyn for coming on to share some of your knowledge of these weird memorials.
Thank you.
And if you want to join us for one of our walking tours, feel free to visit www.dcdesigntours.com
to check out our tours and sign up.
And if you want to sign up for a Trip Hacks DC tour you can head
on over to www.triphacksdc.com.
Enjoy your trip!