Washington, D.C
Construction crews unearth piece of DC history underneath National Mall — by accident – WTOP News
There is so much history along the National Mall in D.C. that you wouldn’t think to look underground for more of it.
(Courtesy Smithsonian Institution)
Courtesy Smithsonian Institution
(Courtesy Smithsonian Institution)
Courtesy Smithsonian Institution
(Courtesy Smithsonian Institution)
Courtesy Smithsonian Institution
(Courtesy Smithsonian Institution)
Courtesy Smithsonian Institution
There is so much history along the National Mall in D.C. that you wouldn’t think to look underground for more of it.
But construction crews doing renovation work on the Smithsonian Castle along Jefferson Drive just uncovered an artifact, completely by accident.
It dates back to the 1800s.
“This was an unanticipated discovery,” said Carly Bond, the associate director for architectural history and historic preservation for the Smithsonian Institution.
There appeared to be a hole in the ground under the road on Jefferson Drive.
The hole went straight down about 30 feet, and upon further inspection, it looked more like a secret tunnel with brick walls.
“It had a small stone on the top,” Bond said. “Once we moved that piece of stone, we could see that it actually was a brick dome-shaped structure.”
Normally, the Smithsonian’s job is to tell people about history.
In this case, however, it literally dug more of it up.
“It’s pretty much one of the most interesting things you could hope to find under the ground,” said Bond. “It’s beautifully constructed, and it’s in excellent condition.”
According to Bond, the artifact is a “drainage cistern” built in 1847 that was once used to collect rainwater, which then supplied water to the Smithsonian Castle.
“The last time that this probably saw the light of day was 1857,” Bond said. “It’s pretty interesting stuff.”
The Smithsonian is in the process of taking photos and fully documenting the artifact, but the hole must be filled because it poses a danger being right on Jefferson Drive, which is a busy road between the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Building.
“We will be preserving as much of the cistern as we can by filling it with some kind of reversible fill so that we don’t have that hazard in place underneath the road bed,” said Bond.
That means the uncovered piece of history will be covered once again, though it won’t be a secret any longer.
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(Photo courtesy of North Dakota National Guard. via the North Dakota Monitor)
(North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota will send 60 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., starting in April, for an estimated three months to help police the city.
The move is in support of President Donald Trump’s August executive order declaring an emergency in D.C. The president said assistance from states is necessary to address what he described as rampant crime in the nation’s capital.
“Safeguarding the citizens, federal workers and elected leaders in our nation’s capital is a matter of national security, and we appreciate these Soldiers volunteering for this important mission,” Gov. Kelly Armstrong said.
Most of the 60 North Dakota members will come from the 131st Military Police Battalion, based in Bismarck, according to the announcement.
WASHINGTON – Thousands are expected gather in Washington, D.C. for a “No Kings” march and rally.
Here’s everything you need to know:
What is the No Kings protest?
What we know:
Organized locally by area chapters of Indivisible and allied grassroots groups, the event aims to draw protesters to downtown Washington and surrounding counties to oppose policies of the Trump administration and to voice broader concerns about civil rights and democratic norms.
No Kings protest details
Timeline:
The march will kick off at 10 a.m., with participants gathering at Memorial Circle near Arlington Cemetery, with additional access from the Blue Line or nearby parking at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, according to the event organizers. There is no public parking in the immediate area, but participants can be dropped off at the circle.
From there, the procession will head across the Memorial Bridge into Washington, D.C., passing the Lincoln Memorial and continuing on to the Washington Monument.
At the conclusion of the march, participants can walk to a downtown rally, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Other ‘No Kings’ rallies in the DMV
Dig deeper:
In addition to the main rally in downtown D.C., several other demonstrations tied to “No Kings 3” are scheduled around the DMV this Saturday.
In Arlington, Virginia, activists are organizing a march across the Memorial Bridge beginning at 10 a.m., with protesters expected to continue into West Potomac Park before joining larger crowds in the District proper, for example.
There are hundreds of “No Kings” events scheduled to take place this Saturday throughout the DMV. You can click here to find a list of all of them.
How to watch No Kings march and rally in DC
What you can do:
FOX 5 DC will be covering No Kings in D.C. all day on FOX LOCAL and in the liveplayer at the top of this story.
FOX 5 DC is available to watch for free on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Google Android TV and Vizio with the FOX LOCAL app. Here’s how to download FOX LOCAL on your mobile phone.
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