Did you know that the site of the University & Whist Club in Wilmington, Delaware was once considered as a location for our nation's capital? While serving in Congress, Dr. James Tilton, a Revolutionary War hero who became the first Surgeon General of the United States Army, proposed that the capital be built at Bellevue, the property of his friend Bancroft Woodcock located to the northwest of the small town of Wilmington. Centrally located, the site's elevation provided impressive views of Philadelphia, Maryland, and New Jersey. It's interesting to think of what might have been, had the Virginians not been successful in building the capital on the Potomac.
Yesterday I visited Washington, D.C. with my coworkers at the Delaware Humanities Forum. While in the city we toured the Supreme Court, the U.S. Capitol, and the Library of Congress. The highlight of the day was meeting Jim Leach, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, at the organization's headquarters in the Old Post Office. He very kindly invited us into his office and chatted with us for a few minutes. The Old Post Office is the third highest building in the city, after the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. I really enjoyed seeing the magnificent views of the D.C. area from the clock tower.
Here are some photos from our trip. Enjoy!
Top to Bottom: Supreme Court, U.S. Capitol, Library of Congress, Old Post Office, View of U.S. Capitol from Old Post Office Tower (all images taken by Anne Reilly)
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