The Capitol stones at Rock Creek Park in DC. PHOTO: Bill Lebovich

When the dust settled after 9/11, shipbuilders recycled the Twin Towers’ steel into the USS New York. And when the United States Capitol got a face-lift, the old stones were destined for an almost forgotten existence in a Washington, D.C. forest. Save for the occasional runner who veers off his usual trail and the rare visitor with ample time to explore more of the Rock Creek Park, not many have chanced upon and delved into the history of the pile of moss-covered stone columns. Obscura Society is headed there this week, and you may want to join them.

Just off a horse trail near the horse center and stables, you’ll come across a stone graveyard, a hidden piece (or should I say pieces) of architectural beauty. Shrouded in the thickness of the woods for over half a century are sandstone pieces of the original east front portico of the U.S. Capitol Building, which was completed in 1828 after the building suffered extensive fire damage by British forces led by Admiral George Cockburn and Major Gen. Robert Ross during the invasion of Washington on August 24, 1814 (War of 1812). Quarried from Aquia, VA, the source for the same sandstone used in building the White House starting in 1792.

These stones have served as the backdrop for Presidential Inaugurations from Andrew Jackson (1829) to Dwight D. Eisenhower (1957) as well as a number of speeches, protests, demonstrations, and rallies before being replaced by marble replicas from 1958-1961. Instead of reusing the pieces, the were placed in this part of Rock Creek per an agreement with then-Architect of the U.S. Capitol J. George Stewart and the National Park Service (NPS).

The exact location is here, but beware of the stone pits in between the stone columns.

And if you’d be content seeing history in pictures, head here.