Poorly planned roadway

I can't find any reference to the property donation of the land on which the Smithsonian Castle stand, and I find it curious that city planners of 1855 would decide to curve the roadway around only this building.

Posted by Engineering Student (guest) on Thu 04 Mar 2010 05:42:05 PM UTC

Snake eating contest - American Eagle wins!

In Greek mythology, eagle-snake imagery represents the conflict of opposites. This seems rather odd when placed atop the globe on an American Memorial.

Posted by Basilisk (guest) on Thu 04 Mar 2010 05:18:33 PM UTC

To Fly!

The church bell tower, also known as a belfry

Posted by Christian Cupola (guest) on Wed 03 Mar 2010 08:08:22 PM UTC

I was drank a beer with Bat-man cool guy

Posted by Hilly (guest) on Wed 03 Mar 2010 07:42:36 PM UTC

Samuel Gompers Statue

Bronze monument honoring Gompers by the sculptor Robert Aitken resides in Gompers Square on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C., ironically located across from the headquarters of the Cato Institute. His personal residence can be seen at 1527 New Hampshire Avenue at Dupont Circle.

Posted by founder of the American Federation of Labor (guest) on Wed 03 Mar 2010 07:39:54 PM UTC

On your ass

Batman the PALs are comming for you in 2010

Posted by Pollock (guest) on Wed 03 Mar 2010 07:30:28 PM UTC

Grotesque or Gargoyle?

Grotesques were used as decoration on 19th and early 20th century buildings in cities like Washington DC. No longer technically gargoyles, due to the lack of ability to drain water, grotesques on modern structures are still considered by most people to be gargoyles.

Gargoyles are said to scare off and protect from any evil or harmful spirits. Architecture usually designates the distinction between gargoyles as functional waterspouts, and non-waterspout figures as grotesques.

This one has a plaque space for the proprietor to paint a street number, secret symbol, or coat of arms.

Posted by Goliath and Demona (guest) on Wed 03 Mar 2010 07:25:04 PM UTC

Invitation to learn secret knowledge

The Hand of the Mysteries, which features alchemy symbolism, is also referred to as the hand of the Master Mason. It is said that the symbolic hand holds the keys to divinity and a practitioner can unlock the secrets through the symbolism. Each finger has it's own unique symbol. The pinky is typically seen with a key, the ring finger with a lantern, the middle finger with a sun, the index with a star, and the thumb with a crown. The Hand of Mysteries is also the basis for Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.

Posted by ancient symbol (guest) on Wed 03 Mar 2010 06:59:38 PM UTC

Washington Pyramids

Both the pyramid and the triangle can be found throughout the Masonic system. It can be seen in modern construction. The symbol can be found within the Royal Arch which the jewels of the officers are suspended. It is in the Ineffable Degrees the sacred Delta, everywhere presenting itself as the symbol of God. In Ancient Craft Masonry, pyramids and triangles are exhibited as major elements of important ceremonies. The seats of the principal officers are arranged in a triangular form, the three Lesser Lights have the same arrangement, and the Square and Compasses form, by their union on the greater light, form two triangles meeting at their bases. The triangle may be considered as one of the most constant forms of Masonic symbolism.

Posted by Grand Architect of the Universe (guest) on Wed 03 Mar 2010 06:45:30 PM UTC

Commodore John Barry 1745-1803

Often credited as The Father of the American Navy, he was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War, and later became the first American commissioned naval officer commissioned by President George Washington in 1797.

Posted by Franklin Square (guest) on Wed 03 Mar 2010 05:48:34 PM UTC