ephillipsme's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Charleston, South Carolina

Unitarian Church Cemetery

Paths are maintained, but trees have taken over plots.
Charleston, South Carolina

Old Slave Mart

South Carolina's last remaining slavery auction house is now a museum devoted to its own tragic history.
Charleston, South Carolina

Tavern at Rainbow Row

The oldest liquor store in the country is a model of resilience and mischief.
Charleston, South Carolina

Robert Smalls Memorial

This small memorial is almost as well concealed as Smalls himself was on the night he sailed to freedom.
Charleston, South Carolina

Rainbow Row

Thirteen pastel palaces in downtown Charleston add a gorgeous splash of color to the city.
Charleston, South Carolina

Stede Bonnet Hanging Site

Most historians agree that the so-called "Gentleman Pirate" wasn't much of either of those things.
Charleston, South Carolina

Giant's Causeway Pillar

A stack of stones steeped in Irish folklore, much like the hero they're connected to, hide in plain sight.
Charleston, South Carolina

Fireproof Building and South Carolina Historical Society

Once the most flame resistant building in the country, the South Carolina Historical Society building was almost burnt down in a fire.
Washington, D.C.

The Dupont Underground

Long-abandoned trolley tunnels just a mile away from the White House are turning into an art space.
Washington, D.C.

Letelier-Moffitt Monument

A diminutive memorial marks the site of a successful assassination by a right-wing death squad in America's capital.
Washington, D.C.

Dumbarton Bridge

This bridge over D.C.'s Rock Creek Park is sometimes called the "Buffalo Bridge" because of its four buffalo sculptures, which were cast from a single piece of bronze.
Washington, D.C.

Summerhouse

A hidden gem on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
Washington, D.C.

Renwick Gallery

The first purpose-built art gallery in the United States is once again open as a center of craft arts.
Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument Marble Stripe

Look closely and you’ll notice that the color changes a third of the way up the tower.
Washington, D.C.

Bare-Chested George Washington

Perhaps the most scandalous statue of America's first president.
Washington, D.C.

Sergeant Stubby

The most decorated dog of World War I is preserved in the Smithsonian.
Washington, D.C.

General Sheridan's Horse Rienzi Winchester

This taxidermy horse was a Civil War hero.
Washington, D.C.

Cher Ami

A heroic pigeon that, through a barrage of gunfire, delivered a message that saved over 100 lives in World War I.
Washington, D.C.

First Teddy Bear

The story behind this beloved toy—named for Theodore Roosevelt and owned by his grandson—is more complicated than you might guess.
Washington, D.C.

Smithsonian Sushi Collection

Seemingly unremarkable items like empty sushi trays, chef hats, and freshness stickers are being preserved so future generations can look back on this beloved cultural import.
Washington, D.C.

Zero Milestone

A monument in Washington D.C. marks the spot from which all other roads were supposed to stem.
Washington, D.C.

D.C.'s Underground Bald Cypress Fossils

Four bald cypress trees in Lafayette Square, across from the White House, mark the southern edge of a 100,000 year old cypress swamp.
Washington, D.C.

White House Helipad

Disks are rolled out onto the south lawn to absorb the impact of Marine One's wheels like giant coffee coasters.
Washington, D.C.

The Brewmaster's Castle

This grand gothic brewery has been pumping out suds for over a hundred years.