Matthew Bean's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Lexington, Virginia
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Places visited in York, Maine
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Places visited in Petersburg, Kentucky
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Places visited in Lititz, Pennsylvania
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Newport News, Virginia

The Mariner's Museum and Park

The maritime museum that boasts the largest nautical library in the western hemisphere.
Smithfield, Virginia

World’s Oldest Edible Ham

The nearly 120-year-old piece of pork wears a brass collar and was once a man's "pet ham."
Suffolk, Virginia

Great Dismal Swamp

An out-of-the-way wildlife haven with a rich and storied past of harboring thousands of fugitive slaves, or "Maroons" during the mid 1800s.
Hagerstown, Maryland

Historic Wilson Bridge

Once damaged by Hurricane Agnes, this bridge is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville City Cemetery

Wander among the gravestones in this historic border town.
Williamsburg, Virginia

President Heads

Giant busts of 42 U.S. presidents are sitting in a field in Virginia.
Washington, D.C.

Owney the Postal Dog

A traveling postal dog covered 48 states and more than 140,000 miles, and he lives on as taxidermy, patched up with a rabbit's foot and a pig's ear.
Washington, D.C.

Congressional Garbage Tunnel

The tunnel under the Capitol Building where Congress takes out its trash.
Washington, D.C.

George Washington's Townhouse Lots

After his presidency, George Washington planned to live only a few blocks from the Capitol building.
Washington, D.C.

Memorial to Japanese-American Patriotism in World War II

An unassuming, powerful monument north of the U.S. Capitol bears witness to the resilience of Japanese Americans during a time of grave injustice.
Washington, D.C.

Holodomor Memorial

An easily overlooked memorial to a Ukrainian famine-genocide that killed over 4 million people.
Washington, D.C.

Site of the Union Station Train Crash

A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.
Washington, D.C.

Roman Legionnaire Modesty Shields

Railroad officials in the early 1900s sought to spare travelers the sight of Roman soldiers’ private parts.
Sterling, Virginia

Warp Drive

This pun was simply waiting to come to life, and one defense contractor made it so.
Washington, D.C.

Albert Einstein Bronze Statue

The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.
Washington, D.C.

The Lockkeeper's House

A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.
Washington, D.C.

Boy Scout Memorial

The innocent intentions of this monument are somewhat lost in the sculpture's muscled imagery.
Washington, D.C.

Willard Hotel

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”
Washington, D.C.

MLK Time Capsule at Freedom Plaza

Beneath unsuspecting visitors feet, a capsule containing pieces of America’s civil rights history.
Washington, D.C.

Bare-Chested George Washington

Perhaps the most scandalous statue of America's first president.
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.

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.

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.