Capitol Crypt

Capitol building designers intended the Crypt as a memorial over President Washington's tomb, to be seen through an opening in the Rotunda floor. However, Washington preferred burial on his plantation instead, leaving the space unused.

When President Lincoln died, his widow Mary considered Washington's proposed burial place for her husband, but eventually chose Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. Today you can see historical displays of the Capitol building among the columns one floor below the Rotunda.

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