Historic Congressional Cemetery

Download Historic Congressional Cemetery full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Historic Congressional Cemetery ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Historic Congressional Cemetery

Author : Rebecca Boggs Roberts
Publisher : Arcadia Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0738592242
Total Pages : 130 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (385 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Historic Congressional Cemetery by : Rebecca Boggs Roberts

Download or read book Historic Congressional Cemetery written by Rebecca Boggs Roberts and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2012 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historic Congressional Cemetery dates from the days when Washington, DC, was a burgeoning city on the edge of a malarial swamp. The stones--sandstone tablets with colonial calligraphy, ornate Victorian statues, 20th-century art nouveau carvings, and contemporary markers in shapes as strange as picnic tables and upended cubes--are a time line of the city. The most distinctive stones are 171 cenotaphs; large cubes designed by Capitol architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe from the same sandstone used in the Capitol. They are found nowhere else. The men and women buried under those stones led lives of beauty, courage, struggle, cunning, leadership, and humor--in short, the stories of American history.

Preserving Grave Markers in Historic Cemeteries

Author : Mary F. Striegel
Publisher : Government Printing Office
ISBN 13 : 9780160934728
Total Pages : 20 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (347 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Preserving Grave Markers in Historic Cemeteries by : Mary F. Striegel

Download or read book Preserving Grave Markers in Historic Cemeteries written by Mary F. Striegel and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Preservation Brief focuses on a single aspect of historic cemetery preservation—providing guidance for preserving and protecting grave markers. Besides describing grave marker materials and the risk factors that contribute to their decay, the Brief provides guidance for assessing their conditions and discusses maintenance programs and various preservation treatments. Also identified are a number of excellent references that address materials used in all grave markers, including several other Preservation Briefs (listed in Additional Reading). This Brief highlights particular issues that should be considered with historic grave markers. Related products: Code of Federal Regulations, Title 38, Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief, Pt. 18-End, Revised as of July 1, 2016 is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/869-084-00146-4 The Last Salute: Civil and Military Funerals, 1921-1969 (2014 Reprint) is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00575-1 Preservation Briefs collection can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/science-technology/construction-architecture/renovation-historic-preservation/preservation-b Other products produced by the United States Department of Interior, National Park Service (NPS) can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/agency/222

199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die

Author : Loren Rhoads
Publisher : Black Dog & Leventhal
ISBN 13 : 0316473790
Total Pages : 425 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (164 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die by : Loren Rhoads

Download or read book 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die written by Loren Rhoads and published by Black Dog & Leventhal. This book was released on 2017-10-24 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A hauntingly beautiful travel guide to the world's most visited cemeteries, told through spectacular photography andtheir unique histories and residents. More than 3.5 million tourists flock to Paris's Pè Lachaise cemetery each year.They are lured there, and to many cemeteries around the world, by a combination of natural beauty, ornate tombstones and crypts, notable residents, vivid history, and even wildlife. Many also visit Mount Koya cemetery in Japan, where 10,000 lanterns illuminate the forest setting, or graveside in Oaxaca, Mexico to witness Day of the Dead fiestas. Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery has gorgeous night tours of the Southern Gothic tombstones under moss-covered trees that is one of the most popular draws of the city. 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die features these unforgettable cemeteries, along with 196 more, seen in more than 300 photographs. In this bucket list of travel musts, author Loren Rhoads, who hosts the popular Cemetery Travel blog, details the history and features that make each destination unique. Throughout will be profiles of famous people buried there, striking memorials by noted artists, and unusual elements, such as the hand carved wood grave markers in the Merry Cemetery in Romania.

Mayor for Life

Author : Marion Barry
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1476730563
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (767 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Mayor for Life by : Marion Barry

Download or read book Mayor for Life written by Marion Barry and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-06-17 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Four-time mayor of Washington, D.C., Marion Barry, Jr. tells his shocking and courageous life story, beginning in the cotton fields in Mississippi to the executive offices of one of the most powerful cities in the world. Marion Barry fought relentlessly in his life and his career. A near-life threatening bullet wound to the chest, a survivor of cancer, allegations of drug use, political scandal—he had an incredible story to tell. This provocative, captivating narrative follows the Civil Rights activist, going back to his Mississippi roots, his Memphis upbringing, and his academic school days, up through his college years and move to Washington, D.C., where he became actively involved in Civil Rights, community activism, and bold politics. In the New York Times bestseller, Mayor for Life, Marion Barry Jr. tells all—including the story of his campaigns for mayor of Washington, his ultimate rise to power, his personal struggles and downfalls, and the night of embarrassment, followed by his term in federal prison and ultimately a victorious fourth term as mayor. From the man who, despite the setbacks, boldly served the community of Washington, DC, this is his full story of courage, empowerment, hope, tragedy, triumph, and inspiration.

Blue Collar Intellectuals

Author : Daniel J. Flynn
Publisher : Open Road Media
ISBN 13 : 1497620821
Total Pages : 217 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (976 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Blue Collar Intellectuals by : Daniel J. Flynn

Download or read book Blue Collar Intellectuals written by Daniel J. Flynn and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stupid is the new smart—but it wasn’t always so Popular culture has divorced itself from the life of the mind. Who has time for great books or deep thought when there is Jersey Shore to watch, a txt 2 respond 2, and World of Warcraft to play? At the same time, those who pursue the life of the mind have insulated themselves from popular culture. Speaking in insider jargon and writing unread books, intellectuals have locked themselves away in a ghetto of their own creation. It wasn’t always so. Blue Collar Intellectuals vividly captures a time in the twentieth century when the everyman aspired to high culture and when intellectuals descended from the ivory tower to speak to the everyman. Author Daniel J. Flynn profiles thinkers from working-class backgrounds who played a prominent role in American life by addressing their intellectual work to a mass audience. Blue Collar Intellectuals shows us how much everyone—intellectual and everyman alike—has suffered from mass culture’s crowding out of higher things and the elite’s failure to engage the masses.

In the Shadow of the United States Capitol

Author : Abby Arthur Johnson
Publisher : New Acdemia+ORM
ISBN 13 : 1955835101
Total Pages : 474 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (558 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis In the Shadow of the United States Capitol by : Abby Arthur Johnson

Download or read book In the Shadow of the United States Capitol written by Abby Arthur Johnson and published by New Acdemia+ORM. This book was released on 2012-11-12 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating study of America’s first national burial ground, with photos: “It’s stunning to realize what a who’s who exists in that space.” —Howard Gillette, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University at Camden This study explores the multiple ways in which Congressional Cemetery has been positioned for some two hundred years in “the shadow” of the U.S. Capitol. The narrative proceeds chronologically, discussing the burial ground during three periods: the antebellum years; the years from the end of the Civil War to approximately 1970, when the site progressively deteriorated; and the period from the early 1970s to 2007, when both public and private organizations worked to preserve the physical site and the memory of what it has been and continues to represent. This monograph focuses on the dominant narrative associated with the site: its legacy as the first national burial ground in the nation. Given this emphasis, the text presents a political and cultural analysis of the cemetery, with particular focus on the participation of the U.S. Congress. “This book makes historians and many others aware of a fascinating and complicated history. Moreover, it not only details the long history of the cemetery, but it uses it to explore the nature of historic memorials generally in the creation of national memory.” —Steven Diner, Chancellor of Rutgers University at Newark “The history of Congressional Cemetery is intimately tied up in the changing demographics of its locale, and its corresponding decline as the neighborhood around Christ Church changed led to its emergence as a cause célèbre for historic preservationists.” —Donald Kennon, Chief Historian for the United States Capitol Historical Society and editor of The Capitol Dome “The Johnsons have done an excellent job of mining a wide range of sources and conveying the complex history of an institution that merits documentation.” —Howard Gillette, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University at Camden

We Are Everywhere

Author : Matthew Riemer
Publisher : Ten Speed Press
ISBN 13 : 0399581820
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (995 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis We Are Everywhere by : Matthew Riemer

Download or read book We Are Everywhere written by Matthew Riemer and published by Ten Speed Press. This book was released on 2019-05-07 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have pride in history. A rich and sweeping photographic history of the Queer Liberation Movement, from the creators and curators of the massively popular Instagram account LGBT History. “If you think the fight for justice and equality only began in the streets outside Stonewall, with brave patrons of a bar fighting back, you need to read We Are Everywhere right now.”—Anderson Cooper Through the lenses of protest, power, and pride, We Are Everywhere is an essential and empowering introduction to the history of the fight for queer liberation. Combining exhaustively researched narrative with meticulously curated photographs, the book traces queer activism from its roots in late-nineteenth-century Europe—long before the pivotal Stonewall Riots of 1969—to the gender warriors leading the charge today. Featuring more than 300 images from more than seventy photographers and twenty archives, this inclusive and intersectional book enables us to truly see queer history unlike anything before, with glimpses of activism in the decades preceding and following Stonewall, family life, marches, protests, celebrations, mourning, and Pride. By challenging many of the assumptions that dominate mainstream LGBTQ+ history, We Are Everywhere shows readers how they can—and must—honor the queer past in order to shape our liberated future.

HISTORIC CONGRESSIONAL CEMETER

Author : Rebecca Boggs Roberts
Publisher : Arcadia Library Editions
ISBN 13 : 9781531662288
Total Pages : 130 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (622 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis HISTORIC CONGRESSIONAL CEMETER by : Rebecca Boggs Roberts

Download or read book HISTORIC CONGRESSIONAL CEMETER written by Rebecca Boggs Roberts and published by Arcadia Library Editions. This book was released on 2012-05 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historic Congressional Cemetery dates from the days when Washington, DC, was a new city on the edge of a malarial swamp. The stones--sandstone tablets with colonial calligraphy, ornate Victorian statues, 20th-century art nouveau carvings, and contemporary markers in shapes as strange as picnic tables and upended cubes--are a time line of the city. The most distinctive stones are 171 cenotaphs; large cubes designed by Capitol architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe from the same sandstone used in the Capitol. They are found nowhere else. The men and women buried under those stones led lives of beauty, courage, struggle, cunning, leadership, and humor--in short, the stories of American history.

Dr. Mutter's Marvels

Author : Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1592409253
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (924 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Dr. Mutter's Marvels by : Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz

Download or read book Dr. Mutter's Marvels written by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2015-09-08 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A mesmerizing biography of the brilliant and eccentric medical innovator who revolutionized American surgery and founded the country’s most famous museum of medical oddities Imagine undergoing an operation without anesthesia, performed by a surgeon who refuses to sterilize his tools—or even wash his hands. This was the world of medicine when Thomas Dent Mütter began his trailblazing career as a plastic surgeon in Philadelphia during the mid-nineteenth century. Although he died at just forty-eight, Mütter was an audacious medical innovator who pioneered the use of ether as anesthesia, the sterilization of surgical tools, and a compassion-based vision for helping the severely deformed, which clashed spectacularly with the sentiments of his time. Brilliant, outspoken, and brazenly handsome, Mütter was flamboyant in every aspect of his life. He wore pink silk suits to perform surgery, added an umlaut to his last name just because he could, and amassed an immense collection of medical oddities that would later form the basis of Philadelphia’s renowned Mütter Museum. Award-winning writer Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz vividly chronicles how Mütter’s efforts helped establish Philadelphia as a global mecca for medical innovation—despite intense resistance from his numerous rivals. (Foremost among them: Charles D. Meigs, an influential obstetrician who loathed Mütter’s “overly modern” medical opinions.) In the narrative spirit of The Devil in the White City, Dr. Mütter’s Marvels interweaves an eye-opening portrait of nineteenth-century medicine with the riveting biography of a man once described as the “[P. T.] Barnum of the surgery room.”

The Knickerbocker Snowstorm

Author : Kevin Ambrose
Publisher : Arcadia Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1625171692
Total Pages : 130 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (251 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Knickerbocker Snowstorm by : Kevin Ambrose

Download or read book The Knickerbocker Snowstorm written by Kevin Ambrose and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-14 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the evening of January 28, 1922, several hundred people fought their way through the greatest snowstorm in Washington’s history to see a show at the Knickerbocker Theater, the city’s largest and most modern moving picture theater of the time. Unbeknownst to the theater patrons, the Knickerbocker Theater’s flat roof was tremendously burdened by the weight of the snow. During the show’s intermission, the snow-covered roof crashed down upon the crowd. As the roof fell, it collapsed the theater’s balcony and pulled down portions of the surrounding brick walls, killing 98 people and injuring 133. Some of Washington’s prominent politicians and business owners were among the casualties. The disaster ranks as one of Washington’s worst in history, and the snowstorm continues to hold the record for Washington’s single greatest snowfall.

Museums and Millennials

Author : Jaclyn Spainhour
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1538118599
Total Pages : 139 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (381 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Museums and Millennials by : Jaclyn Spainhour

Download or read book Museums and Millennials written by Jaclyn Spainhour and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-10-04 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is your museum struggling to entice and engage a millennial audience? In Museums and Millennials author Jackie Spainhour offers a new and innovative approach to attracting and retaining the interest of millennial patrons through an easy-to-implement and practical self-assessment based on the success (and failures!) of other museum programs. This book will help you start the process of reinventing your approach to this engaging generation by: Reimagining the millennial generatio, beginning with debunking myths about their wants, needs, and spending power. Giving museum professionals a place to begin their quest- through the lens of the acronym “A.U.R.A.” Checking your museum’s “A.U.R.A.” (Affordability, Uniqueness, Relevance, and Accessibility) to ensure the programming you are currently offering this generation meets their standards and aligns with your mission. Using your findings to create new programs and campaigns geared towards getting millennials inside your doors and keeping them there long-term. Offering program examples from museums of various sizes and scopes throughout the nation geared towards a millennial audience, with explanations of why some programs were more successful than others. Providing tips and tricks for reaching millennials where they are and on a small budget. Helping museum professionals begin the process of giving millennials a voice in museum programs designed for them. Suggesting a path towards success that begins with the millennial generation taking on roles as patrons, members, volunteers, donors, board representatives, part-time workers, and in senior management. Millennials want to be your partners in preservation. They want their voices heard and prefer a hands-on approach to their programming. The highlighted program examples in this work will help you reimagine how your facility is viewed by millennials, what practical changes can be made to persuade them to patronize your facility, and discuss how to create bonds which will last past the individual programs they attend and into the foreseeable future. Museums and Millennials features strategies used by museums of various backgrounds and budgets, advice from respected and data-driven consultants in the field, and offers action-oriented solutions to audience engagement issues. Let this book inspire you to try, or try again, to engage this coveted generation.

Congressional Record

Author : United States. Congress
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 1324 pages
Book Rating : 4.A/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Congressional Record by : United States. Congress

Download or read book Congressional Record written by United States. Congress and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 1324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Poe-Land: The Hallowed Haunts of Edgar Allan Poe

Author : J. W. Ocker
Publisher : The Countryman Press
ISBN 13 : 1581576765
Total Pages : 613 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (815 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Poe-Land: The Hallowed Haunts of Edgar Allan Poe by : J. W. Ocker

Download or read book Poe-Land: The Hallowed Haunts of Edgar Allan Poe written by J. W. Ocker and published by The Countryman Press. This book was released on 2014-10-06 with total page 613 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 2015 Edgar Award for Best Critical/Biographical! Follow the footsteps of the father of American horror fiction. Edgar Allan Poe was an oddity: his life, literature, and legacy are all, well, odd. In Poe-Land, J. W. Ocker explores the physical aspects of Poe’s legacy across the East Coast and beyond, touring Poe’s homes, examining artifacts from his life—locks of his hair, pieces of his coffin, original manuscripts, his boyhood bed—and visiting the many memorials dedicated to him. Along the way, Ocker meets people from a range of backgrounds and professions—actors, museum managers, collectors, historians—who have dedicated some part of their lives to Poe and his legacy. Poe-Land is a unique travelogue of the afterlife of the poet who invented detective fiction, advanced the emerging genre of science fiction, and elevated the horror genre with a mastery over the macabre that is arguably still unrivaled today.

Cokie

Author : Steven V. Roberts
Publisher : HarperCollins
ISBN 13 : 0062851497
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (628 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Cokie by : Steven V. Roberts

Download or read book Cokie written by Steven V. Roberts and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-11-02 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The extraordinary life and legacy of legendary journalist Cokie Roberts—a trailblazer for women—remembered by her friends and family. Through her visibility and celebrity, Cokie Roberts was an inspiration and a role model for innumerable women and girls. A fixture on national television and radio for more than 40 years, she also wrote five bestselling books focusing on the role of women in American history. She was portrayed on Saturday Night Live, name checked on the West Wing, and featured on magazine covers. She joked with Jay Leno, balanced a pencil on her nose for David Letterman, and was the answer to numerous crossword puzzle clues. Many dogs, and at least one dairy cow, were named for her. When the legendary 1980s Spy Magazine ran a diagram documenting all her connections with the headline “Cokie Roberts – Moderately Well-Known Broadcast Journalist or Center of the Universe?” they were only half-joking. Cokie had many roles in her lifetime: Daughter. Wife. Mother. Journalist. Advocate. Historian. Reflecting on her life, those closest to her remember her impressive mind, impish wit, infectious laugh, and the tenacity that sent her career skyrocketing through glass ceilings at NPR and ABC. They marvel at how she often put others before herself and cared deeply about the world around her. When faced with daily decisions and dilemmas, many still ask themselves the question, ‘What Would Cokie Do?’ In this loving tribute, Cokie’s husband of 53 years and bestselling-coauthor Steve Roberts reflects not only on her many accomplishments, but on how she lived each day with a devotion to helping others. For Steve, Cokie’s private life was as significant and inspirational as her public one. Her commitment to celebrating and supporting other women was evident in everything she did, and her generosity and passion drove her personal and professional endeavors. In Cokie, he has a simple goal: “To tell stories. Some will make you cheer or laugh or cry. And some, I hope, will inspire you to be more like Cokie, to be a good person, to lead a good life.”

The Washington Arsenal Explosion

Author : Brian Bergin
Publisher : Disaster
ISBN 13 : 9781609497934
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (979 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Washington Arsenal Explosion by : Brian Bergin

Download or read book The Washington Arsenal Explosion written by Brian Bergin and published by Disaster. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1864, residents of Washington, D.C., mourned together at the largest funeral the district had ever seen. In the midst of the Civil War, the poor Irish neighborhood of the Island lost twenty-one mothers, sisters and daughters. On June 17, dangerous working conditions and a series of unfortunate events led to the deadly explosion of a Federal arsenal at Fort McNair, where the young women made cartridges to assist the war effort. In the wake of the horrific event, a monument was erected at Congressional Cemetery to honor those who were lost. Author Brian Bergin similarly memorializes these women through his book, detailing the poor working conditions, the investigation into the avoidable events leading to the tragedy and the reaction of a community already battered by the Civil War.

History Lover's Guide to Norfolk, A

Author : Jaclyn Spainhour
Publisher : Arcadia Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1467147176
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (671 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis History Lover's Guide to Norfolk, A by : Jaclyn Spainhour

Download or read book History Lover's Guide to Norfolk, A written by Jaclyn Spainhour and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2021 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Begun in the seventeenth century as a small settlement nestled along the Elizabeth River, Norfolk had grown into a vibrant port city by the Revolutionary War. The city spread out from early neighborhoods like the Freemason District into nineteenth-century enclaves like Ghent along the Hague. Twentieth-century Norfolk was marked by its development into a bustling Navy town. Journey through the vibrant past of this multifaceted locale, guided by expert authors from local museums, historical organizations and city institutions. Walk the city's most historic neighborhoods and learn the history of its beachside communities. End with suggestions of places to eat and play that evoke traces of Norfolk's past. Crack open these pages to learn that Virginia is truly for history lovers.

Empire of Mud

Author : J. D. Dickey
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1493013939
Total Pages : 325 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Empire of Mud by : J. D. Dickey

Download or read book Empire of Mud written by J. D. Dickey and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2014-09-02 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Washington, DC, gleams with stately columns and neoclassical temples, a pulsing hub of political power and prowess. But for decades it was one of the worst excuses for a capital city the world had ever seen. Before America became a world power in the twentieth century, Washington City was an eyesore at best and a disgrace at worst. Unfilled swamps, filthy canals, and rutted horse trails littered its landscape. Political bosses hired hooligans and thugs to conduct the nation's affairs. Legendary madams entertained clients from all stations of society and politicians of every party. The police served and protected with the aid of bribes and protection money. Beneath pestilential air, the city’s muddy roads led to a stumpy, half-finished obelisk to Washington here, a domeless Capitol Building there. Lining the streets stood boarding houses, tanneries, and slums. Deadly horse races gouged dusty streets, and opposing factions of volunteer firefighters battled one another like violent gangs rather than life-saving heroes. The city’s turbulent history set a precedent for the dishonesty, corruption, and mismanagement that have led generations to look suspiciously on the various sin--both real and imagined--of Washington politicians. Empire of Mud unearths and untangles the roots of our capital’s story and explores how the city was tainted from the outset, nearly stifled from becoming the proud citadel of the republic that George Washington and Pierre L'Enfant envisioned more than two centuries ago.