15 Little Known Memorials And Monuments in DC You'll Want To Visit
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Maura
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DC is known for memorials and monuments. We have some of the most famous memorials and monuments in the world. But after you have lived here for a few months or even visited here a few times, you’ve probably seen most of the bigger monuments. If you have already visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument more than 10 times, it is time to see some other memorials. We found the top 15 lesser known monuments and memorials in DC you should visit.
The Albert Einstein Memorial was dedicated in 1979 and sits outside the National Academy of Sciences.
The story behind the Cuban American Friendship Urn is an interesting one. It was originally located in Cuba on top of a column that was a memorial to those killed when the battleship USS Maine exploded. But the column fell in 1926 and the urn was brought to DC and put in front of the Cuban Embassy. But then urn went missing in the 1960s and later reappeared in 1996.
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This seems like a strange memorial to have in DC but it actually has a sweet background. Geary Simon is a local DC developer who was friends with Bono. After Bono’s death, Simon used DC’s Adopt-a-Park program and adopted a small piece of land near his apartment and had the memorial built
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The fountain was installed in 1884 as part of a strange push for prohibition. Dr. Henry Cogswell believed if people had access to free, cold water then they wouldn’t be tempted to go into saloons so he built sixteen temperance fountains in the country. The fountain no longer works, however.
If you love taking photos, then this is the monument for you! Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre was the inventor of the first viable photographic process. The monument is outside the National Portrait Gallery.
Also known as the "Nuns of the Battlefield" relief, this memorial is located on 1745 M St NW. During the Civil War, the only "professional" nurses were nuns from orders who ran hospitals. During the war over 600 nuns came to the battlefield to care for casualties.
This moving memorial is a tribute to the American citizens of Japanese descent who supported the United States during World War II and those who were held in internment camps and detention centers. The memorial consists of two Japanese cranes caught in barbed wire on top of a square pedestal.
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Also know as the Meade Memorial, this honors Major General George Gordon Meade. He was a career military officer who is famous for defeating General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg.
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Located in front of the Embassy of India, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial was gifted to the US from Indian Council for Cultural Relations. The statue inscription reads "My life is my message."
Hidden in the woods along Normanstone Park, this is a memorial to Khalil Gibran. Gibran was a writer, poet and philosopher. He is the third best selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu. It is a quiet place to relax and reflect.
This is the nation’s monument to the over 20,000 law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. It features curved blue-gray marble walls with the names of those who have been killed, dating back to the first known death in 1791. New names are added to the monument every spring.
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann was the founder of homeopathy. The monument was dedicated in 1900. It is the first sculpture in DC that pays tribute to someone not from America who was not associated with the American Revolution.
This memorial is dedicated to the African American soldiers who fought during the Civil War. The names identifying over 200,000 soldiers are carved into the steel panels.
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Casimir Pulaski was a Polish marshal general who fought for and died for American independence. In the statue, Pulaski wears the uniform of a Polish marshal, which he preferred to wear rather than the Continental Army uniform.
Shevchenko was a Ukrainian poet and artist who influenced modern Ukrainian literature. It is one of the many statues in DC that honors heroes who symbolize freedom in their native countries.
If you want to continue avoiding tourist attractions, try these 11 underrated things to do in Washington DC!
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