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back to the Home Page This Wonderful Country of Ours! Related Pages: This Wonderful Country of Ours! [ 1 ][ 2 ]Growing up I can remember hearing my Father say over and over again, "We are so lucky to live in The United States." When I was very young I didn't understand why he kept repeating himself but as I grew up I came to know that the country in which he was born allowed none of the privileges that I took for granted. Listening to him extol the virtues of this country taught me to love it just the way he did. And several years back, when Lee Iacocca was raising funds for the Ellis Island Wall of Immigrants, I took the opportunity to place my Father's name on it. Somehow, though he had long been gone, I knew that he knew and I knew that he would be so proud to have his name on that Wall of Honor. I have done considerable traveling and there are times when I say that I would love to live in Paris or London or wherever, but the truth is, I would never give up living here. The collection that follows is a tribute to "This Wonderful Country of Ours". Sorry, the following item is No Longer Available.A. The Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Box. This incredibly tiny replica of the building that houses The Congress of The United States is exact beyond anything one could imagine. The box is only 1 3/4 inches square and this huge and heavily ornamented Greek Revival Temple is reproduced down to the most minute details. The cupola, the dome, the rotunda, the broad steps leading to the main entrance, the columns that form the fascia of the building, even to the detail on the columns, all of this is clearly seen on this box. Painted in the Cardinet Atelier it is typical of the boxes they produce. An outstanding piece for any collector of historical boxes. Inside our first flag, painted. The clasp, an American Eagle. Retail: About $175.00. Our price: $157.90. Footnote to History 1. In 1792 a competition was held throughout
the 13 states to find a design for this building. A West Indian man, who
had resided in Philadelphia for several years, won the competition. William
Thornton, the winner, had no architectural background at all but he did
have strong feelings about how the seat of our new nation should appear
for posterity. The cornerstone was laid by George Washington in 1793. The
building was actually not completed for 30 years but the North Wing was
completed in 1800 and The Congress has convened there ever since. Thomas
Jefferson influenced the design with the use of the Dome and the Rotunda.
James Hoban, the architect for the White House, supervised the construction
of the building.
Footnote to History 2. Our Capitol was originally named District
of Columbia in honor of Christopher Columbus, but shortly after George
Washington died, the Congress elected to rename the city in his honor,
hence Washington, D.C.
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Did you know: She stands 305 feet tall; her tablet carries the adoption date of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776; her beacon was considered a lighthouse for many years because it was a navigational aid into New York harbor. She was designed by the French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and assembled over a framework designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower fame, and Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. She was presented to us in 1885 by the people of France who alone raised the money for her, and she was dedicated in 1886. On her base is the famous poem by Emma Lazarus which was written to help raise funds for her base. Are these words familiar?
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Sorry, the following item is
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is No Longer Available. **Information taken from "The Living White House" by The White House Historical Association. To find out more about ordering, Click Here |
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