Twelve Days of Xmas Trivia

[L Verge]

(12-25-2017 02:44 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Kudos, Laurie, and shame on me - Bill B. sent me this photo (taken by his wife) in early December, and this info:
"It is at National Harbor, across the Potomac (in Maryland) from Alexandria. The wheel is the Capital Wheel, and the bridge in the background is the Woodrow Wilson Bridge connecting Virginia Maryland."
- and my memory "storage" incorrectly "saved" under "Alexandria" (not across)...and I thought the Alexandria lighthouse and library (in Egypt) a good hint..
Here's the entire photo:

I figured you were thinking of the Egyptian lighthouse and tower. Many new folks here don't realize that there is a Maryland shore to the Potomac also - and that shoreline has some great historical sites.

National Harbor is a shopping, festival, restaurant (I think about 40) and now gambling (MGM Grand Casino) mecca, but right down from it is Oxon Hill Manor (perfect for a Great Gatsby event), Fort Washington (I believe the only fort in America that surrendered without firing a shot when the raw recruits there saw the mighty English fleet sailing towards their goal of burning D.C.) and the National Colonial Farm, which maintains the original scenic view that Washington would have seen in Maryland as he stood on the front porch of Mount Vernon.

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Since I love to relate history, especially in my home county, I want to add that Oxon Hill Manor's original history dates to the early-1700s when it was the home of the prominent Addison family of Maryland, one of the movers and shakers in our early years. John Hanson, often termed the first President of the U.S. under the Articles of Confederation, was related to the Addisons and is buried on the property (although the exact location has been lost to time).

The original house burned in the late-1800s, and an even grander one was built in the 1920s by a very famous European architect. It became the home of the controversial Sumner Welles, Under Secretary of State in the administration of FDR, and the home hosted the President and possibly Winston Churchill during Welles's period in favor (before a sexual scandal brought him down). Later, a wealthy businessman (oil and timber) bought it and used it as sort of an artist colony. It is now owned by the same government agency that owns Surratt House and is used mainly for grand soirees and weddings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxon_Hill_Manor