murphener's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Poolesville, Maryland
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Places visited in Heimaey, Iceland
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Places visited in Frederick, Maryland
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Places visited in Fairfax, Virginia
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Places visited in Fort Belvoir, Virginia
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Places visited in Rock Hill, South Carolina
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Washington, D.C.

Albert Einstein Bronze Statue

The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.
Washington, D.C.

Man Controlling Trade

A muscular Art Deco monument represents the struggle between regulators and unbridled markets.
Washington, D.C.

Andrew W. Mellon Memorial Fountain

A spectacular tribute to statesman and philanthropist Andrew Mellon.
Washington, D.C.

Summerhouse

A hidden gem on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
Cumberland, Maryland

LaVale Toll Gate House

Maryland's first (and last standing) toll house on America's first federal road established the state as the "Gateway to the West."
Frostburg, Maryland

The Jail in the Gunter Hotel

The antique hotel still has a jail in the basement, though the cockfighting ring is long gone.
Falls Church, Virginia

Henderson House

The former home of Dr. E.B. Henderson, also known as the "Father of Black Basketball."
Falls Church, Virginia

Tinner Hill Historic Site

This monument traces the segregation line that inspired the first rural branch of the NAACP.
Falls Church, Virginia

'The Man Slopping Pigs'

This eye-catching sculpture of rural life seems a bit out of place at a suburban intersection in front of a car dealership.
Arlington, Virginia

Brandymore Castle

This "castle" is actually a limestone and quartz formation hidden along a trail.
Arlington, Virginia

Hall's Hill Wall

Remnants of a wall built to separate Black residents of Hall's Hill from a newly built subdivision are a grim reminder of segregation in 20th-century Virginia.
Falls Church, Virginia

The Fountain of Faith

These figures float and flutter in this fountain crafted by famed Swedish sculptor Carl Milles.
Fort Belvoir, Virginia

Facility 2298 Rail Bridge

The well-preserved remnants of a bridge that once made up a WW1-era military railroad.
Alexandria, Virginia

Olander Banks Sr. and Margaret Lomax Banks Community Park

Home to a 27 room house, this estate was crafted by Black entrepreneur Olander Banks Sr.
Alexandria, Virginia

Laurel Grove School Museum

The only remaining African American schoolhouse in northern Virginia is now a museum dedicated to formerly enslaved people.
Owls Head, Maine

Owls Head Transportation Museum

Every plane, auto, and bicycle in this collection is kept in working order and are regularly demonstrated to the public.
Washington, D.C.

Godey Lime Kilns

A historic ruin just 20 feet away from a busy highway onramp.
St. Augustine, Florida

The Ponce de León Hotel

A luxurious 1880s hotel with its fair share of Tiffany stained glass, Edison electricity, and of course, ghosts.
St. Augustine, Florida

Sacred Cat Rug

Possibly the world's oldest rug, this Egyptian relic is woven entirely from ancient cat hair and once carried a mummified human foot.
St. Augustine, Florida

Sir Winston Churchill's Lion 'Rota'

A lion given to the prime minister somehow got stuffed and sent to Florida.
St. Augustine, Florida

The Love Trees of St. Augustine

Intertwined, interspecies trees which locals believe can grant boons to lovers.
St. Augustine, Florida

Andrew Young Crossing

Bronze footprints mark the path where a civil rights leader tried to march in peaceful protest before being knocked unconscious.
St. Augustine, Florida

Treasury Street

St. Augustine's record-setting narrow street was designed to protect against pirates.
St. Augustine, Florida

Monson Steps

The site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s arrest as he attempted to have lunch.