Smithsonian Museum of American History, Second and Third Floor

We needed to go back to the Museum of American History and complete our tour. We didn't have enough time last week and there is soooo much to see here.

As we walked from the subway to the museum, we took a slight detour through the Sculpture Garden, where a large central fountain frames an adjacent building.

And Donna found a tree to hug!

Just down the street we strolled into a Butterfly Garden, where flowers irresistible to butterflies are displayed as an example of how an urban landscape can attract butterflies and insects, and the Hibiscus, Woodland Sage, and Stargazers were in full bloom.

Once inside the Museum of American History, the items on display boggle the mind.

From a piece of Plymouth Rock,

to Plutonium used in the Manhattan Project,





















and Archie and Edith Bunkers chairs.

In an exhibit called "Within these Walls", a house built in the 1760's has been dismantled and rebuilt inside the museum. Complete with fireplaces and furniture, it shows the original construction and how the house was added onto and modified over the course of 200 years. Originally located at 16 Elm Street in Ipswitch, Massachusetts, it housed a number of different families over the years. Much is known about the various families, their squabbles, their births and deaths, military service, and how the house was transferred from owner to owner. A fascinating look at a house that truly was a home.

An incredible number or artifacts are on display: General Washington's camp trunk, the furniture that Lee and Grant sat on in the home of Wilbur McLean, adjacent to the Appomattox courthouse. Interestingly enough, McLean had moved far away from the fighting, only to find it ending in his parlor.

One of our favorite things was Stubby.  Smuggled overseas in WW I, he was the mascot of the 102nd Infantry, 26th Division, and was credited with saving the lives of many men due to his ability to recognize enemy soldiers from a great distance and being able to smell deadly gases from far away. He was awarded a gold medal by General John J. Pershing, and made a life member of the American Red Cross, the YMCA, and American Legion.

And then we had a mug shot of Al Capone as he was introduced to Al Catraz.

We had a bit of a search, but we finally found them:

D contemplating the future of those lovely shoes….

Our trip back to the subway took us a slightly different direction, past the Old Post Office, now under construction. Bummer, since we wanted to take the tour up the tower and its memorial bells.

Turns out Trump is turning it into the International Hotel.

Oh well, next time….