Federal Hall National Memorial

 

Visited: July 2024

Nearby city: New York City, NY

At the intersection of Wall Street and Broad Street, in the heart of the Financial District in Lower Manhattan, you will find the location of the country's first capitol building established under the Constitution. 

Federal Hall National Memorial marks the site where George Washington took the inaugural oath as our nation's first president, and where the U.S. Congress first held session.

The original building at this spot, built in 1703, initially served as the City Hall of New York City. In 1765, delegates from nine colonies met here to form the Contitental Congress of 1765 (aka Stamp Act Congress) to seek a unified strategy against the then-recently imposed taxes by the British Parliament. After the American Revolution, the newly-independent nation's initial central government under the Articles of Confederation (the Congress of the Confederation) met here from 1784 to 1789.

When the U.S. Constitution was ratified, the first U.S. Congress (comprised of the Senate and House of Representatives) met here beginning on March 4, 1789. It was here that the Bill of Rights (which would eventually become the first 10 amendments of the Constitution) was officially proposed. The Judiciary Act of 1789 (which established the federal court system) was enacted here.

George Washington's inauguration was held here on April 30, 1789.

A drawing depicting Washington's inauguration at Federal Hall

In 1790, the U.S. capital was moved to Philadelphia. Federal Hall was then used as meeting place for other government assemblies and as a courthouse. In 1812, the New York City government sold the building and it was subsequently demolished.

The existing structure on the site was built in 1842 and served as the U.S. Custom House for the Port of New York. Starting in 1862, the building served as a United States Sub-treasury Office. In 1883, to celebrate the site's legacy, a large statue of George Washington, sculpted by John Quincy Adams Ward, was placed on the steps, where it stands to this day. 

George Washington statue in front of Federal Hall

The architecture is Greek Revival. At the time of our visit, extensive work was being done on the outside, hence, the building was mostly obstructed by scaffolding.

Finally, in 1939, the U.S. government announced that the building would be preserved as Federal Hall National Memorial, to be maintained and administered by the National Park Service.

inside Federal Hall

the main rotunda

one of the only surviving parts from the original Federal Hall is this piece of the balcony floor

Washington himself stood on this stone while taking the inaugural oath as our first President.

Just across the street from Federal Hall is the New York Stock Exchange.

the building's main facade on Wall Street

the Stock Exchange is one of New York's most iconic buildings

Although not the original building, it was neat to visit Federal Hall and see where our government began.

More info here: https://www.nps.gov/feha/index.htm

Castle Clinton National Monument

Visited: July 2024

Nearby city: New York City, NY (Manhattan)

Castle Clinton (also known as Fort Clinton or Castle Garden) is a small circular sandstone fort in Battery Park, on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. 

Castle Clinton was built in 1811 as part of a plan to protect New York Harbor with multiple forts. It was named for Dewitt Clinton, the long-serving mayor of New York City and who would later serve as the Governor of New York. Although the War of 1812 broke out shortly after construction was completed, Castle Clinton never ended up being used for warfare. Instead, it served as an administrative headquarters for the Army. 

The Army stopped using the fort in 1821. It was later transfered to the City of New York, who leased the building as a beer garden, exhibition hall, and a theater. In 1850, the famous soprano, Jenny Lind "The Swedish Nightingale," made her debut performance in the United States at Castle Clinton. 

In 1855, Castle Clinton became the country's first immigration processing station. Between 1855 and 1890, over 7.5 million immigrants entered the United States at the fort. 

In 1890, due to limited space at the fort and growing number of immigrants, processing duties were transferred to the federal government's installation on Ellis Island.

Here's the link to the post of our visit to Ellis Island: 

https://paulnationalparks.blogspot.com/2025/07/ellis-island.html

Castle Clinton then served as the home of the New York City Aquarium from 1896 to 1941. 

In February 1941, NY City Commissioners announced plans to demolish the fort to make way for a subway tunnel connecting Battery Park to Brooklyn. In response, historical associations rallied to "save the fort." 

The fort was partially demolished, but ultimately, the preservation efforts were successful. In 1946, US Congress and the New York State Assembly passed legislation to cede Castle Clinton back to the federal government. The fort was officially designated as a National Monument on October 24, 1950.

Castle Clinton is in the heart of downtown Manhattan

There are a few exhibits/interpretive signs at the fort. However, at this point, Castle Clinton's primary function is the location to buy/pick-up tickets for the ferry to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

For more info on Castle Clinton: https://www.nps.gov/cacl/index.htm

Kootenai Falls

 

Visited: May 2024

Nearby town: Libby, MT

"The time has come to identify and preserve free-flowing stretches of our great scenic rivers before growth and development make the beauty of the unspoiled waterway a memory."

-Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson, in a special message to Congress on Feb 8, 1965

Johnson's efforts led to the passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968

The Kootenai (or Kootenay) River starts high in the Canadian Rockies, flows south into Montana, and then bends to the north before flowing into the Columbia River near Castlegar, British Columbia.

The wild 485-mile run of the Kootenai River is full of breathtaking scenery, including Kootenai Falls in northwestern Montana. Although not remarkably tall (56 ft), it is very wide (846.5 ft) and is one of the largest waterfalls in the country by flow rate. 

The falls can be easily accessed by a short footpath right along U.S. Highway 2.

the foot path crosses over a railway.

The falls and surrounding area is beautiful and incredibly scenic.

The falls are a very popular roadside stop thanks in part to the Swinging Bridge. The bridge was first built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to better facilitate firefighter access to the north side of the river. 

The original bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1948. It was rebuilt, and rebuilt again in 2019. 

It was a little scary to cross the swinging bridge, but the bridge is very safe. 

Thrilling to cross high over the raging river.

The raging river and the falls have been featured in several movies, including "The River Wild" (1994) and "The Revenant" (2015).

If traveling in northwestern Montana/Idaho panhandle, Kootenai Falls is well worth a stop.