Emily Chan
Beneath the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a hidden underground chamber was discovered. The round brick chamber was not a secret tunnel used for clandestine activities by any means, which may be disappointing to some. However, it is still an interesting part of the history of early infrastructure in D.C.
The cistern was originally built in 1847 to store rainwater. It has been sealed and forgotten about for more than 120 years.
According to the National Park Service, construction crews ran into the chamber’s opening while working on renovations beneath the Smithsonian Institution Building, which is part of the stretch of museums and memorials that line Jefferson Drive.
The chamber measures nine feet across and 30 feet deep. It was meant to collect and contain rainwater, but it was found empty and bone dry. The Smithsonian Institution Building, known as the “Castle,” was constructed in 1855.
It was funded by an Englishman named James Smithson, who ordered that his estate, worth half a million dollars at the time, be used to establish an educational institution named after him upon his death in 1829.
The building was designed by an architect named James Renwick Jr. in the English Norman style, a combination of early Romanesque and early Gothic from the 11th and 12th centuries. Red sandstone from Seneca Creek, Maryland, was used to form the Castle.
The building contained exhibition halls, chemical laboratories, storage areas, and a library. It also housed Joseph Henry, the Smithsonian’s first secretary. Soon, other museums and government structures began popping up around it.
Throughout the years, many rumors have circulated about the existence of supernatural beings or mythical structures beneath the National Mall. For instance, some people believe that ghosts haunt secret passageways in the Smithsonian Castle.
The institution denies there are ghosts, but a real passageway meant for staff members does exist. It connects the Castle to the Freer and Sackler Galleries of the National Museum of Asian Art, the National Museum of African Art, and the Arts and Industries Building.
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