Ward 5 Has Its Share of Green and History

The National Arboretum located in Ward 5 is 446 acres of botanical research and gardening. It was established in 1927 by Congress and is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. It conducts research on trees, shrubs, turf and floral plants. It has a library with 10,000 volumes and approximately 90 publications concentrating in botanical literature and has been honored for outstanding contributions in plant breeding and taxonomy.

Although the Arboretum attractions are based on forestry and plants, one of the other biggest attractions is The National Capitol Columns. They are a part of U.S. History as they are from the U.S. Capitol.

“The columns began their life on the East Portico of the Capitol in 1828. They were quarried from sandstone near Aquia Creek in Virginia and were barged to Washington in the early days of our country, before the familiar Capitol dome was completed. Their stay at the Capitol was to be limited by an oversight. The dome of the Capitol, completed in 1864, appeared as if it was not adequately supported by the columns because the iron dome that was ultimately built was significantly larger than the dome that the designer envisioned.” The National Capitol Columns are the most photographed attraction at The National Arboretum.

If you are in Washington, DC and in Ward 5, The National Arboretum would be a great place to visit, photograph and explore nature at its best. When was the last time you were surrounded by the green of trees and plants in all directions? When was the last time you touched a piece of history with your bare hands?