Piece image
Image by: www.earthinpictures.com 

Lincoln, Memorialized: The Myths & Legends Of A D.C. Icon

Series: The Newcomer's Guide to Washington
From: Rebecca Sheir
Length: 00:06:58

Embed_button
Secret signs... hidden profiles... underground stalactites... This is not your 8th-grade tour of D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial. Read the full description.

Daniel_chester_french_sculpture_of_abraham_lincoln_inside_the_lincoln_memorial_small Secret messages in sign language. Hidden sculptures of Confederate generals. Underground stalactites. In the sixth and final chapter of Rebecca Sheir's "Newcomer's Guide To Washington," we tackle the myths and legends surrounding one of DC's most iconic sites: the Lincoln Memorial.

More from Rebecca Sheir

Piece image

The Myths And Mysteries Of Curious George(town) (00:06:45)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Georgetown is one of Washington, D.C.'s most storied neighborhoods - but not all of those stories are true...
Piece image

Going Local: The Ins And Outs Of "Washingtonian-ness" (00:07:04)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Paris has its Parisians, Boston its Bostonians. What does it take to be/become a Washingtonian?
Caption: Why is the WaMo three different colors?, Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Obelisk In The Sky/Obama In The House: D.C.'s Monumental Myths (00:05:47)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Think you know why the White House flag is flying, and the Washington Monument is tri-colored? Then you might want to think again.
Piece image

Shedding Light On Height: The Truth About D.C.'s Skyline (short version) (00:03:27)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Getting to the bottom of why Washington, D.C.'s building tops... are so low.
Piece image

Shedding Light On Height: The Truth About D.C.'s Skyline (00:04:55)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Getting to the bottom of why Washington, D.C.'s building tops... are so low.
Piece image

J Street, Traffic Circles & The Swamp That Never Was (00:05:34)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Was DC really built on a swamp? Why does the grid system have no J Street? And what's up with all those crazy traffic circles?
Caption: The Packard Campus is roughly 500,000 square feet, built into the side of a mountain in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains., Credit: Library of Congress/Matt Raymond

Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground (short version) (00:03:28)
From: Rebecca Sheir

What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?
Caption: The Packard Campus is roughly 500,000 square feet, built into the side of a mountain in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains., Credit: Library of Congress Photo/ Matt Raymond

Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground (00:06:38)
From: Rebecca Sheir

What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?
Caption: The original Virginia Is For Lovers slogan/logo, created by Martin & Woltz (now The Martin Agency) in 1968., Credit: The Martin Agency

Is Virginia Really For Lovers? (00:05:50)
From: Rebecca Sheir

The real story behind one of the most famous tourism slogans of all time.
Caption: This rough sketch for a children's book drew one D.C. native into a mystery regarding “Colored Only” signs in D.C. in the 1930s. , Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Remembering the Subtle Signs of Segregation (00:07:41)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A well-meaning illustration in a children's book sparks controversy over segregation in the nation's capital in the 1930s.

Piece Description

Secret messages in sign language. Hidden sculptures of Confederate generals. Underground stalactites. In the sixth and final chapter of Rebecca Sheir's "Newcomer's Guide To Washington," we tackle the myths and legends surrounding one of DC's most iconic sites: the Lincoln Memorial.

Broadcast History

An extended version of this story originally aired on WAMU 88.5's "Metro Connection," 8/6/10.

Intro and Outro

INTRO:

OUTRO:

Rebecca Sheir is a reporter with WAMU 88.5 in Washington, D.C.