"The Lost History of Potomac Marble" with Paul Kreingold

The destruction of Washington in 1814 by the invading British challenged President Monroe & architect Benjamin Latrobe with the task of rebuilding the edifices which had been destroyed. As did Washington and Jefferson earlier, they understood that the principal buildings of the government were not mere offices but symbols of the aspirations of the Republic. They had to be more than functional, they had to be beautiful. As classicists, their notions of beauty were derived from the ancient Greek and Roman Republics. Like the Greeks and Romans, the preferred building material was marble. The building material which was discovered and used was Potomac Marble, which exists in abundance on both sides of the Potomac River, extending from to Leesburg to Montgomery County. It is not actually marble, but a limestone conglomerate. Latrobe and Monroe rode all up and down Loudoun and Montgomery Counties opening up quarries, and despite many problems and political opposition, Latrobe was able to build the beautiful columns in the Capitol from this marble.

Mr. Kreingold is the Conservation Director of the Loudoun County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League and a Virginia Master Naturalist.