The site of America's first commercial oil well essentially disappeared after the town went bust.

Priceless space junk on display in front of a local Dairy Queen.

This imposing Masonic temple a mile from the White House was the first public library in Washington, D.C.

The little-known, 300-year history of the area includes former lives as a bustling tobacco port, parking lot, and industrial dump.

Corn-inthian columns with a uniquely American take on neoclassical architecture.

Rumor has it the uncarved lump behind the three famous suffragists is reserved for the first woman president.

This statue of the "father of television" stands prominently in the United States Capitol.

A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.

A bas relief commemorates the "Nuns of the Battlefield" who cared for soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

Soldiers were buried next to Lee's house in the center of Arlington Cemetery to dissuade the general from reclaiming his property after the war.

Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.

This seemingly out-of-place gas station by the Watergate hotel was once described as the most expensive gas station in the world.

One critic described it as "middle Mussolini, early Ramses, and late Neiman-Marcus." Another called it an architectural "natural disaster."

During the Industrial Revolution this “Temple of Invention” was full of intricate miniature machines and gadgets.

The national park was once a plantation estate.

Architecture lovers won’t stop touching the National Gallery's 19.5 degree marble prow.

Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

An overlooked memorial honoring the local Washington residents who died in World War I.

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.

While most wind tunnels test scale models, the "Cave of Winds" was large enough for actual airplanes.

This lovely picnic spot featuring thunderous jet landings is an aircraft spotter’s dream.

The romance of early commercial flight still fills this Art Deco destination.

This isn't your average roadway—it's actually a National Park and a transportation pioneer.