This morning we had the special treat of visiting Grammie and Grandpa Mangum at the archive where they do family history work. As we walked up to the door a gentleman returning to his car said "It's closed today. Only open to the public Tuesday through Friday". We thanked him and pressed forward. Unbeknownst to him we have an in. Grammie let us in through security. She showed us one of the computers that she works at. Grandpa showed us the special camera they use to take pictures of historical records. It was a special tour.
Next up was the capitol building. We checked out the visitors center where we saw videos about the House and the Senate.
The Library of Congress.
The Supreme Court.
We ate lunch at Lincoln Park.
It was tricky but we were able to get a couple of pictures of the White House.
Next we went to Arlington National Cemetery. Thanks to Gram Connelly we learned that we have two relatives buried there. One of the attendant showed us to computers where we printed maps to the two graves.
People who have relatives in the cemetery get to ride in an air conditioned shuttle to the area they are buried. This is a good thing because section 18 is not too close to the visitor's center.
My mother's father Donald Dean Van Kirk is named after two men that fought in WWI. We first visited the grave of Donald David Shultz. He fought with the Marines in France. He died on October 10th, 1918.
Next we visited Dean R. Van Kirk. Gram reports that he died acting as a Navy test pilot in 1917.
We decided not to wait for the shuttle opting instead to walk. It was not Arizona hot but it was warm and humid. Along the way we passed the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
On the way back home we passed the Jefferson Memorial.
We know there is an interesting story behind you guys finding those headstones of your distant relatives
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