Congress established the National Archives Establishment in 1934 to centralize federal record keeping & holds Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights & a copy of the 1297 Magna Carta
Created in 1800 the library is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution & the largest library in the world. In 1815 Thomas Jefferson sold his entire personal collection of books to the library
On the second floor of the Theater, you can see the boxseat where Abe Lincoln was sitting when he was killed. On the lower level the museum displays exhibits about Lincoln’s life and his tragic death.
Completed in 1908, the station was the largest train station in the world at the time it was built. In fact, if put on its side, the Washington Monument could lay within the confines of the station.
After the federal government was established in Washington, the court was housed in a basement room in the US Capitol until 1929, when Chief Justice Taft argued successfully for their own building.
The museum first opened in 1964, and among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.
