The Setting of the Washington Lockhouse in 1848

begins my novel Faith on the Mall.

What grabbed my imagination for this story...

was that I had passed the Lockkeeper's House in my car so many times and wondered about it. Its renovation in 2018 sent me there for its opening and to meet a living descendent of a lockkeeper's family that had lived there, named Lilly Livesay.  (She gave me a character's name for sure!)

AT THE BASE OF THE PRESIDENT'S MANSION (UPPER LEFT) IT WAS THE ENTRY TO THE CITY OR WASHINGTON CANAL WHICH MADE THE MALL LITERALLY AN ISLAND (FOLLOW THE RED LINE.)

Built in 1837, it truly begins the history of construction on the National Mall

(In case you're wondering, the Capitol grounds are technically not part of the Mall.)

AFTER THE RENOVATION

Today, it's an entry to the Mall where you can learn its history

The Trust for the National Mall raised the funds to restore it and you can click here to learn more and watch a video of its movement farther away from Constitution Avenue. We owe a big debt to the Trust for this important work. Donate here to support their continuing work on our national legacy.

JULY 4, 1848

The laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument is the first civic event in my novel

When the cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848, my character Betsy describes the crowd of 20,000, and pomp and circumstance that included President James K. Polk, Dolley (Mrs. James) Madison, Mrs. Alexander Hamilton, George Washington Parke Custis, and future Presidents James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Abraham Lincoln. Something to rival our current Mall events!