Capitol tour, Washington D.C. 2009

Our tour of the Capitol was made possible by Congressman Gallegly's office and my sister, Dorothy, whose volunteer work for him gave us the opportunity to the tour on short notice.

The Capitol building is marked by its central dome above a rotunda and two wings, one for each chamber of Congress: the north wing is the Senate chamber and the south wing is the House chamber.

Located within the top of the dome, as you can see in the upper corners of the photo is the famous Frieze of United States History.

Our tour guide, Ron Jackson, is pointing out some of the events in our history

Discovery of Gold in California depicted in the Frieze of the United States History

Rotunda and National Statuary Hall

Eleven presidents have lain in state in the Rotunda for public viewing, most recently Gerald Ford in 2006

Statues of Ronald Reagan and General Dwight D. Eisenhower

The painting is the signing of the Declaration of Independence , the painting depicts John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and the principal author, Thomas Jefferson—members of the Committee of Five, which drafted the Declaration of Independence

Martin Luther King, Jr. is to date the only African-American honored with a bust in the United States Capitol. The pedestal was designed by the sculptor to follow the lines of the shoulders of the bust, creating a unified shape and enhancing the monumental effect.

The Old Supreme Court Chamber is the first room constructed for the use of the nation's highest judiciary body. Built by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, it was a significant architectural achievement, for the size and structure of its vaulted, semicircular ceiling were virtually unprecedented in the United States.

Capitol visitor center

This is the original plaster casting of Freedom, she adorns the Capitol Dome and is a colossal bronze standing figure 19½-feet (6 meters) tall and weighing approximately 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg).

Donna is standing in front the bronze statue of King Kamehameha donated by the state of Hawaii upon its accession to the union in 1959. The statues extraordinary weight of 15,000 pounds (6,804 kg) raised concerns that it might come crashing through the floor in Statuary Hall, so it was moved to Emancipation Hall of the new Capitol Visitor Center.