Tour Guide Tell All

Bartholdi Fountain and Park

“....Bartholdi Park was always one of my favorite little oases on Capitol Hill and anyone who works up there, any of the staffers, will probably tell you the same.”

In this mini-episode of Tour Guide Tell All, we take a look at one of the more beautiful but often overlooked spots on Capitol Hill, Bartholdi Park. This gorgeous oasis of plant life and relaxing shade is named in honor of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the man who created both the famed Statue of Liberty and the Fountain of Light and Water, the latter of which stands at the center of the Bartholdi Park today  .

Join us as we discuss Bartholdi the man, his stunning fountain, and what other hidden treasures you can see nearby.

Comments or Questions? Or have an idea for future episodes? Email us tourguidetellall@gmail.com

If you’re interested in in more information, we find these sources helpful:

• Architect of the Capitol's site on Bartholdi Park
• National Gallery of Art's site featuring Bartholdi's biography
• A Pinterest Image Collection of Bartholdi's Work
• For further reading: Belot, Robert; Daniel Bermond (2004). Bartholdi 

You’re Listening To: Dan King

The Person Responsible for it Sounding Good: Also Dan King

Technical & Admin Work Done During Naptime: Canden Arciniega 

Intro/Outro Music: Well-Seasoned from Audio Hero

History of Baseball in Washington DC

"What's fascinating about the Washington Grays is that they were one of the best teams in baseball but so many people don't know about them. They were a phenomonal team - they won 9 consecutive pennants, 3 Negro League World Series, 11 of their players are in the Hall of Fame, most notablly the powerhouse hitter Josh Gibson."

 

Let's talk about baseball! Our team, the Washington Nationals, are World Champs and we're going to count 2020 as their year as well because ... does this year really count? But the 2019 World Series for all its talk about bringing the World Series back to DC for the first time since 1933 ... was wrong. Becca, Canden and Rebecca talk about the last DC team to win a World Series, the Washington Homestead Grays of the Negro League. 

 

 

You've been listening to:

 

Canden, who grew up supporting the Durham Bulls.

Rebecca, who is still cheering on the Red Sox.

And Becca, who has a soft spot for the Houston Astros (scandals aside)

 

Dan King edited and mixed the podcast in Cleveland OH, home of his AL team.  Normally he lives just two blocks away from Nat's Park, home of the Nationals from the times when they were terrible to being the WORLD CHAMPIONS they are today. 

 

GO NATS!

 

For this week's episode, we'd like to highlight the work of SMYAL, Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders, an organization dedicated to supporting, uplifting, and empowering LGTBQ youth throughout the Washington, DC area.  Learn how you can volunteer or donate by visiting them at SMYAL.org.

Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence

To tie in with our discussion about the Declaration of Independence, our mini episode this week focuses on a lovely hidden gem of a memorial in Washington, to the Signers of the Declaration.  

 

Join us as we talk about the Bicentennial in 1976 and how it leads to the creation of one of the most overlooked memorials in Washington

 

Comments or Questions? Have an idea for a future episode? Email us tourguidetellall@gmail.com

Tweet at us @tourguidetell

This is the National Park Service website to the Memorial:

https://www.nps.gov/nama/blogs/the-signers-of-the-declaration-of-independence.htm

 

And the link to the NPS website on Constitution Gardens:

https://www.nps.gov/coga/index.htm

You are listening to Rebecca Fachner 

 

The Person Responsible for it Sounding Good: Dan King

 

Technical & Admin Work Done During Naptime: Canden Arcineiga

 

Intro/Outro Music: Well-Seasoned from Audio Hero

 

 

Myths About the Declaration of Independence (Bonus Episode!)

Tour Guide Tell All is ready for the 4th of July, except that we celebrate on the WRONG day! We are here to tell the real story about the Declaration of Independence and how we
have all been living a lie for over 200 years.

This week we have a special guest from Philadelphia, tour guide Jenn Hensell from our sister outfit, Philly Tours By Foot, to help us break down the truth and the myths surrounding this most famous of American documents.

Comments or Questions? Have an idea for a future episode?

Email us tourguidetellall@gmail.com
Tweet at us @tourguidetell

If you are interested in more information, here are some of the sources we used for this episode:

A great book about each of the signers which we leaned on for this episode is: Signing Their Lives Away by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese

The short story we mention about Button Gwinnett is called “Button, Button” by Isaac Asimov written in 1953.

The National Archives text of the Declaration of Independence and website https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

You are listening to Rebecca Fachner and special guest Jenn Hensell

The Person Responsible for it Sounding Good: Dan King

Technical and Admin Work Done During Naptime: Canden Arcineiga

Intro/Outro Music: Well-Seasoned from Audio Hero

The Assassination of Pres. James Garfield

“Garfield is, I think, one of the greatest tragedies in the American presidency.  He's a man who held such promise for the country at a time where we really were on this path, this post-Civil War path of hopefully bringing the country forward.  He had such great ideas, he was so smart, so compassionate and then to have his presidency cut down, to me, is such a tragedy."

Tour Guide Tell All delves into the unlikely stories of Charles Guiteau, a madman struggling to find his place in the world, and James Garfield, a man who worked his way from nothing to become a soldier, a scholar, and a statesman, and how their two lives intersect and end in blood.

Join us as we discuss politics, assassination, sex cults, and the Civil War  - plus a Broadway musical for good measure!

Comments or Questions? Or have an idea for future episodes? Email us tourguidetellall@gmail.com

If you’re interested in in more information, we find these sources helpful:

• Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness by Candice Millard
• United States House of Representatives - The Unveiling of the James A. Garfield Statue
• Smithsonian Magazine - The Stalking of the President
• Atlantic Magazine - This Is The Brain that Show President James Garfield
• National Museum of Health and Medicine 
• "The Ballad of Guiteau" from Assassins (The Broadway Cast Recording)
• "Mister Garfield" by Johnny Cash

You’re Listening To: Becca Grawl, Rebecca Fachner

The Person Responsible for it Sounding Good: Dan King

Technical & Admin Work Done During Naptime: Canden Arciniega 

Intro/Outro Music: Well-Seasoned from Audio Hero

Josephine Butler

“She was the daughter of sharecroppers, she was the granddaughter of enslaved people...she's not very far removed from the Civil War era.  She comes from Virginia to Washington, D.C., she's going to carve out a new life for herself and become one of the most respected city leaders of her generation."

Tour Guide Tell All continues its exploration of Malcolm X/Meridian Hill Park by taking a look at a stately mansion, popular today as a wedding and special events venue, named for a woman who had an incredible impact on D.C. and the preservation of the park across the street.

Join us as we talk about Josephine Butler, a woman who spent her life working to make D.C. a safer, cleaner, and more equitable place to live and who championed the cause for D.C. Statehood, a fight that continues today.

Comments or Questions? Or have an idea for future episodes? Email us tourguidetellall@gmail.com

If you’re interested in in more information, we find these sources helpful:

• Josephine Butler Obituary - Washington Post
• Black Perspectives - Josephine Butler and Environmental Activism in Washington, D.C.
• Josephine Butler Call Box
• Josephine Butler Parks Center
• D.C. Statehood/Green Party

You’re Listening To: Becca Grawl

The Person Responsible for it Sounding Good: Dan King

Technical & Admin Work Done During Toddler Naptime: Canden Arciniega 

Intro/Outro Music: Well-Seasoned from Audio Hero

 

 

Common Washington DC Myths

Did George Washington really chop down a cherry tree? Is the White House made from stone from Croatia? Is Robert E. Lee really sculpted into the back of Lincoln's head at the Lincoln Memorial?

One of our favorite things to do as tour guides is help correct some common myths, so in this episode we all talk about some of our most-heard myths about the White House, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and more.

Comments or Questions? Or have an idea for future episodes? Email us tourguidetellall@gmail.com

 

If you want to know more about any common Washington DC myths, check out our old YouTube Series, Should Have Asked A Tour Guide- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpNEdLF6RWV1rVtJQuq4HM0LCJzKKeV3z

 

You can also hire us as tour guides because we're back touring - for small group local private tours, that is. 

 

You’re Listening To: Becca Grawl, Dan King, Rebecca Fachner and Canden Arciniega

The Person Responsible for it Sounding Good: Dan & Canden

Intro/Outro Music: Well-Seasoned from Audio Hero

Joan of Arc Statue

Joan of Arc, this peasant teenager from the middle of nowhere, has basically just gotten a vision from God telling her that she needs to put the Prince in Reims and make him king. Sure, why not? What could possibly go wrong? (3:58 in recording)

 

Tour Guide Tell All continues its month long exploration of Malcolm X Park with a prominent but mysterious statue in the center of the park. 

 

Join us as we discuss Joan of Arc, why she’s famous, why she’s a saint and what her statue is doing in Washington DC. Bonus: her mysteriously disappearing sword.

 

Comments or Questions? Or have an idea for future episodes? Email us tourguidetellall@gmail.com

 

We love these links for more information:

 

For a full book length treatment of Joan, we recommend  (and used for the episode!) Joan of Arc by Helen Castor

 

About the DC memorial: 

http://dcmemorialist.com/joan-of-arc/

 

This is about the sword being restored: https://www.google.com/amp/s/wtop.com/dc/2018/03/ready-battle-dcs-joan-arc-statue-wields-sword/amp/

 

General information about her sanctification: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-joan-of-arc/

 

 

You’re Listening To: Rebecca Fachner

The Person Responsible for it Sounding Good: Dan King

Intro/Outro Music: Well-Seasoned from Audio Hero

Frederick Douglass

"His life is so expansive and it really does reflect this incredible roller coaster of race in America and of so much change, how much the country changes - for the good and for the worse - between the 1840s and 1900.”

Tour Guide Tell All celebrates Juneteenth with a look at the life and times of Frederick Douglass and the significance of his legacy today.

Join us as we discuss Juneteenth, Frederick Douglass, the Civil War, and Reconstruction as well as how we honor Douglass' legacy today in our nation's capital.

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We planned and recorded this episode in mid-May. We did not realize how relevant the episode was going to be at the time. We encourage you to listen to these podcasts to learn more about black history and to visit the NMAAHC Talking about Race website to learn more:https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race

• Uncivil
• Good Ancestor
• The Nod
• Noire Histoir
• Every Day Black History
• The Stoop
• Black History Buff

Comments or Questions? Or have an idea for future episodes? Email us tourguidetellall@gmail.com

If you’re interested in in more information, we find these sources helpful:

• NMAAHC - Legacy of Juneteenth
• Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
• Cedar Hill in Anacostia
• Washington Post- Frederick Douglass' Last Day
• Washington Post - Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln
• Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David Blight
• "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July" by Frederick Douglass
• "The Race Problem" by Frederick Douglass
• "The Lessons of the Hour" by Frederick Douglass

You’re Listening To: Becca Grawl, Rebecca Fachner

The Person Responsible for it Sounding Good: Dan King

Technical & Admin Work Done During Naptime: Canden Arciniega 

Intro/Outro Music: Well-Seasoned from Audio Hero

James Buchanan Memorial

This is a man who probably would have been totally forgotten about, he would be in the dustbin of history, he'd be a President that none of us except for dorky tour guides and people who like to know weird things for pub trivia would know about if it had not been for his niece, Harriet Lane and this is the part of the story that I find really interesting.”

Tour Guide Tell All continues its exploration of Malcolm X/Meridian Hill Park by taking a look at an often-forgotten presidential memorial found in the park.

Join us as we discuss James Buchanan, often regarded as one of the worst presidents in history, Harriet Lane, a woman ahead of her time, and a 15 year fight to place a presidential memorial in D.C.

Comments or Questions? Or have an idea for future episodes? Email us tourguidetellall@gmail.com

If you’re interested in in more information, we find these sources helpful:

• James Buchanan Memorial  - D.C. Memorialist
• Boundary Stones - A Memorial Fifteen Years In the Making
• White House Historical Association - Harriet Lane

You’re Listening To: Becca Grawl

Sound Editing, Technical & Admin Work: Canden Arciniega 

Intro/Outro Music: Well-Seasoned from Audio Hero