The origins of the “Old Capitol Prison” - The Brick Capitol

1814 – The British burn Washington City, leaving few buildings unaffected. One of those buildings burnt was the United States Capitol. On August 24, 1814, the British burn the Capitol Building, Washington, DC.

1815 – United States Congress begins meeting at the “new” Brick Capitol, across the street and in the shadows of the still smoldering United States Capitol. At this time, Congress met for one session in Blodgett's Hotel, at Seventh and E Streets, N.W. On December 13, 1815, the U.S. Congress begins meeting at the Brick Capitol, at 1^st and A Streets, N.E.

Meanwhile, a new brick capitol was built, designed by Benjamin Latrobe, in an adjacent vacant lot, occupied by a garden and a tavern at the corner of 1^st and A Streets, N.E., paid for by public subscription, the largest contributors were Daniel Carroll and John Law, local Washington businessmen. President Monroe was concerned that northern politicians might get what they were agitating for, to move the Federal government to a more secure, northern location. Built at a cost of $30,000, the owners also asked the Federal government to contribute $5,000, a one-time expense, and an annual rental of $1,650.

Meeting in a large room that took up nearly all of the second floor and received light from a single large palladium window, the United States Senate approved a number of new States into the Union – Indiana (1816), Mississippi (1817), Illinois (1818), Florida (1819), and Alabama (1819). The Senate ratified the Rush-Bagot Treaty, which limited armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.

In 1817, the first outdoor Presidential inauguration, that of President James Monroe, was held, immediately outside of the front door of the Brick Capitol.

Congress met in the Brick Capitol from 1815 until 1819, when the considerable repairs had been completed in the original capitol.

Welcome to The Old Capitol Prison blog.

Over the coming days, weeks, and months, I hope to explore, with you, the Old Capitol Prison, one of America's little known prisons for political prisoners or "prisoners of state" that existed during the American Civil War.

Originally built in 1815, the Old Capitol Prison initially served as a meeting place for the United States Senate and House of Representatives and was known as the "Brick Capitol." It was built by local businessmen, following the burning of the U.S. Capitol, in 1814, as a part of the War of 1812 between the United States and England, America's Second War of Independence. The gentlemen feared that the Federal government would choose this opportunity to move the nation's capital to another location and they would loose important governmental business.

This blog, while touching on sensitive issues regarding the United States Constitution, the powers of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches of the Federal Government, and the military vs. civil courts, is not intended to be a site to discuss current such issues. It is intended to focus on those issues as they existed, up to, during, and immediately following the American Civil War.