5 Stop 5 of 9 on Dead Letters and Cursed Gems

Smithsonian Castle

National Mall, Washington DC

A Preview

"The Smithsonian Castle. Look at it — red sandstone, turrets, towers. It looks like it was lifted straight out of twelfth-century England. Which is the point. The architect deliberately echoed the English collegiate Gothic tradition. The irony is that the man this place is named for spent his whole life being shut out of exactly those institutions. James Smithson. Born around seventeen sixty-five."

Hear the full story in the app — narrated and timed to play right where you're standing.

The Reveal

This stop is part of the tour’s larger story. An optional reveal at the end lets you revisit which details stayed perfectly honest and which got a little extra help.

Hear the full story at Smithsonian Castle

This is just one of 9 stops on the Dead Letters and Cursed Gems tour. Download the app, put in your headphones, and experience it for real.

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