This photograph of the West Colonnade and the Rose Garden was taken by Martin Ratigan on July 1, 2021 during the Joseph R. Biden administration. The photograph, taken just outside the Oval Office, shows the beautiful grounds, and the ornate garden visible from the president's desk.

This photograph of the West Colonnade and the Rose Garden was taken by Martin Ratigan on July 1, 2021 during the Joseph R. Biden administration. The Rose Garden is made up of colorful annual perennials in addition to the roses it is named after. It is located on the west side of the South Grounds, just outside the Oval Office. It has gone through several incarnations: a vegetable garden in the first part of the 19th century, a “colonial” garden in 1902, and then replaced with a rose garden in 1913. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy wanted to expand the garden for official functions and events. His idea became the Rose Garden, designed by horticulturist, gardener, and close friend of the Kennedys, Rachel Lambert Mellon. The garden was installed the following year, becoming a green theater for official ceremonies and a special place for the first family’s private enjoyment.

This photograph of the exterior walls of the Smithsonian Institution was taken by Martin Radigan. The building committee for Smithsonian selected Seneca stone for the walls. They determined it would be more durable and appropriate to the architectural style of James Renwick Jr, who designed the building. Renwick himself visited the quarry to select the stone. The building was completed in 1855 and is now known as "The Castle."

This photograph of the Smithsonian Institution was taken by Martin Radigan. The building committee for Smithsonian selected Seneca stone for the walls. They determined it would be more durable and appropriate to the architectural style of James Renwick Jr, who designed the building. Renwick himself visited the quarry to select the stone. The building was completed in 1855 and is now known as "The Castle."

This photograph of the Capitol Columns in the National Arboretum was taken by Martin Radigan. These Corinthian columns sit on a natural knoll in the Ellipse Meadow. Originally part of the East Portico of the Capitol in 1828 , these columns were dwarfed by the Capitol dome when it was completed in 1864. The dome was much larger than the designer intended, and additions were made to adequately support it. These Aquia sandstone columns were moved to the National Arboretum in the 1980s.

This photograph of McClellan Gate in Arlington National Cemetery was taken by Martin Radigan. McClellan Gate is thirty feet high and was constructed of Seneca sandstone in the 1870s. Many visitors to Arlington National Cemetery pass beneath this gate every year.

This photograph of the grave of John Clipper, known as Jack, was taken by Martin Radigan. John Clipper was a freeman and stonecutter whose hand-carved, Seneca sandstone headstone is one of five remaining in the Seneca Quarry cemetery. He was born into slavery in 1840 in Hanover, Virginia and freed during the Civil War. He came to Maryland and worked at the Seneca quarry mill. He lived in a house near the C&O Canal with his wife and ten children.

This photograph was taken by Martin Radigan. It shows the lockkeeper's house in the Seneca quarry, a site which provided much of the stone used for buildings in Washington, D.C. This house was built of Seneca sandstone in 1829, just as the North Portico of the White House was being built.

This photograph by Martin Radigan shows what remains of the Seneca Quarry, from which early stone for the White House was sourced. It was located in Maryland near the Potomac River where the stone could be easily transported back to the capital.

This photograph by Martin Radigan shows what remains of the Seneca Quarry, from which early stone for the White House was sourced. It was located in Maryland near the Potomac River where the stone could be easily transported back to the capital.

This photograph by Martin Radigan shows what remains of the Seneca Quarry, from which early stone for the White House was sourced. It was located in Maryland near the Potomac River where the stone could be easily transported back to the capital.

This photograph shows where craftsmen split and harvested the stone from the natural outcroppings in Aquia quarry on Government Island for building materials. After splitting the stones the craftsmen would evaluate their quality deciding whether to discard the stones or send them to the building site. In 1791, the federal government purchased Wiggington’s Island, now Government Island, to provide stone to build the President’s House and the United States Capitol. From 1791 through the 1820s extensive quantities of freestone were extracted from this site.

This photograph shows where craftsmen split and harvested the stone from the natural outcroppings in Aquia quarry on Government Island for building materials. After splitting the stones the craftsmen would evaluate their quality deciding whether to discard the stones or send them to the building site. In 1791, the federal government purchased Wiggington’s Island, now Government Island, to provide stone to build the President’s House and the United States Capitol. From 1791 through the 1820s extensive quantities of freestone were extracted from this site.

This photograph is of the unused stone at Aquia quarry. The stones bear the chisel marks from splitting and smoothing indicating they were being prepared for transport, but ultimately abandoned for some physical defect. In 1791, the federal government purchased Wiggington’s Island, now Government Island, to provide stone to build the President’s House and the United States Capitol. From 1791 through the 1820s extensive quantities of freestone were extracted from this site.

This photograph is of the unused stone at Aquia quarry. The stones bear the chisel marks from splitting and smoothing indicating they were being prepared for transport, but ultimately abandoned for some physical defect. In 1791, the federal government purchased Wiggington’s Island, now Government Island, to provide stone to build the President’s House and the United States Capitol. From 1791 through the 1820s extensive quantities of freestone were extracted from this site.

This photograph was taken on Government Island in Stafford, Virginia. The federal government purchased the island, then known as Wiggington's Island, in 1791. The island served as a quarry for the freestone that was used to build the President's House and the United States Capitol Building. Extensive amounts of freestone were extracted from 1791 to the 1820s. In this photograph is natural stone that had been successfully split by the quarrymen but left behind, likely due to physical imperfections. Bright green lichen has covered the stone over the years.

This photograph was taken on Government Island in Stafford, Virginia. The federal government purchased the island, then known as Wiggington's Island, in 1791. The island served as a quarry for the freestone that was used to build the President's House and the United States Capitol Building. Extensive amounts of freestone were extracted from 1791 to the 1820s. This photograph captures a "quarry-face," or the trimming of a stone with a chisel. Stonemasons would trim each of the six faces of a stone before the stone was cut into even smaller blocks. The forward facing side of the block would then be smoothed while the remaining five faces, unexposed and unseen in the walls of the building, were left rough.

This photograph was taken on Government Island in Stafford, Virginia. The federal government purchased the island, then known as Wiggington's Island, in 1791. The island served as a quarry for the freestone that was used to build the President's House and the United States Capitol Building. Extensive amounts of freestone were extracted from 1791 to the 1820s. This photograph captures the remnants of an outcropping overtaken by growth and invasive tree roots. Quarrymen likely split off the better stone from this outcropping and left the remaining due to the recesses and holes, which meant the stone was too weak for construction. The stone also shows visible signs of chisel and tool marks.

This photograph is of Aquia Creek near Government Island in Stafford, Virginia. The federal government purchased the island, then known as Wiggington's Island, in 1791. The island served as a quarry for the freestone that was used to build the President's House and the United States Capitol Building. Extensive amounts of freestone were extracted from 1791 to the 1820s. Stone extracted was then transported to Washington, D.C. via Aquia Creek and the Potomac River.

This photograph is of the stone quarry on the shores of Aquia Creek. In 1791, the federal government purchased Wiggington’s Island, now Government Island, to provide stone to build the President’s House and the United States Capitol Building. From 1791 through the 1820s extensive quantities of freestone were extracted from this site.

This photograph was taken on Government Island in Stafford, Virginia. The federal government acquired all but one acre of the island, then known as Wiggington's Island, in 1791. The island served as a quarry for the freestone that was used to build the President's House and the United States Capitol Building. Extensive amounts of freestone were extracted from 1791 to the 1820s. In this photograph, the mark of stonemason Robert Steuart of Baltimore, Maryland, who purchased the remaining one acre in 1786, is seen on this boundary marker with the initials, "R.S."

This photograph is of one of the unused stones at Aquia quarry on Government Island. The stones bear the chisel marks from splitting and smoothing indicating they were being prepared for transport, but ultimately abandoned because of some physical defect. In 1791, the federal government purchased Wiggington’s Island, now Government Island, to provide stone to build the President’s House and the United States Capitol Building. From 1791 through the 1820s extensive quantities of freestone were extracted from this site.

This photograph taken by Martin Radigan features the D.C. skyline, with the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Capitol prominently.