Viral video just posted by a US rep shows a secret tunnel nestled under the floorboards of the US Capitol that, according to legend, was stormed by British soldiers in the War of 1812.
Congressman Tim Moore (R-NC) showed off the tunnel’s entrance in the Lincoln Room, which used to be the House’s post office during the Civil War president’s time in office, and explained that it is one of his favorite features to point out on tours.
“Construction started in the 1700s, and there are all sorts of little hidden passageways” in the Capitol, Moore explained in a video on his X account. “As you saw, I just pulled this cover up, and you can see.
“You can see there’s a passageway. These were old stairs that used to be here but were closed off,” he said. “Believe it or not, my big self [has] actually gotten down and more importantly out of this hole.”
The secret tunnel leads outside the US Capitol building. During the early days of the Capitol building, the House of Representatives convened in the space next to the Lincoln Room, Statuary Hall, which is now a gallery with statues of iconic Americans.
“I’m told, and I can’t verify this …it’s one of the staircases British soldiers used when they breached the Capitol during … 1814 when they actually attacked Washington,” he said of the tunnel.
The Capitol Building was commissioned in 1793, and President George Washington laid down the cornerstone of the iconic building that year.
British soldiers had set fire to the US Capitol and torched the White House during the “Burning of Washington” in the War of 1812, which erupted over maritime rights and other disputes. The war ended in 1815
Construction of the Capitol was eventually concluded in 1826.
Moore noted that the Lincoln Room is one of his favorite places in the legislative complex to take tours through and emphasized its history, including the fact that Lincoln used to read letters by the fire there.
Footage of the hidden staircase in the Lincoln Room revealed signatures, presumably from lawmakers and others who wanted to put their names on the historic passage.
