We have been looking at the phenomenon of honeymooning in D.C. and, particularly, the Capitol over the last few weeks. Digging further into old newspapers, it becomes clear that this was, indeed, a well-known destination (along with the Poconos and Niagara Falls) in the early 20th Century. An article in the August 14th, 1921 Arizona Republic, with the clever, if slightly ungrammatical, title “It’s Capital Place For Honeymoon” goes as far as to make the definitive statement “Washington is the nation’s honeymoon center.” The article further stated that the rush begins in the spring, but came to full fruition in the fall, and that local guides could always spot the newlyweds:
“I can pick out a honeymoon couple in a load of passengers as easily as you could pick out a grape fruit from a peck of oranges. They never pay any attention to the sights – they just keep looking at each other.”
Anecdotal evidence also supports the Republic’s pronouncement: The Perth Amboy Evening News of October 22, 1920 prints three wedding announcements – and all three happy couples are planning on going to the D.C. for their honeymoon.
The most definitive article about honeymooning in D.C. is one published in the Washington Evening Star about Joseph Cannon, the day after he retired from the House of Representatives.
It is doubtful if there is a single day throughout the year when the Capitol at Washington is not visited by at least a dozen couples on their honeymoon trips. Washington seems to be the mecca for newlyweds from every section of the country, from El Paso to Augusta, and from Cape Cod to Seattle. A majority of these brides refuse to leave the big, beautiful building until their newly acquired lords and masters have taken them to “Uncle Joe” Cannon’s office. Their object is twofold – first, they want to shake hands with “Uncle Joe,” and then they want to see the “bride” chandelier that hangs in his outer office. The “bride” chandelier was formerly one of the attractive decorations of the White House. It was under this chandelier that President Grover Cleveland and Miss Frances Folsom stood when they were married, back in 1886. The chandelier was discarded when the White House was remodeled during the Roosevelt regime. Elliott Woods, architect of the Capitol, had it placed in “Uncle Joe’s” office.
The intriguing provenience of the chandelier given merits deeper research, though further information has been tough to come by.
However, images of the Blue Room in the White House, where Cleveland and Folsom [Seen above] married, show that the chandelier was, indeed, changed during the Roosevelt administration. Cannon’s office in 1923 is in the northwest corner of the House wing of the Capitol, where the House Majority Leader today has his office. Whether there currently is, or ever was, a chandelier discarded from the White House there is a question that I will look into when access to the Capitol resumes.
It seems clear that the Capitol (and the capital) was, indeed, for many years, a strong attraction for not only newlyweds of the country. And today? While there are some boosting our city as a honeymoon destination, it does not appear on any of the lists of top destinations in the US that I looked through. Instead, further-flung locations from Italy to French Polynesia today dominate the list of popular destinations, while within the US, it is exotic destinations like Hawaii that are the draw.