Smithsonian

The Smithsonian "Castle" on The National Mall on a grey winter's day.

It's a rather iconic building and the oldest one to reside along the National Mall in Washington, D. C.  But where did it come from?  Who was behind its creation?  The British scientist James Smithson (1765-1829) would be the answer.  He left most of his fortune to his nephew Henry James Hungerford.  When Hungerford died without an heir, the estate was bequeathed "to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men."  This happened in 1835 and on July 1, 1836 the Congress created a cheritable trust to manage the details of the request. Who was behind its creation

Today that Institution has many affiliates:

• The National Museum of African American History and Culture - Washington, DC - 24 SEP 2016
• The National Museum of African Art - Washington, DC - 13 AUG 1979
• The National Air and Space Museum - Washington, DC - 01 JULY 1976
• The National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - Chantilly, VA - 15 DEC 2003
• The Smithsonian American Art Museum - Washington, DC - 1829 (predates trust, was originally displayed in the Smithsonian Castle to the public)
• The National Museum of American History - Washington, DC - 1964
• The National Museum of the American Indian - Washington, DC - 21 SEP 2004
• The National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center - New York, NY - 1922
• The Anacostia Community Museum - Washington, DC - 15 SEP 1967
• The Archives of American Art - Washington, DC/New York, NY - 1954
• The Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building - Washington, DC - 1881
• The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum of Design - New York, NY - 1896
• The Freer Gallery of Art - Washington, DC - 09 MAY 1923
• The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden - Washington, DC - 1974
• The National Portrait Gallery - Washington, DC - 07 OCT 1968
• The Smithsonian National Zoological Park - Washington, DC - 06 MAY 1889
• The National Museum of Natural History - Washington, DC - 1858
• The Renwick Gallery - Washington DC - 19 JAN 1874
• The S. Dillon Ripley Center - Washington, DC - 1980
• The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery - Washington, DC - 28 SEP 1987
• The Smithsonian Castle - Washington, DC - 1855
• The Smithsonian Gardens - Washington, DC - 1972
• The National Postal Museum - Washington, DC - 1993