Exhibitions

Smithson Crypt

March 6, 1905 – January 31, 2023
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Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle)
1000 Jefferson Drive, SW
Washington, DC

North Entrance (Jefferson Drive)

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The final resting place of the Institution's benefactor, James Smithson (1765-1829), is a small chapel-like room located at the north entrance to the Castle. Exhibit cases contain a few of Smithson's personal effects. A panel explains how Smithson's remains came to the United States in 1904 and the Smithsonian's plans to build a memorial to him.