The Burning of The Library of Congress

Not once, but thrice

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The Library of Congress was founded in 1800, and today, it is home to over 38 million individual works. These works include everything from maps to photographs to novels and various copyrighted materials. The collection is so large that it is housed in three buildings — one on Capitol Hill, one in Culpeper, Virginia, and one in Fort Meade, Maryland. However, in the 19th century, the Library of Congress didn’t have its own building. It was housed in the US Capitol in a library wing.

If the Library of Congress burned today, it would constitute an unimaginable loss comparable to the loss of the Library of Alexandria. While most people are familiar with the burning of the Library of Alexandria, few people remember the burning of the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress has burned not once but three times. Two of these fires caused grievous harm to the collection, and countless works were lost.

When did the Library of Congress burn? Why don’t we remember the tragedies?

1. The Destruction of Washington (1814)

The first time the Library of Congress was destroyed was in 1814. The British, fighting in the War of 1812, landed a small force (4500 men) on the coast and marched inland to Washington, D.C., nearly…