U.S. Department of the Interior(@Interior):“So long as I live, I’ll never let a memorial to Abraham Lincoln be erected in that … swamp.” Congressman Joseph Cannon opposed the proposed location for President Abraham Lincoln’s memorial. He considered the setting unsuitable and favored a site between the Capitol and Union Station. The Potomac River site ultimately prevailed. Construction began in the winter of 1914, and this photograph from around 1917 captures the memorial taking shape beyond a foreground of marshland. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

U.S. Department of the Interior

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U.S. Department of the Interior@Interior

2026.10.08 12:56

“So long as I live, I’ll never let a memorial to Abraham Lincoln be erected in that … swamp.” Congressman Joseph Cannon opposed the proposed location for President Abraham Lincoln’s memorial. He considered the setting unsuitable and favored a site between the Capitol and Union Station. The Potomac River site ultimately prevailed. Construction began in the winter of 1914, and this photograph from around 1917 captures the memorial taking shape beyond a foreground of marshland. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress