Did You Know? Tiny Doors in the U.S. Capitol and More

Tiny doors, also known as fairy doors, have become popular around the world, and are even signature attractions in many cities. They are usually found at the base of trees or on the facades of buildings, but the U.S. Capitol has its own version. On Christmas Eve 1851, a fire destroyed 35,000 volumes in the Library of Congress collection that was housed at that time in the Capitol, including two-thirds of the 6500 volumes purchased from Thomas Jefferson in 1815. There had also been library fires in 1814 and 1825, and the magnificent building across the street that became the official Library of Congress would not be opened until 1897. In the meantime, came the tiny doors.

1851’s small fire in the library discovered by a guard became a large fire because no water supply for putting it out was nearby. Captain Montgomery C. Meigs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed the project that would solve that problem. You can read more about his elaborate system in this article and might be surprised to learn that while the doors now hide faucets for filling pails of water to mop the floors, they still exist. (The picture at the top shows a small door on the 3rd floor of the House wing) See a short video here.

The doors in the U.S. Capitol are about 30” high, which is much too tall to qualify as tiny among those who create and advocate for fairy doors.?Jonathan B. Wright, a “certified fairyologist,” in Ann Arbor, MI, is among the coolest of those. Mr. Wright insists that while fairy doors can now be found “All over the world: Denver, Colorado; Alameda, California; Adelaide, Australia; Dublin, Ireland,” his are unique: “[T]here are fairy doors made BY fairies and fairy doors made FOR fairies—a bit like a bird’s nest vs. a birdhouse.” His, he maintains, are the former. You can learn much more in articles, a charming video, and even a book about them.

Those are just some of the highlights of the October 26th Wiser Now Wednesday that also covers the metaphors represented by doors, expressions about doors, and the secret to choosing doors. Wiser Now Wednesday is a weekly e-newsletter, where you will always find quirky facts, quotes, observations, and a quiz providing ready-made conversation starters for people of all ages. Each issue is a boon to activity professionals, grandparents, people who want to make interesting small talk, and curiosity-filled people everywhere. You can find past issues in the WN Wed Archive. Do sign up, and please spread the word.

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Kathy Laurenhue, M.A, C.H.P., is the author of the 4-time award-winning Wiser Now Wednesday, and of webinars, activity-generating slide shows, five books, hundreds of trivia quizzes, word games, and more, always with a lighthearted bent. [email protected]