Completely ignoring the advice of Mr. Stipe, we rolled into Rockville with both happiness and regret. We were all happy to be one step closer to our ultimate destination for the evening, but at least a couple of us, myself included, were sad to reach town after sunset. One of the caches on our agenda … Continue reading 784. Rockville, Montgomery County (MD05) →

... a few blocks away! About a square block or so around the courthouse is the official territory of the county. I assume that is so the courthouse can officially be in its own jurisdiction. As mentioned previously, it's on par with city hall, but it's also been expanded, so it's a nice merger of … Continue reading 783. Fairfax, Fairfax County (VA003) →

All the cities of Virginia are independent cities. Therefore, Fairfax City Hall was the place for me. I haven't seen a lot of city halls, so I have little experience or room for judgment about them. But of the few I've seen, I don't think I've seen a complex similar to this one. Usually, when … Continue reading 782. City Of Fairfax (VA002) →

Oh, Virginia!It was technically not my first time in Virginia. On the way to Charles Town, an accident caused a detour into the Old Dominion. As I saw the fog-touched hills and the horses running in their green fields, I thought that what I was watching was exactly what I thought of when I thought … Continue reading 781. Leesburg, Loudoun County (VA001) →

Oh, West Virginia! On a certain level, I was happy to add another Jefferson County to my ever-growing list of them. On another level, this was a slightly different kind of courthouse than the ones I'd seen before. I think a lot of courthouses I'd seen, especially ones in the Midwest, were trying for a … Continue reading 780. Charles Town, Jefferson County (WV01) →

Frederick County, like Howard before it, has a more modern courthouse. This one, however, does not make me feel physically ill like the last one did. I liked the central seating area, but I was a little confounded that the statue there was John Hanson, the first president under the Articles of Confederation, instead of … Continue reading 779. Frederick, Frederick County (MD04) →

Oh God. It hurt me to look at this. I'm not going to say that this is the worst courthouse I've ever seen, but it is certainly at the bottom end of mediocre. Actually, I take that back. I wouldn't even call it that. The bottom limit of mediocre ascends as this one slides into … Continue reading 778. Ellicott City, Howard County (MD03) →

And yet, there is a county that Baltimore is separate from. I was struck by the courthouse I found here, enjoying all the marble and limestone. Little bits of life were buzzing around, to the point that I had to wait for wedding photographers to move, and eventually I asked someone who I thought was … Continue reading 777. Towson, Baltimore County (MD02) →

Oh, Maryland!So, for the first time, I have encountered a new kind of county equivalent: the independent city. Many independent cities are very old, founded with state rules predating the Constitution, though this is not always the case. There are also cities where the city and the county have merged into one entity that takes … Continue reading 776. City Of Baltimore (MD01) →

On Saturday, my daily cache was an Event, a semiannual gathering held at each equinox. A bunch of us conversed together regarding our lives, our travels, and our histories. Some faces we hadn't seen in a long time were there, which was nice. I was especially nostalgic since they were the COs behind both my … Continue reading Dramatis Personae →