The Washington National Cathedral, standing majestically on the commanding heights of the city, was not the first religious institution on Mount Alban. Joseph Nourse, a Revolutionary War veteran who moved his family to the site in 1813, dreamed of establishing a church there. Nourse (pronounced Nurse) was named register of the United States Treasury by President George Washington. He served seven presidents, until Andrew Jackson fired him and several of his relatives in 1829 to "clean out the Noursery." Upon Nourse's death in 1841, his home became a school with a chapel. Worshippers' contributions, including an initial bequest of 40 gold coins earned, in part, by Nourse's granddaughter Phoebe for her needlework, made possible the opening of St. Albans Church in 1854. It was the first church with no pew fees in Washington. Construction of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul was begun in 1907 and completed in 1990. It is a house of prayer for all people.
Artists: Caroline Nourse,
a granddaughter of Joseph Nourse.
It is a reproduced with permission of W. Alexander Williams,
a Nourse descendent.
Repairs and restoration of this callbox were financed by generous contributions to the Washington Art on Call Committee from Cathedral Heights neighbors and from Art on Call, a program
of Cultural Tourism DC, with support from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, DC Creates Public Art Program, the District Department of Transportation, and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.
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