Baltimore, 1776

The Congress moved to Baltimore, Maryland, a safer haven during the war than Philadelphia, after the Declaration of Independence. It met in this rented building, since known as Old Congress House; the building was destroyed by fire in 1860.

About the Cox Corridors Murals

The first floor of the U.S. Capitol's House wing is elaborately decorated with wall and ceiling murals by artist Allyn Cox. Cox first executed the murals in the eastern north-south corridor, starting work in 1973 and finishing in 1974. This corridor has been termed the Hall of Capitols because it features paintings of 16 different buildings that housed the Continental and United States Congresses from 1754 to 1865.