I was in the city at 8:00 this morning when across the street from Baruch College on 24th Street I saw this news flash on one of those kiosks one sees around the city. Thankfully I got my camera out in time to take a quick snap before the message flipped over. December 6, 1790 was the moment when the nation’s capital moved from New York City and Federal Hall to Philadelphia.
Enjoy the weekend.
The Strawfoot 
I guess once the Constitution was finally ratified
There had been agreement to move the capital
South to get it away from all the Wall St. financiers
Yes?
Certainly an unexpected photo catch!!
Bob, apologies for just getting back to you. With the end of the semester upon my college I haven’t checked the blog in a day or two.
The move from from NYC to Philadelphia had to do with the debt from the Revolutionary War. Hamilton wanted to nationalize the debt and the Virginians, especially Jefferson did not. The sausage making deal was that the Federal government would assume the states’ debts and in return the capitol would be moved to a site on the Potomac River. While Pierre L’Enfant was building the District of Columbia in the 1790s they moved the capital to Pennsylvania for a decade.
Still, I do think, as you point out, that there is something to say about the capitol being taken off Wall Street. I’m sure it factored in too in some way.
BTW, I hope you indeed got to the Poughkeepsie post office the day after Thanksgiving. I have yet to see those murals, though would like to very much.