The Smithsonian’s Surprisingly Dangerous Early Days

Smithsonian Books is publishing Smithson’s Gamble, a new history of the Smithsonian Institution’s early years that covers the seven decades from 1836 to 1906. The book chronicles how the Smithsonian came to be and digs into, for example, early efforts to collect dinosaur bones and sponsor expeditions to unexplored parts of the country. We talked to author Tom D. Crouch about some lesser-known bits in the book.

The Smithsonian Castle Was Once Somebody’s Home

Though it has long functioned as the Smithsonian’s administrative offices, the famous building known as the Castle previously served as living quarters for the institution’s first secretary and his family. Joseph Henry, who ran the institution from 1846 to 1878, wasn’t a fan of the place, according to Crouch. He’d complain about it constantly, for reasons both pedestrian (too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter) and less so (foul smells emanating from rooms where ichthyological specimens were stored; a collection of hides and skins that led to flea infestations). Today, a statue of Henry sits outside the home he hated. “Fortunately, his statue looks away from the building, not at it,” says Crouch.

A Smithsonian Scientist Was Accused of Murder

In 1871, explorer Charles Francis Hall and naturalist Emil Bessels set off on a North Pole expedition, which the Smithsonian was involved in. Hall soon fell ill and accused Bessels of poisoning him; he died a few months later. The Navy looked into the death and declared Bessels innocent. But in 1968, a professor who was fascinated by the mystery went to the Arctic to disinter Hall’s remains and conduct forensic studies. “Guess what? He had enormous levels of arsenic in his body,” says Crouch.

A Bunch of Early Smithsonian Scientists Died on the Job

“In the 19th century, working for the Smithsonian was a pretty dangerous thing,” says Crouch. One scientist was killed by Sioux tribesmen while on a Smithsonian collecting trip in South Dakota. Two years later, another died suddenly from heart failure during an expedition in Alaska.

Before the Air Force, There Was the Smithsonian

In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln asked the Smithsonian to sponsor a young balloonist named Thaddeus Lowe, who hoped to demonstrate the military potential of balloon reconnaissance. Using a balloon that he tethered at the National Mall, Lowe and a telegraph operator went up to 500 feet and sent a message to Lincoln in the White House, describing the things they could see from the balloon’s basket. As Crouch explains, “that led to the creation of a balloon corps for the Union Army.”

This article appears in the May 2025 issue of Washingtonian.

Lydia Wei

Editorial Fellow