myPics: Kosciuszko's House

At 0.02 acres, this building is America's smallest National Park. It is the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial, at 301 Pine Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A Polish patriot and a hero of the American Revolution, Kościuszko returned to America to a hero's welcome after his wounding, capture, imprisonment, and banishment from his native Poland occupied by Russia, in 1796.  He lived in America for a year before returning to Europe, living life as a Polish émigré.  On October 15, 1817 Kościuszko died in Solothurn, Switzerland. In 1818 Kościuszko's body was transferred to Kraków, Poland; the Émigré was repatriated.

Today the building serves as a Memorial to Kościuszko's life and work. The displays focus on his work as a brilliant military engineer who designed successful fortifications during the American Revolution.