Stayed near this hidden bit of Virginia history...

Thomas Jefferson is credited with the overall design of the new Capitol, together with French architect Charles-Louis Clérisseau. The design was modeled after the Maison Carrée at Nîmes in southern France, an ancient Roman temple.[4]  Jefferson had Clérisseau substitute the Ionic order over the more ornate Corinthian column designs of the prototype in France.
The cornerstone was laid on August 18, 1785, with Governor Patrick Henry in attendance. The building also served as the Capitol of the Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861–65).