A palatial home that's a mystery even to many longtime Washingtonians, Anderson House isn't an embassy, though it does have a link to that world. Larz Anderson was a diplomat from 1891 to 1913 whose career included postings to Japan and Belgium. Anderson and his heiress wife, Isabel, toured the world, picking up objects that struck their fancy. They filled their residence, which was constructed for them in 1905, with the booty of their travels, including choir stalls from an Italian Renaissance church, Flemish tapestries, and a large -- if spotty -- collection of Asian art. All this remains in the house for you to see.

In accordance with the Andersons' wishes, the building also serves as the headquarters of a group to which Larz belonged: the Society of the Cincinnati. The oldest patriotic organization in the country, the society was formed in 1783 by a group of officers who had served with George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The group took its name from Cincinnatus, a distinguished Roman farmer who, circa 500 BC, led an army against Rome's enemies and later quelled civil disturbances in the city. After each success, rather than seek the political power that could have easily been his, he returned to simple farm life. The story impressed the American officers; they, too, would leave the battlefields to get on with the business of forging a new nation. (One such member went on to name the city in Ohio.) Today's members are direct descendants of those American revolutionaries.

Many of the displays in the society's museum focus on the colonial period and the Revolutionary War. One room -- painted in a marvelous trompe l'oeil style that makes the walls seem as if they're covered with sculpture -- is filled with military miniatures from the United States and France. (Because of the important role France played in defeating the British, French officers were invited to join the society. Pierre-Charles L'Enfant, "Artist of the Revolution" and planner of Washington, designed the society's eagle medallion.)

The house is often used by the federal government to entertain visiting dignitaries. Amid the glamour and patriotic spectacle of the mansion are two idiosyncratic painted panels in the solarium that depict the Andersons' favorite motorcar sightseeing routes around Washington.