This fragile earth, our island home

I am So Thankful no one was Seriously Injured, but oh, how I loath seeing historic sites damaged.

Washington Monument. Mathew Brady, 1860

The 5.8-magnitude quake near Washington, D.C., that toppled capstones from the National Cathedral and cracked the Washington Monument also damaged a Virginia church where Robert E. Lee once worshiped.

The epicenter of Tuesday's quake was northwest of the former Confederate capital of  Richmond, Va.

At St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Culpeper, Va., the quake separated the narthex (lobby) from the nave (the main body of the church) and the building has been condemned, according to the Richmond-based Diocese of Virginia.

Lee and Gen. J.E.B. Stuart worshiped there in June 1863 before the Army of Northern Virginia marched toward Gettysburg.

Sadly, most of these churches, including the National Cathedral, have discovered they are not covered by earthquake insurance. Damage at the Washington National Cathedral alone is estimated in the millions of dollars.