In 1946, this possum roamed the hallways of the Old House Office Building for a week, surprising staffers and escaping from traps. Neal Burnham, bookkeeper for the House stationery room, eventually enticed the creature out of a stack of paper with raw meat. Burnham crowed to reporters that he planned to bring it to the House Restaurant of the Capitol “to be cooked Southern style.” In the early 20th century, the marsupials were also a favorite food of some Southern Congressmen, who hosted possum and potato dinners.
