In the hours after pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed their way into Congress on Jan. 6, Capitol building staff began picking up the pieces.

By 9 p.m. that night, a viral video showed Black Capitol maintenance workers sweeping up debris and damage from where the majority-white mob had entered the building, prompting outrage (and appreciation) as people attempted to coordinate donation efforts for the employees.

Now, Capitol employees — many of them D.C. area residents — are being recognized in a special edition of the Architect of the Capitol’s quarterly staff newsletter, Tholos, with 44 pages of published thank-you notes sent from Americans across the country.

Many expressed their gratitude for the staff’s hard work in quickly preparing the Capitol and surrounding grounds for the presidential inauguration that occurred just weeks later, while others praised the staff as “heroes of democracy.” To some, the dedication of the employees served as an inspiration.

“To the wonderful employees at the Capitol — thank you so much for your hard work and wonderful example,” wrote Casey Briggs. “You give me so much hope. You are the America I know and love and you are the people I am going to teach my 3 year old and 9 month twins about.”

The authors ranged from older adults to children as young as two —and some kids took it up themselves to express their thanks in pictures.

“Thank you for cleaning up a big mess and helping our democracy continue,” reads one note. “I have 3 brothers so I know hard cleaning a mess is.”

The correspondence spanned the country — from New Mexico to North Carolina to D.C.

Former District resident and Folger Shakespeare Library volunteer Jac Whatley expressed his appreciation in a page-long letter, thanking employees for preserving the building he remembered walking past several days a week.

“My first visit to the Capitol was in 1963; my wife and I chose Washington for our honeymoon; and we have followed the progress of the complex for many years,” Whatley wrote. “I am glad that the tragic and horrible event … served to motivate me to write a note of appreciation that is long overdue.”

The Architect of the Capitol includes more than 2,000 employees who maintain the infrastructure and grounds of the Capitol in roles like engineering, plumbing, gardening, and mechanics. Almost every team was called upon in some capacity after the insurrection, according to a January blog post written by AOC staffers. Employees within the HVAC Shop opened their eye-washing stations to U.S. Capitol Police officers who had been tear gassed during the attack; the carpenters soon got to work repairing the broken windows and doors; the arborists, gardeners, and mechanics all worked to improve the grounds surrounding the building.

The notes published in the recent edition of Tholos are just some of the many expressions of gratitude employees have received since the insurrection. The AOC social media accounts will be sharing more of the messages of thanks throughout the year, with the hasthag #CapitolCompliments.