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Was the Washington Monument built to honor George Washington?

The Washington Monument is a 555-foot-tall obelisk honoring George Washington on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. operated by the National Park Service. Proposed in the year 1800 and begun in 1848, it was not opened to the public until 1888.



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The Washington Monument, designed by Robert Mills and eventually completed by Thomas Casey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, honors and memorializes George Washington at the center of the nation's capital. The structure was completed in two phases of construction, one private (1848-1854) and one public (1876-1884).

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The original monument was a simple one, built in the shape of a small milk bottle out of rocks found at the South Mountain site. Twelve feet from the tower's base, the townspeople installed a white marble slab that read, “Erected in memory of Washington, July 4, 1827, by the citizens of Boonsboro.”

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Memorials, Statues, and Monuments to George Washington
  • George Washington Statue, Richmond, VA.
  • Washington Monument, Baltimore, MD.
  • Sketch of the George Washington Statue.
  • Equestrian Statue of George Washington, Union Square, New York City, NY.
  • Virginia Washington Monument, Richmond, VA.


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Mount Vernon is the former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. An American landmark, the estate lies on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia.

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The Washington Monument Looks Like an Obelisk Because of Egyptomania. In a technical sense, the Washington Monument isn't an obelisk, because it isn't made from a single piece of stone. That fact makes it no less impressive. Stretching 555 feet in the air, the Washington Monument is the tallest thing in the city.

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5 Things You Might Not Know About the Washington Monument
  • Plans for the monument began even before Washington was elected president. ...
  • The original design for the monument was much different than what ended up being built. ...
  • The monument was once the site of a hostage situation. ...
  • The monument has survived an earthquake.


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August 2, 1876 Congress appropriates $2 million in federal funds to complete the construction of the Washington Monument. The public funding is contingent upon the transfer of ownership of the monument from The Washington National Monument Society to the federal government.

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Inside the ground floor lobby, there is a statue of George Washington. An elevator provides transportation to the top floor, the 500' observation deck at the base of the pyramidion. The observation deck provides views out two windows on the north, south, east, and west sides of the pyramidion.

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One person (16+ years old) may obtain up to six tickets for an available ticket time. All visitors (including children ages 2+) must have a ticket to enter the Washington Monument. During peak season, tickets run out quickly. Expect a line to form at the ticket window wait long before the ticket window opens.

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The two sections closely resembled each other at first, but time, wind, rain, and erosion have caused the marble sections to weather differently, thereby producing the difference in color. A third type of marble is also visible at the dividing line between the two main phases of construction.

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