Skip to main content

The First Washington Monument


During a trip to Maryland a few years ago, I decided I wanted to visit the Washington Monument. No, not the famed Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., nor the Washington Monument that is located in Baltimore. Rather I wanted to visit the first Washington Monument to be constructed, which is located at Washington Monument State Park in Boonsboro, Maryland. The monument is easily accessed from the old National Road, signed as Alternate US 40 in this part of Maryland.

Located atop South Mountain in Boonsboro, the Washington Monument is the first monument dedicated to the memory of George Washington, predating the more famous Washington Monument that is located in the nation's capital. According to the Maryland Historical Trust, the monument supposed to be modeled after a Revolutionary War cannon, but is often referred to as a jug or milk bottle. It looks like a milk jug to me. According a period newspaper account, on July 4, 1827 at 7 a.m., most of Boonsboro's 500 inhabitants at the time patriotically assembled at the town's public square. Behind the Stars and Stripes and stepping spiritedly to the music of a fife and drum corps, they marched two miles up the mountain to the monument site.

Work proceeded efficiently using stones gathered from the hillside, quickly dry set into place without mortar. The local residents worked until noon and then held a dedication ceremony and lunch. They resumed work and by 4PM, the monument stood fifteen feet high on a 54 foot circular base. The day ended with the reading of the Declaration of Independence and a three round salute fired by three Revolutionary War veterans. The workers returned that September to finish. Upon its completion, the monument stood 30 feet high in the Maryland countryside. Because it was completed so fast, this Washington Monument can lay claim to being the first monument to George Washington that was ever completed. The Washington Monument in Baltimore wasn't finished until 1829 and the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. was not completed until the 1880s. The monument served as a signal station during the Civil War and was named a national historic landmark in 1972.

The monument often fell into disrepair, possibly due to its quick construction, and was rebuilt at least twice during its history. It was later restored in 1882 as well as by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. The monument is currently maintained by the Maryland Park Service, as it has since the land was given to the Maryland Park Service in 1934. There is a museum that showcases the history of Boonsboro's Washington Monument. The monument's museum features historical artifacts related to the history of Washington Monument and the Battle of South Mountain. It is open on weekends in April and October, and from Thursday through Monday from May through September. The Appalachian Trail passes by the Washington Monument, giving day hikers, section hikers and thru-hikers an opportunity to take in the monument and the surrounding views of the countryside as well. Nearby, there is a battlefield where the first Civil War battle in Maryland took place, known as the Battle of South Mountain.


My visit to the Washington Monument State Park began with a visit to the museum downhill from the monument. It gives a nice description about the monument's construction and history, along with providing artifacts related to the monument.


There is a short hiking trail that leads from the museum uphill to the monument. Along the trail, there are signs that highlight key moments in the life of George Washington.




At the top of the hill, there is an interpretive sign that describes the history of this Washington Monument.

The Washington Monument of Boonsboro. There is a staircase that allows you to go inside and up the monument.

Stone plaque found on the monument.

Some views of the surrounding countryside, namely to the west and north of the monument.








How to Get There:




Site Navigation:


Sources and Links:
Maryland Department of Natural Resources - Washington Monument State Park
Boonsboro Historical Society - Washington Monument
Atlas Obscura - The [First] Washington Monument
Smithsonian Magazine - You’ve Seen The Washington Monument. Now See the Other Washington Monuments 


Update Log:
February 1, 2021 - Added Site Navigation for National Road Index

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County.  The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s.  US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935.  US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68.  As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934.  US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County .   The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County.  D

Highways in and around Old Sacramento; US 40, US 99W, CA 16, CA 24, CA 70, CA 99, CA 275, and more

This past weekend I was visiting the City of Sacramento for a wedding.  That being the case I decided to head out on a morning run through Old Sacramento, Jibboom Street Bridge, I Street Bridge, Tower Bridge, and path of US Route 40/US Route 99W towards the California State Capitol.  My goal was to retrace the paths of the various highways that once traversed the Old Sacramento area. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The old highway alignments of Sacramento The City of Sacramento lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River in Sacramento Valley.  Sacramento Valley was discovered by Spanish Explorer Gabriel Moraga in 1808.  Moraga referred to the fertile Sacramento Valley akin to a "Blessed Sacrament."  By 1839 John Sutter Sr. settled in Mexican held

Old Stage Road in Tulare County and Kern County

Old Stage Road is an approximately 30-mile rural highway comprised of Tulare County Mountain Road 1, Kern County Mountain Road 447 and Tulare County Mountain Road 109.  Old Stage originates at Jack Ranch Road near Posey and ends at the outskirts of Porterville at Deer Creek.  Old Stage Road notably is comprised of two 19th Century stage routes.  From White Mountain Road northwest to Fountain Springs, Old Stage Road overlays Thomas Baker's 1860s era stage road to Linn Valley (now Glennville) and the Kern River Gold Rush Claims.  From Fountain Springs to Deer Creek, Old Stage Road is comprised of the 1853 Stockton-Los Angeles Road. Featured as the blog cover is the northward descent on Old Stage Road along Arrastre Creek to the town site of White River.  What became White River was settled along a spur of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road as "Dog Town" when gold was discovered nearby.  By 1856 the community had been renamed Tailholt.  A stage road from Tailholt to Linn Valley w