| Show washington agton shaft Count rys tribute to her great son the two great monuments in III the united states of 0 the many hundreds that he have vo been erected in all parts of our country countr yare fire the hunker Bunker monument time fit in boston dedicated in 1843 a shaf to 0 commemorate tile hie beginning of our light fight for independence and the n monument nt at washington erected to the memory of 0 him who had been most instrumental in III bringing about the result remil lor for 30 years after death the project was wan every now and then lien suggested hut but nothing definite happened until september 1831 when llie lie washington national monument society was ivas formed with chief justice john marshall then 73 years old ns as president it was noi not until three years later that advertisements were inserted inviting designs from american v an effort was made to secure the funds by popular subscription and by 1847 was in liand land and preparation for construction was begun congress by resolution granted a site w where here tile monument now stands and the he cornerstone was laid on oil the fo fourth 0 o ur th of july 1848 lit in the presence cresenc e 0 of f the I 1 ae executive legislative find and judicial judi fill branches of the government govern for foreign agn n ministers Int and off officers leers and a vast concourse of citizens from all parts palts of the union tho the work of erection pro progressed gresset 11 steadily until 1854 when tile the shaft had reached reached a height of feet and had 1 2 9 1 11 IV j rd il CD C D washington monument the city cites Is focusing point Is no less a profound enigma than the sphinx but of greater significance cost the treasury of the society now being exhausted eli austed ji a memorial ins presented led to congress fishing fish ing it to take action in the matter polities politics in the government prevented presented a rendy ready response find and it was not until 1850 that hint the society was glien given a formal in al charter the washington monument was finally finished in the winter of and it was vas decided to ded lente it it upon pon the anniversary of the lie birth of the man to whom it had been erected consequently on oil february 22 1885 there were mere ceremonies nt at the national capital when tho the monument was as turned over oer to the nation the formal presentation of the lie monument was made nt at the base of the grand obelisk but owing to the lie raw cold weather that existed the dedication t ceremonies proper took place in the tha hall of the house of representatives |
