Washington Monument State Park
| Washington Monument State Park | |
| Maryland State Park | |
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Maryland |
| Counties | Frederick, Washington |
| Elevation | 1,401 ft (427 m) |
| Coordinates | 39°29′54″N 77°37′32″W / 39.49833°N 77.62556°WCoordinates: 39°29′54″N 77°37′32″W / 39.49833°N 77.62556°W |
| Prominence | Monument Knob |
| - elevation | 1,529 ft (466 m) |
| - coordinates | 39°30′02″N 77°37′22″W / 39.50056°N 77.62278°W |
| Area | 191 acres (77 ha) |
| Established | 1934 |
| Management | Maryland Department of Natural Resources |
  Location in Maryland
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| Website: Washington Monument State Park | |
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Washington Monument
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Erected in Memory of Washington July 4th 1827 by the citizens of Boonsboro
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| Nearest city | Boonsboro, Maryland |
| Area | 104 acres (42 ha) |
| Built | 1827 |
| Built by | Isaac C. Lutz |
| Architect | Unknown |
| NRHP Reference # | 72000588 |
| Added to NRHP | November 3, 1972 |
Washington Monument State Park is a public recreation area, located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Boonsboro, Maryland, that preserves the Washington Monument, a 40-foot-tall (12 m) tower honoring George Washington, the first President of the United States, who was known in his lifetime as the "father of his country." The monument, which sits near the summit of South Mountain's Monument Knob, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The park is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Built in 1827, the original tower was the first monument dedicated to George Washington to be completed. The Baltimore Washington Monument was completed two years later, although it had been started considerably earlier in 1815. The famous Washington Monument in the District of Columbia was not completed until 1885.
The dry-laid stone tower was built on July 4, 1827, by the citizens of Boonsboro who marched to the site en masse after assembling in the town square at 7 a.m. At the end of that day, the tower stood at 15 feet (4.6 m) high on a base 54 feet (16 m) in circumference. Later that year, "after the busy season," workmen returned to complete the tower to a height of 30 feet (9.1 m).
Although it was a popular meeting place for the citizenry of Boonsboro, weather and vandalism reduced the monument to rubble. In that condition, it was used by the Union Army as a signal station during the Civil War.
In 1882, the Odd Fellows Lodge of Boonsboro sponsored the tower's restoration. A canopy was added and a vehicle road built up the mountainside. A decade later, however, the tower again fell into ruin when a crack in the wall was not repaired.
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