A Monument for a President

The people of Boonsboro erected the first monument completed in honor of George Washington.

Our area has always been fond of our nation’s first elected President.  In 1776, while he was still General Washington, our county was formed and named in his honor (we were originally part of Frederick County.)

As part of the nation’s Independence Day, on July 4, 1827, the residents of Boonsboro ascended South Mountain and began constructing a milk jug shaped tower on a foundation prepared for the occasion.  About half of the simple but sturdy structure was completed in one day, along with ceremony and the firing of rounds by local Revolutionary War veterans.

Later in the year laborers returned the work and the monument was completed.  It became a popular gathering place.

Notes on Other Washington Monuments

• The City of Baltimore had begun construction of their Washington Monument some years before in 1815, but it was not completed until 1829.
• Funding for the more famous monument in Washington D.C. had been approved by Congress early in the 1800s, however that was not started until 1848 and was not completed until 1884.

Decline and Reconstruction

The Washington Monument as it appears today.

The monument was originally constructed of dry stacked stone, and over the years began to fall apart.  By the 1860s, the top half of the structure no longer existed.  Despite that, the Union Signal Corps used it as a signal station and lookout during the Battle of Antietam.

In 1888, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows fraternity in Boonsboro led a fundraising effort to rebuild the monument, constructing a similar but strikingly different version of the monument from the remains of the original, with a canopy and plaster coated walls.  This was short lived, much of the structure being destroyed entirely only 8 years later.

Several attempts in the early 20th century were made to rebuild the monument to its original design, but it was the Great Depression and the Civilian Conservation Corps which finally saw that reconstruction and preservation as a State Park between 1934 and 1936.  There was a CCC camp located just west of town, and the workers assigned there were responsible for several local recreation and preservation projects still in use today.

The monument can be seen from much of Boonsboro, and is featured in the town seal, signage, and marketing.

Visiting the Monument

The land around the monument is now a Maryland State Park, offering pavilions, picnic and open areas, a small museum (open select days only,) and an easy to walk gravel trail to the monument. Along the trail are signs presenting important dates in the life of George Washington.  The park opens at dawn and closes just before sunset.

The monument itself offers a wonderful view of the surrounding area.  On a clear day one can see much of Boonsboro, Antietam, Hagerstown, and even Sidling Hill Cut to the west, and the Ridge Road Arch Bridge over I-70 to the east.  It is a popular spot for bird watchers.

To reach the park, visitors should take the Old National Pike to the top of South Mountain, and then turn on to Washington Monument Road which ends at the park entrance.  There is a small self-pay admission to enter the Washington Monument State Park.

The Appalachian Trail runs past the monument.