WASHINGTON MONUMENT STATE PARK

Located atop South Mountain, Boonsboro, MD, the Washington Monument State Park is named for the first completed monument dedicated to the memory of George Washington. The Washington Monument is a rugged 34 feet high stone tower that was initially erected by the citizens of Boonsboro on July 4th, 1827. The Washington, DC monument was completed in 1885.

　

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY:

On July 4, 1827, at 7 a.m., most of the 500 inhabitants of the town and a Fife and Drum Corps assembled in the public square. A dedication service was held at noon. The volunteers gathered for lunch, and then work was resumed and continued until 4 o'clock, when the monument stood 15 feet high on a base 54 feet in circumference. Plans were made to complete the tower to a height of 30 feet "after the busy season," and in the fall of that year this was done.

During the Civil War (1862-1865) the monument was used by the Union Army as a signal station. The citizens of Boonsboro also utilized the Monument and surrounding land as a popular meeting place, but over the years, weather and vandalism reduced it to a pile of rubble. In 1882, the restoration of the monument was undertaken and carried out under the sponsorship of the Odd Fellows Lodge of Boonsboro. At this time a canopy was added, and a roadway for vehicles was built up the mountainside to the site. A decade later the rugged tower was marred by the development of a crack in the wall. Because it was not repaired, the monument again fell in ruins.

In 1920, the 1-acre site was purchased by the Washington County Historical Society, and in 1934 it was deeded to the State of Maryland for use as a State Park. The tower was rebuilt in its present form by members of the Civilian Conservation Corp, who set in place the original cornerstone and a facsimile of the dedication tablet.

The third dedication ceremony was held on July 4, 1936, exactly 109 years after that first day of patriotic activity by the citizens of Boonsboro.

The Appalachian Trail goes through the park and passes the base of the monument.