Build Your Own Adventure: Finish the Washington Monument

About This Activity

Build Your Own Adventure: Washington Monument is an fun, online activity to learn more about what it took to build the Washington Monument. You choose what to do at each stage and discover the fascinating real-life twists and turns in the history of building this iconic monument to George Washington. 

Start at the beginning or continue with your adventure on this page. 

Design of the National Washington Monument in the City of Washington / Robt. Mills, archt. ca 1845

Charles Fenderich, etcher. Library of Congress

You Chose: Finish It!

Good Choice! After all, better late than never.

Your next step is to decide who will be in charge.

The Washington National Monument Society was originally in charge of building the monument. They were a group of private citizens who decided to honor George Washington with a 600-foot-tall monument that would be unlike anything the world had ever seen. The original design by Robert Mills included a circular colonnade (a long sequence of columns) with a sculpture above it showing George Washington driving a chariot. To pay for the project, the Society asked for public donations. Initially, donations were limited to encourage people across the country to participate. The maximum amount that one person could give was $1 per year. This seemed like a good idea at first. By 1848, the society had raised enough money to begin construction. But the donations didn't keep up with expenses. Six years later, the Society ran out of money and construction stopped. The Washington Monument sat unfinished for over twenty years.

Some people have suggested that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers might be better equipped to finish the job. They had been building and strengthening roads, railroads, bridges, forts, and canals for decades.

What do you think?

Will You:

• Allow the Washington National Monument Society to finish what they started?

OR

• Start fresh and go with the Army Corps of Engineers?

Your Turn to Build

• 

  Washington National Monument Society

  Let the Society finish what they started.

• 

  Start fresh

  Army Corps of Engineers

  Turn the job over to engineering professionals

• 

  Try Again

  Back to the Beginning

  Start the build over again. Return to the first article in the series.