The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-03-01
MD.

occupied by President Adams, though
enen then the capital was hardly more
than city on paper.
In the matter of monuments to
Washington, taken in the stricter
sense of the word, Baltimore, of
course, was the pioneer. The old court
house was about where the present
Battle Monument stands and when it
was taken down some of the towns
prominent citizens, who had erected
fine residences whereabouts, feared
some unsightly structure might be
reared to mar the surroundings. An
idea! Why not erect a memorial to
the Father of his Country and thus
consecrate the neighborhood? So in
1909 John Comegys, James A. Bush
anan, David Winchester and others
petitioned the General Assembly for
leave to raise 100000 for the monu-
ment. Then came shocking thought
it might fall down on them, and en-
thusiasm died.
The idea persisted, however. John
Eager Howard provided the site in a
part of his woodland and on July 4,
1915, the cornerstone was laid with all
due ceremony in the presence of $4,000
or $4,000 people, all out for a big
time, which they undoubtedly had. The
General Assembly allotted $178,000
from the licensed lotteries then en-
ployed to raise money for public pur-
poses and on November %, 1929, the
last section of the York road marble
statue, sixteen feet in height, was lift
ted into place and the marble shaft
"To George Washington by the State
of Maryland" was declared complete.
It shows no signs of falling down as
yet and since its erection has been
visited by a number of pilgrims, to
whom the long and spiral climb may
be accounted a rite of generation to
their country's tutelary genius.
Yet even before the completion of
this shaft the good people of Boons-
boro had determined to honor the man
who gave their county its name. On
a peak of South Mountain, near where
Washington must have passed and
which was later battled for by the
armies of North and South, still
stands beehive-shaped pile of stones
of the mountain with a doorway and
way to the top inside, and they will
tell you that it was erected in 1927.
Another monument with which Bal
timoreans are familiar is that in
Washington itself. The site is said to
have been chosen by the man it me-
morializes.
The visitor to the top goes up more
comfortably than in Baltimore's own
shaft. for there is an elevator which
rises at a dignifed speed. There are
steps also and once the writer, when
an eager lad, ran down all 900 of them
in an effort to beat the elevator and
put to proof some theory that now es-
capes. 1t was a dead heat, the young
Newtonian was dead beat and spent
two days upon a couch while his legs
cried out in agony, thus proving what
ever you think it ought to prove.
Of course, Washington left thous-
and and one imprints in and around
the city of his name. For instance,
when you visit the Great Falls of the
Potomac, on the Maryland side, you
may cross the little canal which he
built around the falls and may study
the principles of lock construction.
Close at hand are the foundations of
the mill and iron foundry which he es-
tablished in 1885, the noble brick
arches of which still stand firm.
Alexandria and Mount Vernon, of
course, are full of him, as is the coun-
tryside all about. Even now the Mas
ons are putting up noble marble
memorial to the master of the Alex
andria Lodge. 1t is rising on the
summit of Arlington Ridge, near the
Potomac, and when completed will be
200 feet high.
So they are still putting up monu-
ments to Washington, but none to
George III at last accounts.