Evening star., 1948-07-03

On September 26, 1888, a group OF
Washington citizens gathered in the
old Washington City Hall. They
were fed up with the failure of Con-
gress to approve construction of a
memorial to George Washington and
they decided to build it themselves.
The result was the formation of
the Washington National Monument
Society and the laying Of the great
obelisk's cornerstone on July 4, 1848
just 100 years ago this coming
Sunday.
The Monument society had as its
moving spirit the then librarian Of
Congress, George Watterston, who
became the first secretary and
served until his death in 1854.
This group of public-spirited citi-
zens had hoped that Congress would
vote funds to erect the equestrian
statue of Gen. Washington" voted
by the Continental Congress in 1888.
When Maj. Pierre L'Enfant laid out
the city, he indicated almost the
exact location of the Washington
Monument today as the site for the
statue.
Design From Contest.
Congress did nothing but argue,
so the society began collecting funds
and conducting a contest for suit
able design for a memorial to the first
President. The winner was Robert
Mills, and his design was 600-foot
shaft surrounded by a colonnaded
building. The present shaft is re-
fnement of the Mills design. The
building idea never got anywhere,
because there never was enough
money even for the shaft itself
The society hopefully went ahead
with the cornerstone-laying in 1848
with only $4,000 on hand. The
Monument finally cost about ST.
100000 of which about 100000
was raised by the Society. The rest
came out of the public treasury
after Congress took over the par
TALLY completed project in 1876 and
put the Army Engineers to finish
ing the job.
The society had as its first presi-
dent John Marshall, the famous
Chief Justice of the United States.
Subsequently every president lent
his name to the campaign for funds,
and the roster of the society's men,
bers includes such famous Wash
ington family names as Van Ness,
Corcoran, Shepherd, Kaufman
and Glover.
Building Stated in 1850s.
When the cornerstone was laid
100 years ago, the society's ex-
officio head was President Polk, with
William Brent as first vice presi-
dent. William w. Seton, then Mayor
of Washington, was second vice
president: Gen. Archibald Hender-
son, third vice president; j. B. H.
Smith. treasurer, and Mr.. Waiter:
son, secretary.
The society used every means it
could think of to raise funds for the
Monument, but it never could quite
raise enough. Building stopped in
the 1865 and did not begin again
until the Government took over.
The Monument society, on Janu-
ary 10, 1877, decided to the United
States what is now the Monument
grounds. Signing for the society
were w. w. Corcoran and DR.. John
B. Blake. The society no longer had
legal control over the Monument,
but it did retain a sort of godfather
relationship That relationship has
continued ever since.
lis Annual Meetings.
The society has an annual meet
ing usually on Washington's birth
day or the day before or after. The
one this year was the 115th, indi-
eating an unbroken continuity back
to that first one in 1888. The pres
ent secretary. is William R. Harr,
commissioner of veterans cases in
District Court.
The society is duly listed in the
CoolO1idl AASSoSAJs "AeAA
these other officers:
President ex officio, President
Truman.
Vice presidents ex officio, Cover
nors of the several States.
First vice president, Secretary of
State Marshall.
Second vice president. retired
Chief Justice Groner of the Court
of Appeals.
Members Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant
III, Gilbert H. Grosvenor, Cloyd
Heck Marvin. Mark Sullivan, John
Spalding Flannery, Chester Wells,
Charles Warren. Corcoran Thom.
Robert Lincoln O'Brien, John Lord
O'Brien, Joseph c. Grew, Warren
R. Austin and Colgate N. Dar-
den, jr.
w. .. k/.II: