Sold – The Laying of the Cornerstone of the Washington Monument

Build it to the skies — you cannot outreach the loftiness of his principles! Found it upon the massive and eternal rock – you cannot make it more enduring than his fame!

In 1833 the Washington National Monument Society was formed by Congress to develop a way to honor George Washington. The job of the Society was simple, to construct a monument "whose dimensions and magnificence shall be commensurate with the greatness and gratitude of the nation which gave him [Washington] birth and whose splendor will be without parallel in the world." The Society soon began a fund-raising campaign, and in 1836 held a competition for the design. Architect Robert Mills won the Society's competition; his monument was to exude simplicity and grandeur at once, just as the General had, and be the centerpiece of the National Mall. The design was to be a simple obelisk, the total height of which mnument would be 555 feet and 5 ½ inches. The width of the monument would be 55 feet and 1 ½ inches.

Construction of the monument on the National Mall began in patriotic fashion on July 4, 1848 with the laying of the cornerstone. Speaker of the House Robert Winthrop delivered the chief oration, and a stirring one, to a crowd estimated at 15-20,000, including President James K. Polk, former first lady Dolley Madison, and the first president's step-grandson, George Washington Parke Custis. Winthrop then himself laid the cornerstone. Among those impressed and moved by Winthrop’s speech was Adam J. Glossbrenner, Sergeant-at-Arms of the House and later James Buchanan's private secretary. In the immediate wake of the speech, he prepared a manuscript of a portion of the remarks, and had Winthrop sign it.

Manuscript Quotation Signed from Winthrop's Address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument, reading: "'Proceed then, fellow citizens, with the work for which you have assembled! Lay the corner stone of a monument which shall adequately bespeak the gratitude of the whole American People to the illustrious Father of his Country! Build it to the skies — you cannot outreach the loftiness of his principles! Found it upon the massive and eternal rock – you cannot make it more enduring than his fame! Construct it of the peerless marble — you cannot make it purer than his life! Exhaust upon it the rules and principles of modern art — you cannot make it more proportionate than his character!" Winthrop’s speech was so famous that it appeared as an example to emulate in the book “Forensic Declamations For The Use of Schools and Colleges”.

Due to a civil war, fundraising problems and other delays, the monument was not opened until 1885. However, the dreams of those at the laying of the cornerstone for a fitting and memorable memorial to Washington were more than fulfilled, as it became and remains the most celebrated monument in the United States.