The Forgotten History Of The First Washington Monument That Most Americans Aren't Aware Exists

The Washington Monument we're talking about should be better known, because it's the first structure of its kind. No other monument before it had been built with the explicit purpose of honoring the first President of the United States. Yet its existence has been overshadowed by its more famous cousin in Washington, D.C., and it took decades for people to really appreciate its importance.

Perhaps this is because, when compared to the better-known Washington Monument, it's not much to look at. It's certainly a lot shorter than the famous Washington Monument, and it's nowhere near as sleek and shiny. But — as your mother no doubt told you as a kid — you should never judge a book by its cover. And the story of this Washington Monument is one for the ages.

The idea of a monument dedicated to George Washington first came about almost immediately after the president died in 1799. But the first structure to be built was not supposed to be in Maryland. The United States Congress initially gave a big thumbs-up to one in Washington, D.C. — but the plans for this larger monument quickly got very complicated.

The problem with the D.C. Washington Monument was that nobody could agree on what it should look like. On the one hand, the Federalists put forward a plan for a grand structure. But on the other side of the debate, the Republicans weren't fans of that particular design. The delay got so bad that people didn't even start working on the now-famous Washington Monument until 1848 — almost 50 years after George Washington died.