clair055

Last week I shared some information about the Washington Monument and the Pope's stone which was destroyed by the political party known as the Know Nothings. During my research I took a little side tour and found some interesting things about the panels that decorate the interior walls of the monument. As I advised in my earlier posts: In 1849, funds had begun to dwindle. The Society began the commemorative stone program where states could donate engraved stones that would go on the interior of the monument. The program got a little out of hand as more folks got involved. Stones began arriving from territories, groups, organizations and even a few individuals. The purpose of the program was to help all Americans feel a part of the memorial and more importantly to the society the stone donation program would cut the cost regarding the number of stones to be purchased. So, I thought I would post some of the bits of information I found on 13 of the stones since it is Thursday, and it...

I've tried to get back into the groove of active posting by sharing old pictures on my Facebook page for "History Is Elementary" in the evening over the last several days. What?  You don't "like" me on Facebook? Well, what are you waiting for? Look on the right sidebar and scroll down to find the Facebook "like" box and click that sucker pronto! There...don't you feel better, now? So, anyway, Tuesday night I posted this picture of the Washington Monument. Yes, I know.  It doesn't look right, does it?  At the point this picture was taken the construction had been suspended. In fact, the monument sat for 25 years with no action whatsoever. Of course, knowing that the above picture was taken in 1860 it would be very easy to surmise construction stopped because of the Civil War...and to a point, you would be right, but the war isn't the only reason why construction stopped. Work was suspended around 1854, six years prior to the first shot...