Showing posts with label obelisk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obelisk. Show all posts
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Monday, May 12, 2014
Weird Washington Monument History
Great Escapes
05.12.14
From indignation over a bare-chested statue of Washington to a gift from the pope tossed in the Potomac, here are 10 interesting facts about the newly reopened Washington Monument.
After being damaged by an earthquake nearly three years ago and then closed for repairs, the Washington Monument will reopen to the public on Monday.
On August 23, 2011, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake opened cracks in the monument wide enough for light to shine through, damaged the elevator, and broke off stone. To repair the damage and to prevent further damage, 2.7 miles of new sealant was placed between stones, and 53 stainless steel saddle anchors were bolted into the monument. In addition, stone rescued from the steps of Baltimore townhouses was used to replaced loose chunks of marble on the monument. The repairs cost an estimated $15 million, but the price tag was cut in half by a donation from David M. Rubenstein. During the repairs, 500 feet of scaffolding covered the monument—however, the remaining distance to the top was only reachable by ladder.
In honor of the restoration of this iconic memorial, here are 10 interesting facts you may not have known.
It was not the first memorial to George Washington in the capital.
Upon the 100th anniversary of the founder’s birth, it became quite conspicuous that no major memorial existed to honor Washington. So, in 1832, Congress commissioned Horatio Greenough for a statue of the first president, which was to be located in the Capitol rotunda. When it was finished and installed in 1841, the 11-foot-high statue of Washington called “Enthroned Washington,” inspired by Phidias’s Zeus Olympios, all bare-chested and wearing sandals, was so unpopular it was moved outside in 1842, and then eventually dropped in the Smithsonian’s lap to hide away in a museum. It was once described as “the most reviled public statue ever erected” in the U.S. The statue now belongs to the American Art Museum and is, according to the museum’s website, not currently on view. It turns out this was not Greenough’s only run-in with controversy. His other major work that was supposed to be displayed in the Capitol, “The Rescue,” (more popularly known as “Daniel Boone Protects His Family”) was also removed and placed in storage in 1958 for being seen as a justification for Indian removal. It depicted a white settler, assumed to be Boone, protecting a white mother and child from a nearly naked Indian about to whack them with a tomahawk.
So get the government out of the way.
It turns out the genesis of the current Washington Monument began with a private group, not the government. In 1833, the Washington National Monument Society was founded to finance a monument to the founder that would be “unparalleled in the world.” Chief Justice John Marshall was the society’s first president, and was succeeded upon his death in 1835 by former President James Madison. After a decade-long fund drive and a design competition, they picked a winning design by Robert Mills in 1845.
The original design was a lot fancier than what we have today.
Robert Mills, the man who won the commission, was a man of ambition. He had already designed a major 178-foot monument to Washington in Baltimore (the oldest surviving one) two decades prior. He had also just been designated Architect of Public Buildings for Washington, D.C., and would design the General Post Office (now the Hotel Monaco), Old Patent Office Building (American Art Museum), and the Treasury Building.
His original design, however, called for a circular temple with 30 columns, each 12 feet wide, ringing the obelisk at its base, and on top of the temple a statue of Washington in a chariot. Inside the colonnade there were supposed to be statues of 30 famous Revolutionary War heroes.
It had quite the kick-off.
The monument got off to a great start. Congress donated 37 acres for the project, President James K. Polk, Dolley Madison, Betsey Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton’s widow), George Washington Parke Custis, and future presidents James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, and Andrew Johnson all showed up on July 4, 1848 for the laying of the cornerstone. The Speaker of the House, Robert C. Winthrop, gave a two-hour speech.
But the coolest part may have been what was placed inside a zinc case in the cornerstone. Allegedly included were copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, a portrait of George Washington, all national coins then in circulation including the $10 gold eagle, the American flag, and newspapers from 14 states. Historic items also got a spot, such as the bylaws of Powhatan Tribe No. 1 and a copy of the constitution of the first organized temperance society in America.
The cornerstone itself was laid by the Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of D.C, Benjamin French, who wore George Washington’s Masonic apron and sash, as well as the Masonic gavel Washington used on the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol. And in case you aren’t familiar with Masonic rituals, French tipped vials of corn, wine, and oil on the stone, which are the traditional Masonic symbols.
Unfortunately, by 1854, construction came to a halt as the money dried up. The architect, Mills, died in 1855. Congress initially allocated $200,000 to finish the work, but then rescinded the appropriations before it was spent.
People got a little crazy with the stones.
In the original plan from Mills, he wrote that the monument’s “material is intended to be wholly American, and to be of marble and granite brought from each state, that each state may participate in the glory of contributing material as well as in funds to its construction.” However, to cut costs—and to increase its prominence—the Washington National Monument Society accepted stones from Native American tribes, companies, foreign countries, and professional organizations. Evidently the opportunity for advertising was too enticing for some. The Templars of Honor and Temperance, for instance, had theirs inscribed “We will not buy, sell, or use as a beverage, any spiritous or malt liquors, Wine, Cider, or any other Alcoholic Liquor.”
But the real insanity came with a memorial stone of marble donated by Pope Pius IX. The anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant American Party, aka the “Know-Nothings,” went berserk, stealing the stone and reportedly throwing it into the Potomac in protest. Then, to make sure the monument stayed “American,” the Know-Nothings took over the Washington National Monument Society through fraudulent elections in 1853, which was the impetus behind Congress rescinding the appropriations. The group remained in power until 1858, during which time they added 13 courses to the monument, all of which had to be removed when construction began again years later.
It has suffered its share of indignities.
During the Civil War, the grounds of the now stubby Washington Monument—described by Mark Twain as looking like “a hollow, over-sized chimney”—were used as a cattle pen for the Union Army. There was also a slaughterhouse behind the monument. It became known as the “Washington National Monument Cattle Yard.”
After the war, it became known as “Murderer’s Row,” as it became the destination of escapees and deserters.
No, the monument isn’t two different colors.
It’s actually three.
Decades after Congress seized control of the project, in 1876, on the centennial, Congress appropriated $2 million for the completion of the monument, and turned over the project to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Unfortunately, the Maryland quarry where the stone had originally come from was no longer available, so the builders imported stone from Massachusetts. After several courses were added using this stone, the builders proved unhappy with the color (it’s brownish color is still visible) and quality, and switched instead to another quarry in Maryland for the final two-thirds of the monument. Thus the three shades.
It was once the tallest structure in the world.
Washington, D.C., today may be known for its incredibly flat skyline, but when the Washington Monument opened on February 21, 1885 (one day before Washington’s birthday), it was the tallest structure in the world. Rising 555 feet and 5.125 inches, it passed the Cologne Cathedral to claim the record, only to be surpassed by the Eiffel Tower in 1889.
Today, there is some controversy of its title as the world’s tallest freestanding masonry structure, as both the Anaconda Copper Mine smokestack and the San Jacinto Monument outside Houston are both taller.
Its once high-end top has become worthless.
While plentiful and cheap today, aluminum was once an extremely valuable metal. On the top of the obelisk is a 100-ounce aluminum cap, which acts as a lightning rod. At the time, the capstone was the largest single piece of cast aluminum, and was put on exhibit at Tiffany’s in New York City before being delivered to Washington. While at Tiffany’s, the cap was placed on the floor so people could jump over it and say they jumped over the top of the Washington Monument. On the western side of the capstone is the history of the construction. On the other side, it reads “LAUS DEO,” meaning “Praise be to God.” The capstone was set on December 6, 1884.
It’s been a magnet for some intense stories
Since opening to the public, the Washington Monument has managed to attract its fair share of public incidents.
In 1982, anti-nuclear weapons activist Norman Mayer was shot and killed by U.S. Park Police after he drove a white van that he claimed was loaded with 1,000 pounds of TNT to the base of the Washington Monument. Eight tourists were trapped inside until Mayer let them out, and buildings in the area were evacuated. Hours into negotiations, Mayer attempted to drive off. He was shot and killed—and no explosives were found in his van.
In 1908, Washington Senators catcher Gabby Street attempted to catch a ball being dropped from the top of the Washington Monument. After letting 12 balls slam into the ground and bounce, Street, who caught for notorious flamethrower Walter Johnson, managed to catch and hold onto the 13th.
Finally, on October 15, 1923, a mother fell through the guardrail for the elevator shaft trying to prevent her 3-year-old child from falling. The child was found on the 400-foot level, bruised and crying, but alive. The mother died after falling all the way to the 270-foot level. It was the third death at the monument before safety screens were introduced. A man had killed himself by jumping out the window at the top, while a woman had done so by jumping down the elevator shaft.
The Washington Monument re-opened to the public for tours on Monday,
May 12, 2014.
Source
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Wednesday, July 10, 2013
The Vatican Obelisk, a sundial with 2000 years of history
romereports
Published on Aug 18, 2012
http://www.romereports.com Rome has more obelisks than any other city in the world. There are thirteen of these tall monuments that help make up the history of ancient Rome. One of the most well known, stands in the middle of St. Peter's Square, measuring 82 feet tall and weighing 320 tons.
Published on Aug 18, 2012
http://www.romereports.com Rome has more obelisks than any other city in the world. There are thirteen of these tall monuments that help make up the history of ancient Rome. One of the most well known, stands in the middle of St. Peter's Square, measuring 82 feet tall and weighing 320 tons.
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Thursday, September 29, 2011
Sun and moon guided prayer times of old
8/17/2011 10:27:00 AM
Catholic News Service
Catholic News Service photo
Ancient obelisk catches sun in St. Peter’s Square.
VATICAN CITY — Hidden among the paving stones of St. Peter’s Square there is a simple clock and calendar. All you need is a sunny day.
The 83-foot stone obelisk in the middle of the square acts as a sundial that can accurately indicate midday and the two solstices, thanks to a granite meridian and marble markers embedded in the square.
At noon on Dec. 21, the obelisk’s shadow falls on the marble disk farthest from the obelisk’s base, while at noon on June 21 — the summer solstice — the tip of the shadow will fall just a few yards from the obelisk. In between are five other disks marking when the sun enters into which sign of the zodiac.
A long, thin granite strip running from the obelisk toward the pope’s window and through one of the fountains acts as the meridian: a line that indicates when the sun has reached true or solar noon and is at its highest point in the sky.
The church has always been keenly interested in astronomy to help guide and establish fundamental liturgical days and the times of prayer such as the Angelus, which is recited in the morning, at noon and in the evening. While sunrise and sunset are easy to figure out, sundials could accurately tell midday.
Even when early mechanical clocks were introduced, they were a luxury item for a few and not always accurate, so using the sun to mark true noon was an important backup.
Source
Washington Monument
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the monument in Washington, D.C. For other monuments dedicated to George Washington, see List of monuments dedicated to George Washington.
This article is about the monument in Washington, D.C. For other monuments dedicated to George Washington, see List of monuments dedicated to George Washington.
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington. The monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss,[1] is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet 51⁄8 inches (169.294 m).[n 1] There are taller monumental columns, but they are neither all stone nor true obelisks.[n 2] It is also the tallest structure in Washington D.C. It was designed by Robert Mills, an architect of the 1840s. The actual construction of the monument began in 1848 but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the architect's death. This hiatus in construction happened because of co-option by the Know Nothing party, a lack of funds, and the intervention of the American Civil War. A difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet (46 m) or 27% up, shows where construction was halted for a number of years. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848; the capstone was set on December 6, 1884, and the completed monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885. It officially opened October 9, 1888. Upon completion, it became the world's tallest structure, a title previously held by the Cologne Cathedral. The monument held this designation until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was completed in Paris, France. The monument stands due east of the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial.
The monument was damaged during the August 23 2011 Virginia earthquake; it remains closed to the public indefinitely while the structure is assesed.[6]
| Washington Monument | |
 | |
| Location: | Washington D.C. |
| Coordinates: | 38°53′22.08377″N77°2′6.86378″W |
| Area: | 106.01 acres (42.90 ha) |
| Visitation: | 467,550 (in 2005) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Washington Monument - the pagan symbol at the heart of America's capital
25/10/2010
by Pat Franklin
A misleading email is going round about the Washington Monument – the 555 ft high pagan symbol in the nation’s capital. The ostensibly patriotic email makes much of the fact that there are two Latin words at the top of the monument – Laus Deo, or Praise God. Things like this set my deception radar beeping.
The email infers that somehow the monument is a Christian edifice, and that is completely untrue. The Lord Jesus does not need a pagan structure harking back to blasphemous ancient Egyptian religion. By the way, you would not want to know many details of that religion. They are disgusting, and not fit to put on our website or to discuss in mixed company. Remember, the obelisk is a phallic symbol, and that is central to Egyptian paganism. There it stands, a symbolic male organ 55 stories high, visible from the White House. And we good little naive Americans are supposed to approve of it?
If I were running things in America, I would never allow an obelisk to be built on American soil. Never.
As for the words Laus Deo (Praise God) carved at the top of the monument, praise which god? Surely not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because if it was to praise Him, there would be some mention of His Son Jesus, but no, just ‘God’.
The monument is more than likely praising the god of the Freemasons - Satan, otherwise known as the Great Architect of the Universe, who is not God at all. The true God has a lot of wonderful titles, and He tells us in the Bible what they are. ‘Great Architect of the Universe’ is not one of them.
The height of the obelisk is said in the email to be 555 ft. They don’t mention the number in inches in the email, only the number in feet, and 555 ft high sounds pretty innocuous. But multiply 555 by 12 inches to the foot, and the obelisk is 6660 inches high. Other websites claim the true height is 555.5 ft, which, multiplied by 12 inches, would make the structure 6666 inches high. Either way, 666 is the number of Satan, according to the Book of Revelation, Chapter 13. At some stage Satan’s man, the Antichrist, is going to require everyone on earth to take his name or number on their right hand or forehead.
Question – why would anyone want to build a useless structure to that precise height?
The base of the obelisk is 55.5 ft. on each side, according to some websites. Multipled by 12 inches, we again get that horrible number, 666, the number of Satan.
Another thing about the Washington Monument Laus Deo email which really irritated me was a remark at the end implying that if I did not forward it to others, it was a failure on my part. No way. If you get the email, do not forward it to anyone, unless to pick it apart and tell the truth about the monument.
Does this make me an unpatriotic person because I loathe the Washington Monument? No, it makes me a thinking person. The Lord Jesus told us the last days would be marked by deception. He commanded His followers: ‘Take heed that no man deceive you!’ Well, start taking heed! Use the brain God gave you.
The designer of the monument was a French American, Pierre l’Enfant, and Freemasons say he was not one of them, but of course they may be lying. He was hired to lay out the street design of Washington D.C., in which many have seen satanic Freemason symbols.
Unfortunately, Freemasons were involved from the early days of my country. As with every generation, there is a battle between darkness and light, and people get confused when the darkness disguises itself as light. Obviously, George Washington was a tremendous general, and what a debt we all owe him. But how I wish he had not been a Freemason! If you go to George Washington’s house, as I did, you will be shown his Freemason equipment. I was very sorry to see it, very disappointed and, yes, disillusioned. It may be that he joined as a young man and then had little or nothing to do with masonry. I hope so, but I wish with all my heart he had renounced it publicly.
By the way, at his Mt Vernon home you will also see the remains of the slave quarters of his many slaves. He was just a man. You don’t have to worship him. You don’t even have to like him. You can still be a good American patriot, loving your country and loving the Lord Jesus – you do not have to worship the Founding Fathers, with their feet of clay! We worship the Lord Jesus, not men, and certainly not any pagan monument!
Although Freemasonry was in at the very beginning of our nation, they never teach about it in our history classes, so that anyone who finds out about it looks like a nut case. But there is such a thing as loyalty to our Lord Jesus, and He is the way, the truth and the life. The builders of the obelisk would be strangers to Him.
Personally, I dislike most monuments, and, since the Laus Deo email caused me to focus on it, I especially dislike the Washington Monument. People are just people - even if they become president - and it’s not a good idea to raise up some great structure in praise of them. I love what Chuck Smith (founder of the first Calvary Chapel) said in one teaching: ‘When I’m dead, some idiot will want to build a Chuck Smith monument – don’t do it!’
I can just imagine one of our readers say in disgust: ‘Next she’ll be attacking the Statue of Liberty!’ OK, that could be another article, if I have time. After all, there is a good reason that the Lord gave us the Second Commandment (no statues!). (Please look it up, Exodus Chapter 20 – it is even in the Catholic Jerusalem Bible, although they never teach it in their schools; they like their statues too much.).
Getting back to the Laus Deo email and the pagan Washington Monument, there are lots of websites which delve into the layout of the city of Washington and the Freemason symbols on the dollar bill etc. Here is one.
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Illuminati/dc.htm
I’d better stop while I’m ahead. You can delete the Laus Deo email if you get it, but always Laus Verite Deo – praise the true God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ !
Hope you readers out there are not mad at me, but the truth is the truth, and we are about at the end of the end times. The Lord Jesus is coming back and all our proud structures are going, the Washington Monument among them. The King of Kings is going to wipe this earth clean like a dish.
Here’s a thought. Instead of forwarding the Laus Deo email, you can copy this and send it round directing your friends to our website www.thefreepressonline.co.uk
http://www.thefreepressonline.co.uk/news/5/2098.htm
by Pat Franklin
A misleading email is going round about the Washington Monument – the 555 ft high pagan symbol in the nation’s capital. The ostensibly patriotic email makes much of the fact that there are two Latin words at the top of the monument – Laus Deo, or Praise God. Things like this set my deception radar beeping.
The email infers that somehow the monument is a Christian edifice, and that is completely untrue. The Lord Jesus does not need a pagan structure harking back to blasphemous ancient Egyptian religion. By the way, you would not want to know many details of that religion. They are disgusting, and not fit to put on our website or to discuss in mixed company. Remember, the obelisk is a phallic symbol, and that is central to Egyptian paganism. There it stands, a symbolic male organ 55 stories high, visible from the White House. And we good little naive Americans are supposed to approve of it?
If I were running things in America, I would never allow an obelisk to be built on American soil. Never.
As for the words Laus Deo (Praise God) carved at the top of the monument, praise which god? Surely not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because if it was to praise Him, there would be some mention of His Son Jesus, but no, just ‘God’.
The monument is more than likely praising the god of the Freemasons - Satan, otherwise known as the Great Architect of the Universe, who is not God at all. The true God has a lot of wonderful titles, and He tells us in the Bible what they are. ‘Great Architect of the Universe’ is not one of them.
The height of the obelisk is said in the email to be 555 ft. They don’t mention the number in inches in the email, only the number in feet, and 555 ft high sounds pretty innocuous. But multiply 555 by 12 inches to the foot, and the obelisk is 6660 inches high. Other websites claim the true height is 555.5 ft, which, multiplied by 12 inches, would make the structure 6666 inches high. Either way, 666 is the number of Satan, according to the Book of Revelation, Chapter 13. At some stage Satan’s man, the Antichrist, is going to require everyone on earth to take his name or number on their right hand or forehead.
Question – why would anyone want to build a useless structure to that precise height?
The base of the obelisk is 55.5 ft. on each side, according to some websites. Multipled by 12 inches, we again get that horrible number, 666, the number of Satan.
Another thing about the Washington Monument Laus Deo email which really irritated me was a remark at the end implying that if I did not forward it to others, it was a failure on my part. No way. If you get the email, do not forward it to anyone, unless to pick it apart and tell the truth about the monument.
Does this make me an unpatriotic person because I loathe the Washington Monument? No, it makes me a thinking person. The Lord Jesus told us the last days would be marked by deception. He commanded His followers: ‘Take heed that no man deceive you!’ Well, start taking heed! Use the brain God gave you.
The designer of the monument was a French American, Pierre l’Enfant, and Freemasons say he was not one of them, but of course they may be lying. He was hired to lay out the street design of Washington D.C., in which many have seen satanic Freemason symbols.
Unfortunately, Freemasons were involved from the early days of my country. As with every generation, there is a battle between darkness and light, and people get confused when the darkness disguises itself as light. Obviously, George Washington was a tremendous general, and what a debt we all owe him. But how I wish he had not been a Freemason! If you go to George Washington’s house, as I did, you will be shown his Freemason equipment. I was very sorry to see it, very disappointed and, yes, disillusioned. It may be that he joined as a young man and then had little or nothing to do with masonry. I hope so, but I wish with all my heart he had renounced it publicly.
By the way, at his Mt Vernon home you will also see the remains of the slave quarters of his many slaves. He was just a man. You don’t have to worship him. You don’t even have to like him. You can still be a good American patriot, loving your country and loving the Lord Jesus – you do not have to worship the Founding Fathers, with their feet of clay! We worship the Lord Jesus, not men, and certainly not any pagan monument!
Although Freemasonry was in at the very beginning of our nation, they never teach about it in our history classes, so that anyone who finds out about it looks like a nut case. But there is such a thing as loyalty to our Lord Jesus, and He is the way, the truth and the life. The builders of the obelisk would be strangers to Him.
Personally, I dislike most monuments, and, since the Laus Deo email caused me to focus on it, I especially dislike the Washington Monument. People are just people - even if they become president - and it’s not a good idea to raise up some great structure in praise of them. I love what Chuck Smith (founder of the first Calvary Chapel) said in one teaching: ‘When I’m dead, some idiot will want to build a Chuck Smith monument – don’t do it!’
I can just imagine one of our readers say in disgust: ‘Next she’ll be attacking the Statue of Liberty!’ OK, that could be another article, if I have time. After all, there is a good reason that the Lord gave us the Second Commandment (no statues!). (Please look it up, Exodus Chapter 20 – it is even in the Catholic Jerusalem Bible, although they never teach it in their schools; they like their statues too much.).
Getting back to the Laus Deo email and the pagan Washington Monument, there are lots of websites which delve into the layout of the city of Washington and the Freemason symbols on the dollar bill etc. Here is one.
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Illuminati/dc.htm
I’d better stop while I’m ahead. You can delete the Laus Deo email if you get it, but always Laus Verite Deo – praise the true God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ !
Hope you readers out there are not mad at me, but the truth is the truth, and we are about at the end of the end times. The Lord Jesus is coming back and all our proud structures are going, the Washington Monument among them. The King of Kings is going to wipe this earth clean like a dish.
Here’s a thought. Instead of forwarding the Laus Deo email, you can copy this and send it round directing your friends to our website www.thefreepressonline.co.uk
http://www.thefreepressonline.co.uk/news/5/2098.htm
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