Washington Monument Jessica
Washington Monument and empty Reflecting Pool from Lincoln Memorial		Monument from Bell Tower of Old Post Office
Monument from Street	Monument from Street	Monument from Bell Tower of Old Post Office

Word Problems

1. If the construction started on the Washington Monument in 1848, and paused in 1854 at the height of 154 ft due to the Civil War, and was finished in 1888, then what percent of the monument was made after 1854?  **HINT** (Finished Monument height is 555)

2. If the monument has 897 steps, how long would it take you to get to the top and bottom if you were skipping one step each time and taking 10 steps in 20 seconds?

3. If the monument has 9,295 blocks and you put in 845 blocks a month, how many months would it take you to put in all the blocks?

Answers to Word Problem

Scavenger  Hunt

Link to online web site: www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc72.htm

1. When did they start building the Washington Monument and when did they stop?

2. Who was the architect?

3. When was the cornerstone laid?

4. When was it opened to the public?

5. How much does the monument weigh?

6. How tall is the monument?

7. Why does the marble change colors?

8. Who donated the carved stones on the walls?

9. Where is the Washington Monument located?

10. How much money did the monument get in donations?

Answers to Scavenger  Hunt

1. The Washington Monument has 1000 steps.

2. The Monument was open to public on October 1888.

3. The Monument up to 152 ft is marble.

4. The Monument is the shortest building in the District of Columbia.

5. The Monument's capstone weighs 3,300.

6. The Monument weighs 904,656 lbs.

Answers to Fact or Fiction

At 555 feet five and one-eighth inches, the Washington Monument is the tallest building in the District of Columbia. Getting to the top is easy. All you have to do is wait for the elevator. The way you descend from the monument is your choice. You can ride the elevator down or you can walk down all 897 steps.   
           The public was not always welcome to the Monument.  It wasn't until October of 1888 that visitors were allowed inside. That's because the interior wasn't quite finished. The stairwell wasn't finished at the same time as the outside of the monument, and the construction elevator had to be converted into a passenger elevator. People were lucky to go inside at all.
           Due to political changes, construction on the Washington monument was stopped in 1854 when it was only 152 feet tall. All efforts of restoring the Union were shifted because the Civil War had broken out. Troops, grazing cattle, and a slaughterhouse used the grounds of the Washington Monument for drill practice. Once the Union was stable, the cornerstone to the monument was laid. Every U.S. state, U.S. territory, Indian nation, foreign country, civic group, and private organization was invited to contribute a memorial stone to become part of the walls. After the war in 1876, the Army Corps of Engineers was given the job of completing the Monument. They determined that the foundation was not able to support the original 600-foot design and was scaled back to 555 feet.
            You can see where the construction ended and began. The bottom of the monument, up to 152 feet is made of marble that came from a quarry in Baltimore, Maryland. It is topped by 3 feet of marble from Massachusetts, then the monument is completed with marble from another Baltimore quarry. The stone was all of the same type, but because it didn’t come from the same seam, it weathered differently. At the top is a 9-inch tall aluminum pyramid. At the time, aluminum was a precious metal as this was the largest piece ever made.
            The monument weighs 90,845 tons. The monument's capstone weighs 3,300 tons. On the inside, the first 452 feet of the monument is built with granite from Maine. There are lightning rods on top of the monument to protect it from electrical storms. The control runs down the stairwell. In 1908, Charles Street, a catcher for the Washington Senators, was the fist person to catch a baseball thrown from the top of the monument.
            February 21, 2002- after a $10,500,000.00 renovation, the monument reopened to the public. The first people to take a tour of the renovated landmark were children from Anthony Bowen Elementary School.

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Answers

Answer to Math Word Problem.

1. About 72%

2. 30 minutes

3. 11 months

Return to questions

Answers to Scavenger Hunt

1. 1848-56, and 1876-84--the Civil War and a lack of funds causing the intermittent hiatus.

2. Robert Mills

3. July 4^th 1888

4. October 9^th 1888

5. 90,854

6. 555 ft 5 1/8 in

7. Because of a war the building of the monument was canceled and then some years later started up again.

8. By individuals, societies, cities, States, and nations of the world

9. The Washington Monument is located on the National Mall

10. $4 million

Return to questions

1. False- 897

2. True

3. True

4. False- Tallest

5. True

6. False

Return to questions

Citation

"Washington Monument." 03 Feb 2004. <http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc72.htm>.