October 5, 1849 – Iowa’s Secretary of State Josiah H. Bonney and State Auditor Joseph T. Fales are searching the Des Moines River valley for the best piece of Iowa marble which, when found, will be contributed to the Washington Monument project in Washington D.C.
The nation’s best-known memorial to the first president of the United States is located in the city that bears his name. Today, at 555 feet tall, the Washington Monument National Memorial towers over the nation’s capital.
One of the unique features of the Washington Monument – rarely seen today because of limited access – is the one-hundred and ninety-three Memorial Stones installed along the winding staircase that ascends the tower – on its east and west interior walls.
The Washington Monument’s staircase stones ascend with Maine at the 30-ft level to Alaska at the 450-ft level. The Iowa stone is set at the 110-ft level. With the addition of elevators, today, very few people have access to the original stairway – which was completed in 1888.
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