The Washington Monument is a giant structure that is symbolic of Washington DC. The idea of building such a structure to represent George Washington, the first president of the United States came from Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant. He wrote to Congress requesting that it be done when George Washington died in 1799.

Work took off for the construction of this monument between 1848 and 1884. The lack of funds to continue the project halted the construction for a while. The resumption of the project took place in 1876 under the supervision of Lt. Col. Thomas L. Casey. He changed the design of the monument to reflect the Egyptian obelisk. Today, there is an elevator that transports tourists and visitors to the topmost part of the monument. There is also a trail and a park that is around the monument.

The Washington Monument is 555 feet and 5 inches high. The Monument has been opened to the public since 1885. There is an elevator inside that takes the public high up to have a panoramic view of the city of Washington DC and its surroundings. Along the way up and the down the monument, visitors can see the gifts that were donated to the monument from around the world. The monument is similar in shape to the Egyptian obelisk. The Monument is also surrounded by flags representing the 50 states.