Construction of the Washington Monument resumes

Title: Construction of the Washington Monument resumes
Date: 1870s
Description: In 1876 after sitting uncompleted for almost twenty years Congress passed a joint resolution taking charge of the completion of the monument. Taking control of the land and monument back from the Washington National Monument Society who had run out of funds shortly after construction began in 1854. In this image workers can be see fortifying the base of the monument. Now controlled by the federal government, the design of the monument became the more simple Egyptian style obelisk which appears today.
Source: Internal Archive, National Park Service.
Coverage: 1860-1889
Original Format: Photograph