Episode 2 of 2
Cornerstone Laying Ceremony
- When
- July 4, 1848
- Where
- National Mall
The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848, by the Freemasons, marking the symbolic start of construction.
The ceremony took place at the northeast corner of the lowest course of the foundation. A copper plate inscribed with dates and names covered the hole. The Freemasons, to which Washington belonged, performed the symbolic laying.
Sources
- Washington Monument Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-30
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.