Washington National Monument Society Manuscript

This document contains the signatures of the officers and board of managers for the Washington National Monument Society in 1850, which included President Millard Fillmore. The Washington National Monument Society was founded in 1833 by a group of gentlemen who advocated for the creation of a monument dedicated to the nation's beloved first president. John Marshall, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, became the Society's first president. A design for the monument by architect Robert Mills, featuring a pantheon at its base and the eminent obelisk, was selected by the Society in 1845. The original plan for the monument is depicted in the top left corner of the manuscript.

Eventually, the Society's turbulent administrative history, lack of funding, and the impending Civil War, caused it, and consequently the construction of the Washington Monument, to cease for more than two decades. In 1876, Congress assumed responsibility for funding the building, which was completed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1884.

The Washington Monument has been managed by the National Mall and Memorial Parks 1933.