Off the Wall: The Surprise Obelisk Hidden Under Your Feet
Why There Is a Hidden Mini Washington Monument Buried Under the National Mall
Why There Is a Hidden Mini Washington Monument Buried Under the National Mall
(Commonplace Fun Facts) - Everyone knows the Washington Monument—named, of course, for the man whose decisions, restraint, and deeply inconvenient refusal to be king still hover over the Mall as much as the obelisk itself. It is the giant marble obelisk that dominates the National Mall, looms in the background of approximately every documentary ever made about American history, and has served as a directional aid for lost tourists since the 19th century. You look at it, you nod respectfully, you take a photo, and you move on with your day.
What almost no one realizes—despite walking directly over it—is that the Washington Monument also has a smaller, lesser-known sibling buried underground nearby. A quiet twin. A minimalist version. A Washington Monument that very clearly did not ask for fame.
This is the story of the hidden Mini Washington Monument—never meant to be admired, photographed, or merchandised, but built to do something far more important than look impressive.
If someone told you there was a small stone replica of the Washington Monument hidden beneath a manhole cover on the National Mall, your first instinct would be to assume this was one of those “you won’t believe number seven” internet clickbait stories that collapses under…
Very cool! Thanks!
I know you don’t believe everything you see online but I saw a tree that was in the middle of the monument that was there after the civil war when they started finishing it with war criminals