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circling the base. The cornerstone was laid in 1848 but the monument was not completed until 1884 when the 3300 pound marble capstone was set in place. The marble obelisk rises just over 555 feet from the knoll in the center of the grounds, surrounded by 50 American flags, one for each state. [As I recall, the flags were the idea of a young student who wrote to the president & suggested the circle of flags because the monument was too plain. But I was not able to verify this on the Net.} An elevator runs to the observation room at the 500 foot level. Upon completion, the monument became the world's tallest structure, and it held that title until 1889 when the Eiffel Tower was finished in Paris, France. As usual, a great source for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument#Later_history
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North America
