Let me start with this....a post from May of 2014........
I think that I was four years old, that would have been 1954, when my mother took me on the short trip from Baltimore, where we lived for a short time, to our nation's capitol. There was an elevator but for some reason we walked the 897 steps to the top of the Washington Monument. My only memory of the visit is stairs surrounded by walls, that memory bolstered somewhat by stories over the years of that excursion.
Our government felt that it needed a 'federal city' back at the beginning of the 19th century, apart from the jurisdiction of the surrounding states. Ground was chosen and the commissioners named the city Washington, and Columbia was designated the name of the district.
Construction on the marble and granite obelisk dedicated to our first president began in 1848 and after a long delay of some 23 years was completed in 1884. The partially built obelisk stood at about 150 ft during the Civil War and when construction resumed the marble used was a slightly different shade and the contrast can be seen in many pictures today. That height today is 555 feet and it was once the tallest building in the world.
A rare earthquake measuring 5.8 hit the region on August 23rd of 2011....(that will be ten years to the day in a week or so)....that caused severe damage and over 150 cracks. Another historic Washington D. C. edifice, the Washington National Cathedral, which Congress had designated the "National House Of Prayer,"was damaged in the earthquake. The neo-gothic Episcopal church also had a delayed completion with construction starting in 1907 and the last ornamental finial put in place in 1990.
And this was posted in December of 2018....
You may remember that the Washington National Cathedral and the Washington Monument were badly damaged in the Virginia earthquake of August 23, 2011. Three of the four grand pinnacles of the cathedral...each weighing 50 tons....collapsed. Gargoyles were damaged with one decapitated by falling debris. Today....seven years later....they are only half way finished with the repairs. That earthquake was a message to us from God. The Washington Monument was closed for three years for repairs. It reopened but is closed again due to chronic elevator problems and not expected to be open to the public again until 2019. I wrote these words in a preface to this post a few years ago...."I love America and that sentiment is written throughout these posts but I love it as the gift that has been given to Americans and to the world. It is the Gift-Giver that deserves our adoration! God will either save America for His purposes or He will let us fall in our own delusion. He will not be mocked nor will He meet us halfway....nor can we convince Him to see it our way. We will either prostrate ourselves before Him or He will prostrate us before our enemies."
The Washington Monument was struck by lightning shortly after midnight a few nights ago...the early morning of August 15.....the Lord's Day. There is a striking video of it with an easy Google....and as of today the monument is still closed down to repair some electrical damage. We have a short trip planned in a few weeks to our nation's capitol....only a couple of days....staying in a hotel at Lafayette Square....only a stones throw from the White House. We hope to visit a museum if possible....walk as a tourist....visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial....and Arlington National Cemetery where my father is buried.
You may remember that the Washington National Cathedral and the Washington Monument were badly damaged in the Virginia earthquake of August 23, 2011. Three of the four grand pinnacles of the cathedral...each weighing 50 tons....collapsed. Gargoyles were damaged with one decapitated by falling debris. Today....seven years later....they are only half way finished with the repairs. That earthquake was a message to us from God. The Washington Monument was closed for three years for repairs. It reopened but is closed again due to chronic elevator problems and not expected to be open to the public again until 2019. I wrote these words in a preface to this post a few years ago...."I love America and that sentiment is written throughout these posts but I love it as the gift that has been given to Americans and to the world. It is the Gift-Giver that deserves our adoration! God will either save America for His purposes or He will let us fall in our own delusion. He will not be mocked nor will He meet us halfway....nor can we convince Him to see it our way. We will either prostrate ourselves before Him or He will prostrate us before our enemies."
The Washington Monument was struck by lightning shortly after midnight a few nights ago...the early morning of August 15.....the Lord's Day. There is a striking video of it with an easy Google....and as of today the monument is still closed down to repair some electrical damage. We have a short trip planned in a few weeks to our nation's capitol....only a couple of days....staying in a hotel at Lafayette Square....only a stones throw from the White House. We hope to visit a museum if possible....walk as a tourist....visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial....and Arlington National Cemetery where my father is buried.
