Welsh Language in Washington DC

George Washington Memorial

Built to honour the first president of the USA, George Washington, the 555-foot marble obelisk stands tall over Washington, D.C. The Washington Memorial Monument on the National Mall in Washington opened on October 9th 1888. Nearly halfway up, there is a stone donated by the people of Wales.  Its inscription reads; Fy Iaith, Fy Ngwlad, Fy Nghenedl. WALES. Cymry am byth. (My Language, My Country, My People. WALES. The Welsh Forever)

The monument to America’s first president still holds the title of world’s tallest stone structure and obelisk. At its completion in 1884 it was the world’s tallest man-made structure, though just five years later the Eiffel Tower in Paris became the world's tallest. It remains the world’s tallest masonry structure.

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Good Welshmen make Good Americans

The Washington Monument was built to commemorate George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the first American president, who once declared "good Welshman make good Americans".

Construction of the monument, made of marble, granite and bluestone gneiss, began in 1848 and was completed in 1884.  Weighing 81,120 tons, the Washington Monument stands 555' 5-1/8" tall. The walls of the monument range in thickness from 15' at the base to 18'' at the upper shaft. They are composed primarily of white marble blocks from Maryland with a few from Massachusetts, underlain by Maryland blue gneiss and Maine granite.

Why does the Washington Monument have two colours?

The structure was originally designed by Robert Mills, with construction beginning in 1848. The combination of the Civil War, the Know Nothing Party's rise to control of the Washington National Monument Society through an illegal election and lack of funding led to a halt in construction in 1854. When construction resumed in 1879, marble was used from a different quarry, and time and weather erosion have led to the difference in colour, which begins at about 150-foot up the structure.

The monument was finally completed in 1884 by Thomas Casey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and an elevator was added to the monument in 1889.

About FelinFach

Our company, FelinFach Natural Textiles is located in the heart of the Preseli area of Pembrokeshire near to Boncath. We design Welsh blankets and the iconic Welsh Tapestry blankets which are traditionally woven at Welsh mills. We also design and make natural hand dyed yarn, cotton, silk and wool scarves and other handmade products. We also offer Sheepskin Rugs, Gift Cards and tools and books for crafters and knitters - Cocoknits, Laine, Amirisu and Making to name a few!. We are a proud supporter of the Campaign for Wool and Global Welsh.

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Last update 9th October 2020