Volunteer villagers from nearby Boonesboro celebrated Independence Day on July 4, 1827, by building and dedicating the first monument to the memory of George Washington. Patriotic citizens repaired and altered it many times over more than a hundred years, and the Civilian Conservation Corps restored it to its original design in 1934-36. During the Civil War, the Union army used the monument as a signal station. In 1922, the Washington County Historical Society bought the monument and its surrounding land and in 1934 presented them to the State of Maryland for park development. The structure was certified a "Maryland Historical Monument" in March, 1972, and a "National Historical Monument" in November, 1972.