Peace Monument
Peace Monument is a historic site, at a recorded elevation of 5 m. Gantt Hill stands 156 m to the west-northwest, 12 miles off. The nearest named place is Ulysses S. Grant Statue, a historic site 0.1 miles away. George Washington Memorial Parkway passes 2.1 miles off. 33 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
The Peace Monument, also known as the Navy Monument, Naval Monument or Navy-Peace Monument, stands on the western edge of the United States Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C. It is in the middle of Peace Circle, where First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW intersect. The surrounding area is Union Square, which the monument shares with the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, James A. Garfield Monument, and the Capitol Reflecting Pool. The front of the monument faces west towards the National Mall while the east side faces the United States Capitol. The idea of a monument honoring men who fought in the Union Navy during the Civil War was spearheaded by Admiral David Dixon Porter, who wanted the monument to stand in Annapolis, Maryland, where his father, Commodore David Porter, had assisted in the installation of the Tripoli Monument. Due to an uneasy relationship between the younger Porter and Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, the monument was not installed in Annapolis. Porter lobbied Congress and an additional $20,000 was allocated to build the base. This was in addition to the $9,000 Porter raised amongst naval personnel and private citizens. Porter chose Franklin Simmons to sculpt the monument's statues, one of many works in Washington, D.C., by Simmons. Architect of the Capitol Edward Clark designed the base. Pieces of the monument began to arrive in 1876, and the final piece arrived in January 1878. Unlike most of the city's war monuments, there was no formal dedication ceremony. The monument is made of Carrara marble, which has led to numerous restorations, since that type of marble is not meant to be outside in the elements. The monument is 44 feet (13 m) high and is 10 feet (3.0 m) long on each side. There were additional pieces that were to be installed, including decorative lampposts and water features, but either due to funding or Welles' intervention, the monument remained unfinished. The monument has become a gathering place during protests and rallies, leading to further deterioration of the marble. People protesting against the Vietnam War, the Three Mile Island accident, and the murder of George Floyd, have gathered at the monument. It was also a site where rioters gathered before the January 6 United States Capitol attack. The Peace Monument is a contributing property to four listings on the National Register of Historic Places and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites: the National Mall Historic District, the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site, the collective listing of Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C., and the L'Enfant Plan. Ownership of the monument was transferred in 1973 to the Architect of the Capitol, which has performed several cleaning and restoration projects since that time.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1877.
Wikidata Q2065740, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 12 m
- Elevation
- 5 m
- Material
- marble
How to reach it
- 2.1 mi off the George Washington Memorial Parkway, National
- 3.8 mi off the Booth's Escape
- 4.5 mi off the Star-Spangled Banner Byway
- 8.3 mi off the Old Georgetown Pike
Overlooks nearby
Named places within 25 miles
- Union Square: 0.1 mi
- Seaton Park - East: 0.2 mi
- Upper Senate Park: 0.3 mi
- Senate Park: 0.3 mi
- Lower Senate Park: 0.3 mi
- United States Capitol: 0.2 mi
- Emancipation Hall: 0.2 mi
- Washington Union Station: 0.6 mi
- Smithsonian National Carousel: 0.7 mi
- Almas Temple: 1.3 mi
- East Wing National Gallery of Art: 0.2 mi
- National Museum of the American Indian: 0.3 mi
- National Gallery of Art: 0.4 mi
- Museum of the Bible: 0.5 mi
- Capital Jewish Museum: 0.5 mi
- Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary: 2.6 mi
- Alger Park: 3.1 mi
- Fort Mahan Park: 3.6 mi
- Fort Bennet Park and Palisades Trail: 3.7 mi
- Fort Chaplin Park: 3.8 mi
- Picnic site for Rose park: 2.6 mi
- Picnic Grove 29: 3.5 mi
- Picnic Grove 1: 4.0 mi
- Picnic Grove 2 South: 4.1 mi
- Picnic Grove 3: 4.2 mi
- East Gallery: 0.2 mi
- Garden Court: 0.2 mi
- Plant Adaptations: 0.2 mi
- West Gallery: 0.2 mi
- Rare & Endangered: 0.2 mi
- Ulysses S. Grant Statue: 0.1 mi
- James A. Garfield Monument: 0.1 mi
- Robert A. Taft Memorial: 0.2 mi
- National Native American Veterans Memorial: 0.2 mi
- George Gordon Meade Memorial: 0.2 mi
- Robert A. Taft: 0.2 mi
- Statue of Freedom: 0.2 mi
- Sir William Blackstone Statue: 0.2 mi
- Rhyton: 0.2 mi
- Acacia Griffins: 0.2 mi
- Peters Hill: 2.1 mi
- Mount Hamilton: 2.4 mi
- Round Hill: 2.8 mi
- Jackson Hill: 3.0 mi
- Good Hope Hill: 3.1 mi
- Takoma Spring: 5.7 mi
- Silver Spring: 6.9 mi
- Clean Drinking Manor Spring: 8.0 mi
- Indian Springs: 9.9 mi
- Sandy Spring: 17.2 mi
- Fishing Shore: 4.8 mi
- Lake Barcroft Beach: 7.9 mi
- Purplehorse Beach: 13.7 mi
- Sycamore Beach: 13.8 mi
- Rosier Bluff: 8.2 mi
- Indian Queen Bluff: 9.5 mi
- Indian Head: 21.6 mi
- Quartz Rock Outcropping: 22.7 mi
- Stubblefield Falls: 11.2 mi
- Scott's Run Falls: 11.5 mi
- Great Falls: 14.9 mi
- Coe Creek: 22.1 mi
- Wilson: 23.3 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Peace Monument. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gantt Hill | WNW 282° | 156 m | 12.1 mi |
| Hunting Hill | NW 323° | 156 m | 16.7 mi |
| Mount Daniel | W 273° | 144 m | 9.2 mi |
| Minor's Hill | W 276° | 140 m | 7.9 mi |
| Freedom Hill | W 280° | 140 m | 12.6 mi |
| Prout Hill | W 266° | 137 m | 9.7 mi |
| Upton Hill | W 261° | 125 m | 7.3 mi |
| Point Reno | NW 321° | 123 m | 5.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:12 | 18:45 | 19:20 |
| June solstice | 05:44 | 19:58 | 20:37 |
| September equinox | 06:56 | 18:32 | 19:07 |
| December solstice | 07:24 | 16:08 | 16:50 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 36 | 39 | 46 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 49 | 41 |
| Precip in | 3.0 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Natl Arboretum DC, 3 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element way/722871846
Day trips start here
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