Original Washington Monument, in Baltimore, to reopen July 4; had been closed since 2010

BALTIMORE – The original Washington Monument, located in Baltimore, will be reopened and rededicated following a renovation.

Officials said Tuesday that the monument will reopen on July 4, which is its bicentennial. It had been closed since 2010.

The monument's cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1815. Its main column was finished in 1829 when a statue of Washington was raised to the top. The more well-known Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., was not finished until 1885.

Also Tuesday, historians who opened the 1915 time capsule from the monument found what may be one of the earliest existing photographs of the Declaration of Independence.

The Baltimore Sun reports that the photo, found inside a sealed copper box, was folded and slightly crumpled. Elissa O'Loughlin, a retired paper conservator, says the photo was taken in 1903.