1. Earth and Mineral Sciences Library
Penn State History
The Penn State Obelisk
The Obelisk was built in 1896 to serve as an educational exhibit of various building stones assembled in their natural geologic order and as an ongoing experiment in the effects of weathering on each type of stone. Penn State’s first Professor of Mining Engineering, Magnus C. Ihlseng, conceived the idea for the monument and local stonemason Michael Womer built it. Most of the 281 stone blocks were collected from stone quarries in Pennsylvania, but a few stones from New England states, Ohio and even England are also placed in the monument.