Constructed in 1896, the obelisk, also called the polylith, stands 32.7 feet high and weighs 53.4 tons. This "pile of rocks" was created the same year the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (formerly the School of Mines) at The Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA, came into existence.  A plaque on the monument reads as follows: "Containing 281 stones arranged in natural geologic order, this monument was erected in 1896 under supervision of Professors T.C. Hopkins and M.C. Ihlseng, School of Mines, The Pennsylvania State College, to demonstrate weathering properties and subsequent value of Pennsylvania building stone."