The National Park Service shared a message on Monday that had several Washington, D.C., residents scratching their heads until they realized it was April Fools’ Day.

“We’re often asked why there’s a color change in the stone of the Washington Monument,” the National Park Service’s social media account for the National Mall posted on X.

The NPS post continued, “The color change marks how far the towering monument was lowered underground every night in the 1940s to help planes avoid it after National Airport opened on the Potomac.”

The picture in the social media post shows the Washington Monument in daylight with a helicopter flying by it.

Several Washingtonians chimed in, admitting they were almost fooled by the post.

“You got me with this one — and I live here!!! for a milisec I was questioning all the history I know!” a Washington, D.C., resident posted in response.

“Well played NPS. You had this DC kid questioning my entire childhood,” a woman responded.

“Ha. You made me think about it for a second,” another person posted.

Another user added, “Ok haha. Had me scratching my head for a moment.”

Reuters reporter David Shepardson praised NPS for the clever post.

“Well done. Surprised @FAANews not weighing in yet #AprilsFoolDay,” Shepardson posted.

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“The sad part is the number of Americans who will believe this,” a person said Monday reacting to the post.

The construction of the Washington Monument began in 1848 and was halted in 1856 for 25 years due to funding and leadership problems. When Congress authorized more funds to continue construction in 1876, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had to use new quarries for construction.

The Washington Examiner reached out to NPS for a comment.