The monument to Mary Washington, mother of George Washington, was dedicated on May 10, 1894, more than a century after her death.
In 1789 Mary’s daughter, Betty Lewis, had her buried on property she and her late husband, Fielding Lewis, owned. Though the exact location of her grave is unknown, it is reported to be near the sandstone outcropping known as Meditation Rock. This was a place well known to Mary, and somewhere she would have visited for solace and prayer.
In the 1830s, construction of a previous monument began. That monument was never completed, and by the late 1800s, it was unsalvageable. It was not until the property was advertised for sale in 1889 that people came together to fundraise for a new monument which was erected in 1894. It is said to be the first monument erected to a woman, by women. Their effort to erect the monument was conducted at both the local and national level. Presidents Jackson, Cleveland, and Eisenhower each visited the site.
Also on the property are a Caretaker’s Cottage, the Gordon Family Cemetery, and the Eskridge Oak.
Mary Washington Monument Hours: Dawn to Dusk, admission: Free
