Monumental Changes

Pre-1930 image of the Birthplace Monument

NPS image

Visitors have come to George Washington’s birthplace for over a century to honor his legacy. The Birthplace Obelisk was the first federal monument to commemorate the site of Washington's birth, constructed in 1896 at the believed location of his birth home. Weighing 35 tons and standing 50 feet tall—almost one-tenth the height of the Washington Monument in D.C.—the granite monument was designed in a classical form that mirrored other memorials erected across the nation following the Civil War.

The obelisk arrived at a wharf on the Potomac River, which was constructed by the United States War Department in 1894 to facilitate transportation to this remote site. Once the obelisk reached the wharf, it was moved overland for two miles and raised at its new location. Adorned with ornamental engravings and surrounded by an iron fence, it was designed to attract the attention of passing steamboats and transformed the rural landscape into a destination for thousands of travelers, including President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

In 1923, the Wakefield National Memorial Association was formed with the vision of creating a larger commemorative landscape in anticipation of the bicentennial of Washington’s birth. The Association aimed to construct a Memorial House Museum to honor his early life, which required relocating the obelisk. They also wanted to modify the appearance of the Birthplace Obelisk by replacing the old "funereal" design with a more modern look. Despite concerns about the cost of moving the monument during the Great Depression, Congress approved the project.

Relocating the monument presented significant challenges due to its size and the complexity of reinstalling it without causing damage. An enormous wooden derrick was built, and workers used manual labor to lower the monument onto a series of greased logs, allowing it to be rolled 400 yards. Once at the new location, the derrick was employed again to raise the obelisk into its current position at the entrance of the park in 1931. The Association also commissioned a new base for the obelisk. The old base and pedestal were cut, and a new design was installed before the monument was moved. The previous ornamental version, which featured the 1896 date, the text "George Washington Birth-Place" on a level above, and laurel decorations on the top tier, was removed.

That same year, the Memorial House Museum was constructed at the site where the obelisk had once stood. Today, the Birthplace Obelisk is a silent symbol of permanence, yet its story reveals an evolving perspective on how we remember the origins of our first President.