Learn About the Park

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Across the river from the large, bustling presidential monuments lining the National Mall is a lesser-known, peaceful memorial dedicated to the nation’s 36th president. Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac offers recreational opportunities, stunning views of the nation’s capital, and a chance to reflect on the legacy of President Lyndon B. Johnson.

On an island in the Potomac River, LBJ Memorial Grove is officially in Washington, DC. Motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians often do not know that they are briefly crossing into the District of Columbia because it is so close to the Virginia shoreline. Once known as Columbia Island, it was renamed Lady Bird Johnson Park in 1968 to honor of First Lady Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Johnson’s contributions in urban beautification of the nation’s capital. She would soon become influential in the design of her husband’s memorial on the island.

Shortly after the death of Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973, friends and family began planning a tribute to his legacy. Rather than a classical building or large metal sculpture, the idea was to create a living memorial for the enjoyment of nature, a nod to Johnson’s love of the environment. The spot chosen was special to the Johnsons, as they had often stopped there on return trips to DC during his presidency for a moment of peaceful reflection looking at the skyline of the nation’s capital.

 

Johnson's family and friends gather on the plaza every August to commemorate his birthday in an event open to the public.

NPS photo

 

The area was converted into a grove with hundreds of white pine and dogwood trees and framed by sprawling azaleas and rhododendron. A 19-foot-tall, 43-ton monolith serves as the centerpiece of the memorial grove. The large piece of sunset red granite was chosen by Lady Bird Johnson from a quarry within 35 miles of their ranch at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site in Texas.

Johnson’s memorial was dedicated only three years after his death, while his presidency was in the recent living memory of the majority of Americans. President from 1963 to 1969, Johnson served during arguably one of the most turbulent times in US history. The memorial sought to capture Johnson’s legacy with civil rights, land conservation, and education by including several of his quotes immortalized in granite. Among his many achievements during his presidency, Johnson signed the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Bill seeking to end discrimination, the Primary and Secondary Education Bill to increase federal aid to public education, and the Water Quality Act to improve the nation’s water sources and added 3.6 million acres of land to the National Park Service to preserve the nation’s natural and cultural heritage for future generations.

Learn more about LBJ Memorial Grove on the Potomac Cultural Landscape.