Mary Washington Monument

Washington Avenue

Fredericksburg, VA  22401

540 373-3381  

Mary Washington died a few months after her son became president of the United States. The monument that marks her grave stands on part of the original Kenmore estate that, at the time, was the property of her daughter, Betty, and son-in-law Col. Fielding Lewis. Mary chose the site of her grave herself. She walked there frequently from her nearby cottage, where a large boulder in the shade of great oaks trees still provides a restful retreat. On his first visit to Fredericksburg after his mother’s death, George Washington ordered a stone erected on her grave. Over the years, this stone was destroyed by souvenir hunters. In 1826 a movement was begun to raise funds for a proper monument and in 1833 the cornerstone of the monument was laid. Over the years the interest in building the monument faded and intense fighting during the Civil War in the area left the partially erected monument an irreparable ruin. It was the advertisement of the date of the sale of the property on which the grave and unfinished monument were located, that sparked the chartering of the National Mary Washington Association and the Mary Washington Association of Fredericksburg in 1889. The contribution of time and money from these two groups eventually led to the successful erection of the monument. The Garden Club of Virginia assisted with appropriate plantings installed along the brick walk leading to the monument, and trees and shrubs to enhance the lawn.