Monumental Changes

pre-1930 image of the Birthplace Monument

NPS image

The Birthplace Monument serves both as a symbol of commemoration, and of honor. Constructed in 1896, at the believed birth site of George Washington, the granite obelisk originally stood 50-foot high with a 12-foot square base and weighed nearly 35 tons. Similar to other memorials being erected around the nation following the Civil War, the Birthplace Monument followed the commemorative classical forms seen in the Washington Monument in Washington D.C., completed in 1885, and the Mary Ball Washington Monument in Fredericksburg, Virginia, completed in 1894.

Wanting to create a larger commemorative landscape at the birthplace of Washington, the Wakefield National Memorial Association formed in 1923. With Congress's approval for the group to build a Memorial House, the Association planned to move the Birthplace Monument as it was located where the group wanted to erect the Memorial House. The Association also wanted to modify the appearance of the Birthplace Monument by replacing the old "funereal" design of the obelisk with a more modern appearance.

The Association also planned for a new base for the monument. The old base and pedestal was cut, and a new design was added before the monument was moved to its new location. The old ornamental version of the monument, with the date the monument was erected on the base, the text "George Washington Birth-Place" a level above, and the laurel decorating the top tier were removed.

Today, the 1896 shaft can be seen at the entrance to the park, placed atop the 1930 base and pedestal design.