Virginia Washington Monument, Richmond, VA
1869 (photographs 2002)
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Located in Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Washington Monument (also known as Washington Monument sculpture group and George Washington Equestrian Statue) by Thomas Crawford and Randolph Rodgers was unveiled in 1858 and completed in 1869. The project began with the Virginia General Assembly's establishment of a fund for the monument to Washington in 1817. When unveiled in 1858, the 21-foot equestrian statue of George Washington was only the second ever equestrian statue dedicated to the Founding Father.
The 65 foot tall, three tiered monument features a massive 21 foot equestrian statue of George Washington surrounded by six Virginia Patriots and allegorical figures representing associated revolutionary virtues--Thomas Jefferson (Independence) Patrick Henry (Revolution), John Marshall (Justice), Thomas Nelson (Finance), George Mason (Bill of Rights), and Andrew Lewis (Colonial Times). Thomas Crawford created the figures of Washington, Jefferson, and Henry and began Mason and Marshall. Following Crawford's death, and with the intervening years of the Civil War, Randolph Rodgers completed Mason and Marshall and created the figures of Nelson and Lewis.
In fact, Crawford's George Washington became the chief image in the Great Seal of the Confederacy. In addition, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as president of the Confederacy in the shadow of the unfinished monument in February 1862.
These photos are part of materials from the registration of Virginia Washington Monument, in Richmond, VA in the National Register of Historic Places.
The 65 foot tall, three tiered monument features a massive 21 foot equestrian statue of George Washington surrounded by six Virginia Patriots and allegorical figures representing associated revolutionary virtues--Thomas Jefferson (Independence) Patrick Henry (Revolution), John Marshall (Justice), Thomas Nelson (Finance), George Mason (Bill of Rights), and Andrew Lewis (Colonial Times). Thomas Crawford created the figures of Washington, Jefferson, and Henry and began Mason and Marshall. Following Crawford's death, and with the intervening years of the Civil War, Randolph Rodgers completed Mason and Marshall and created the figures of Nelson and Lewis.
In fact, Crawford's George Washington became the chief image in the Great Seal of the Confederacy. In addition, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as president of the Confederacy in the shadow of the unfinished monument in February 1862.
These photos are part of materials from the registration of Virginia Washington Monument, in Richmond, VA in the National Register of Historic Places.
This primary source comes from the Records of the National Park Service.
National Archives Identifier: 41682921
Full Citation: Virginia Washington Monument, Richmond, VA; 1869 (photographs 2002); National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Virginia; National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 - 2017; Records of the National Park Service, Record Group 79; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/virginia-washington-monument-richmond-va, March 19, 2025]Activities that use this document
- Memorials, Statues, and Monuments to George Washington
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