Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence

The Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence in 2014, seen from across the pond in Constitution Gardens

The Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence is a memorial depicting the signatures of the original 56 signatories to the United States Declaration of Independence. It is located in the Constitution Gardens on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

History

Public Law 95 was passed by Congress in 1978 that allowed for the creation of a memorial to the signers of the Declaration of Independence. A gift from the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration, the memorial consists of 56 stone blocks, each with a facsimile of the signer's actual signature, their occupation, and their home town. It was dedicated on July 2, 1984, exactly 208 years after the Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence.^[1]

Location

The memorial is accessible to the public by crossing a wooden bridge onto a small island set in the lake between Constitution Avenue and the Reflecting Pool, not far from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Memorialized signers

Fifty-six delegates to the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, and are honored at this Memorial. Listed by state they are:

President of Congress 1. John Hancock (Massachusetts) New Hampshire 2. Josiah Bartlett 3. William Whipple 4. Matthew Thornton Massachusetts 5. Samuel Adams 6. John Adams 7. Robert Treat Paine 8. Elbridge Gerry Rhode Island 9. Stephen Hopkins 10. William Ellery Connecticut 11. Roger Sherman 12. Samuel Huntington 13. William Williams 14. Oliver Wolcott New York 15. William Floyd 16. Philip Livingston 17. Francis Lewis 18. Lewis Morris

New Jersey 19. Richard Stockton 20. John Witherspoon 21. Francis Hopkinson 22. John Hart 23. Abraham Clark Pennsylvania 24. Robert Morris 25. Benjamin Rush 26. Benjamin Franklin 27. John Morton 28. George Clymer 29. James Smith 30. George Taylor 31. James Wilson 32. George Ross Delaware 33. George Read 34. Caesar Rodney 35. Thomas McKean Maryland 36. Samuel Chase 37. William Paca 38. Thomas Stone 39. Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia 40. George Wythe 41. Richard Henry Lee 42. Thomas Jefferson 43. Benjamin Harrison 44. Thomas Nelson, Jr. 45. Francis Lightfoot Lee 46. Carter Braxton North Carolina 47. William Hooper 48. Joseph Hewes 49. John Penn South Carolina 50. Edward Rutledge 51. Thomas Heyward, Jr. 52. Thomas Lynch, Jr. 53. Arthur Middleton Georgia 54. Button Gwinnett 55. Lyman Hall 56. George Walton

See also

• List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
• Physical history of the United States Declaration of Independence

External links

• http://www.dcmemorials.com/index_indiv0001300.htm
• http://www.civicartsproject.com/2012/12/11/memorial-to-the-56-signers-of-the-declaration-of-independence-the-mall-district-of-columbia/
• http://www.yelp.com/biz/56-signers-of-the-declaration-of-independence-memorial-washington

References

1. http://www.nps.gov/foju/upload/take2.pdf

Coordinates: 38°53′28″N 77°02′34″W / 38.89109°N 77.04287°W