George Mason Memorial

The George Mason Memorial is a quiet garden near the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, dedicated to the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. A reflecting pool, flower beds and benches surround a bronze statue of Mason seated beneath a trellis, with passages from his writings nearby. Read the inscriptions, then take a seat beside the statue for a pause away from the busier memorials. In spring, flowering trees and shrubs add color, and the Tidal Basin’s cherry blossoms are close by.

George Mason and the Virginia Declaration of Rights

The memorial honors George Mason, a founding-era political figure and author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. His work and ideas influenced the writing of the United States Bill of Rights. Passages from his writings are engraved at the memorial, offering context for the seated statue and a reason to pause beyond taking in the garden.

Mason is also remembered for refusing to sign the United States Constitution because it did not abolish slavery. The memorial’s inscriptions give you a place to consider his beliefs alongside his influence on later rights documents.

The statue and garden

A bronze sculpture shows Mason seated with books and a walking stick beneath a long trellis. The garden around it includes a reflecting pool, flower beds and benches. The arrangement gives the memorial a more intimate feel than the larger nearby sites, with space to sit and read the engraved passages.

The planting includes pansies, cherry trees, saucer magnolias and forsythia. In spring, blossoms bring color to the garden and nearby Tidal Basin. The site is close to the Jefferson Memorial and can fit into a walk between memorials around the basin.