Governor O'Ferrall at the request of the Fredericksburg Mary Washington Monument Association read a set of engrossed resolutions which were presented to Mrs. Waite as President of the National Society. This concluded the ceremonies. President Cleveland after holding a general reception on the monument grounds was entertained at the home of Hon. W. Seymour White, editor of the Free Lance, and afterwards Mayor of the city. It was a brilliant gathering, Cabinet Officers and their wives, the Governor of Virginia and Staff, and distinguished citizens of the town and elsewhere to greet them. The ladies of the National Board were entertained at the home of Mrs. V. M. Fleming, president of the local association. President Cleveland repaired to the Mary Washington House where he requested he should receive all the descendants of the Balls and Washingtons. "There he had the satisfaction of grasping the hands and enjoying the conversation of the nearest living relatives of his first and greatest predecessor, in the home of his honored mother." A banquet was given by the citizens in the Opera House, and a large Ball that night in the same place. Thus closed a memorable day in the annals of Fredericksburg. The land on which the monument is built, on the same site as that occupied by the first monument, was given by Mr. George Shepherd, a prominent and wealthy merchant, to the Fredericksburg Mary Washington Monument Association, and was transferred at the dedication of the monument by a conditional deed to the National Association. [Sidenote: _Story of Older Monument_] The first monument to the memory of Mary Washington was partly erected by Silas Burrows of New York, who as rumor has it, fell in love with one of the Gregory girls--great nieces of George Washington. It was of handsome design, but never finished, and the marble shaft lay prostrate for many years, cracked and discolored, while the base, with its beautiful four carved columns was a target for both armies during the Civil war. The corner stone of this first monument was laid in 1833, with much pomp, the President of the United States--Gen. Andrew Jackson--taking part with Cabinet Officers and escorts. The people of Fredericksburg previous to Mr. Burrows' offer, had made efforts to raise money for a memorial to Mary Washington. Hearing of this he wrote to the Mayor, offering to give and erect the monument himself. The monument had reached completion with the exception of placing the shaft, when Mr. Burrows went abroad and never reappeared, the same Madam Rumor attributing it to the disappointment he experienced at the failure to win the hand of Miss Gregory, the daughter of Mildred Washington, the niece of the immortal George. The present monument is splendidly cared for by the National Association with the Secretary of the Association, a Fredericksburg lady in charge and living on the grounds in a beautiful cottage built by the National Mary Washington Monument Association.