The History of the City of Fredericksburg, VirginiaQuinn, S. J. (Silvanus Jackson)
History
The History of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia
Quinn, S. J. (Silvanus Jackson)
Fredericksburg (Va.) -- History
A sufficient amount of money being in hand this perplexing question
arose--should the old monument be renovated and completed, or should it be
set aside and a new one constructed? This gave rise to considerable
controversy, because there was quite a division of sentiment, and serious
results were feared by members of both associations. This difficulty was
met, however, by an order to have the unfinished monument examined by an
expert, who, upon a thorough investigation, reported that it was so broken
and mutilated that it could not be repaired, and so plans for a new
monument were ordered. The plan submitted by Mr. Wm. J. Crawford, of
Buffalo, New York, was adopted by the ladies and to him was intrusted the
work of erecting the monument on the site of the unfinished structure,
under which the remains of this venerable and venerated woman reposed. The
monument is a square base, with a solid granite shaft fifty-one and a half
feet high--total height, fifty-five feet--with the words "Mary, the Mother
of Washington," in raised letters, cut on the base. The material of the
old monument was broken up and placed in the foundation of the new one,
except such of the fluted columns as remained unbroken, which were donated
to different institutions. One of them was given to Fredericksburg Lodge
of Masons, of this place, by Mr. Crawford, the architect, which is now in
the lodge room.
In due time the monument was finished to the satisfaction of both the
Fredericksburg and Washington associations, which was accepted, and the
10th of May, 1894, was designated as the time for its dedication. The
Fredericksburg Masonic Lodge, which had laid the corner-stone of the old
monument, was invited to conduct the ceremonies of dedicating the new, but
it gracefully turned that honor over to the Grand Lodge of Virginia, which
performed the work in good style, escorted and assisted by Lodges No. 4
and No. 22 of Alexandria.
The day for the dedication of the monument dawned beautiful and clear and
found everything in readiness for the grand event. Besides the National
Association being largely represented from Washington, headed by Mrs.
Waite, there were President Grover Cleveland, with most of his cabinet and
their wives; Vice-President A. E. Stevenson and lady, Chief-Justice
Fuller, Justice Harlan, Senators and Representatives, Governor Charles T.
O'Ferrall and Staff, the volunteer militia from different portions of the
State, the Grand Lodge of Masons of Virginia, with Fredericksburg Lodge,
No. 4, and Alexandria-Washington Lodge, No. 22, and distinguished men and
Masons from different parts of the country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account