Copyright Notice: This article is from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina edited by William S. Powell. Copyright © 2006 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher. For personal use and not for further distribution. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher.

Painting of David Settle Reid. Image from the State Archives of North Carolina.
Painting of David Settle Reid. Image from the State Archives of North Carolina.
The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., contains a block of North Carolina white marble five feet long and three feet high bearing a sculptured bas-relief of the state seal and the inscription "North Carolina Declaration of Independence, May 1775." It was presented to the Washington National Monument Society on 22 Feb. 1853 with a suitable address by Congressman David S. Reid "in the presence of a numerous and distinguished company" gathered at the site. All 50 states, as well as many cities and patriotic organizations, have donated such memorial stones, which are located in the monument's interior.

Additional Resources:

"RESOLUTIONS in relation to the block of marble presented by the citizens of Lincoln county for the Washington Monument." Laws of the State of North Carolina, passed by the General Assembly at the Session of 1850-'51. Raleigh [N.C.]" Star Office, T. J. Lemay. 1851. p.514. https://cdm16062.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p249901coll22,167612

David S. Reid to Robert J. Powell, Raleigh, May 24, 1853. The Papers of David Settle Reid: Volume 2: 1853-1913.     Raleigh, N.C.: Dept. of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History. 1997. p. 32.  https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/papers-of-david-settle-reid-vol.-2/2149016?item=2231312.

Image Credits:

"David Settle Reid." Photograph no. 81.5.24. From the Audio Visual and Iconographics Collection, Division of Archives and History Photograph Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC, USA.

Citation

Powell, William S. "Washington Monument." NCpedia. Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press. Accessed on February 24th, 2025. https://www.ncpedia.org/washington-monument.