East Potomac Park in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Forgotten Founder

National Mall and Memorial Parks, George Mason Memorial

— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —

Forgotten Founder Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 18, 2019

1. Forgotten Founder Marker

Inscription.

"All men are born equally free and independent. And have certain inherent natural rights... among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety."
Virginia Declaration of Rights, June 1776
This quote is inscribed next to the statue of George Mason

In front of you a statue of George Mason holds a book by Cicero, a Roman politician and orator. Mason used ideas from Cicero and others to write the Virginia Declaration of Rights in May of 1776, the first document to protect individual rights in the United States. The document served as inspiration for the Declaration of Independence written weeks later. When Mason's ideas for protecting

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individual rights were unanimously rejected at the 1787 Constitutional Convention he campaigned against the Constitution's passage. However, Mason's ideas lived on. James Madison borrowed heavily from Mason to write the Bill of Rights, securing American individual liberties for over 220 years.

The George Mason Memorial will be closed to the public from September 2017 to fall of 2018 for restoration and repair of the fountains.
Funded by the National Park Service Centennial Challenge with a match by the Trust for the National Mall.

Erected 2017 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 18, 2019

2. Forgotten Founder Marker

In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #04 James Madison series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1776.

Location. 38° 52.797′ N, 77° 2.376′ W. Marker is in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in East Potomac Park. It is at the intersection of East Basin Drive Southwest and Ohio Drive Southwest, on the left when traveling west on East Basin Drive Southwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 900 Ohio Dr SW, Washington DC 20242, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in the Tidewater,

and in the Chesapeake

George Mason IV image. Click for full size.

portrait by Dominic W. Boudet after John Hesselius (courtesy Gunston Hall Board of Regents), 1811

3. George Mason IV

1811 portrait by Dominic W. Boudet after John Hesselius.Close-up of image on marker

Bay Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: George Mason (a few steps from this marker); River Bottom to Parkland (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cuban Friendship Urn (about 600 feet away); Yoshino (about 800 feet away); The Gift of Friendship (approx. 0.2 miles away); Thomas Jefferson Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Air Mail (approx. ¼ mile away); The United Nations (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Southwest Washington.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Defender of Liberty (was a few steps from this marker but has been

<i>Scene of the Signing of the Constitution of the United States</i>, Howard Chandler Christy image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Howard Chandler Christy (via Wikipedia), 1940

4. Scene of the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, Howard Chandler Christy

George Mason was present at the signing of the Constitution but was left off of this painting because he did not sign the document.

replaced with another marker now near it).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.

Also see . . .
1. George Mason Memorial (National Park Service). (Submitted on September 24, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
2. George Mason Memorial on Wikipedia. (Submitted on September 24, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
3. George Mason on Wikipedia. (Submitted on September 24, 2025, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)

Nearby temporary signage image. Click for full size.

By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 10, 2025

5. Nearby temporary signage

Rebuilding the Seawalls
Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park
1776 - 2026 Age and rising sea levels have taken a toll on the seawalls along the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park. Portions of the seawalls have settled as much as five feet since their initial construction between the late 1800s and to the early 1900s. As a result, water flows over portions of the seawalls twice a day during high tide. Despite various repairs over the decades, the seawalls are no longer structurally sound and threaten visitor safety and the historic setting, including the iconic cherry trees around the Tidal Basin.

The project will rehabilitate approximately 6,800 linear feet of seawall and extend its life expectancy by approximately 100 years. Repair of the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park seawalls is funded through the Great American Outdoors Act and is part of nearly $500 million in planned public and private funded infrastructure improvements on the National Mall prior to the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2025.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 18, 2019

6. Forgotten Founder Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 11, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,021 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 18, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on March 8, 2026. 3, 4. submitted on May 30, 2019, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5. submitted on December 10, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 6. submitted on June 18, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.