Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Historical memorial on Constitution Gardens island, Washington DC, United States.
The Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence is a memorial site on a small island in Constitution Gardens, Washington. The 56 granite blocks are arranged in a semicircle and bear the golden signatures of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Congress approved this memorial in 1978 after advocates campaigned for years to honor the signers. The dedication took place on July 2, 1984, two hundred and eight years after the Continental Congress voted for independence.
The golden signatures on the stone blocks are replicas of the original 1776 signatures, showing each signer's personal handwriting. Alongside the signatures are the professions of the men, ranging from lawyers and merchants to physicians and farmers.
A wooden bridge leads from the shore to the island, which sits between Constitution Avenue and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Access is free and the site remains open around the clock, though lighting is limited after dark.
The blocks are grouped by the thirteen original colonies, with Pennsylvania's delegation at the entrance to the semicircle, as that state provided the most signers. Some of the men memorialized here died in British captivity during the War of Independence.
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