In 1833 President Andrew Jackson laid the cornerstone for a small obelisk memorial to George Washington's mother, but it was never completed. The partial monument was badly damaged in the Civil War, and relic hunters completed its destruction. Crawford designed a larger obelisk that was constructed out of granite and dedicated in 1894. Officiating at the dedication was President Grover Cleveland, accompanied by Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson. The monument's most interesting element, in addition to is shape and size, is the inscription, “Mary Mother of Washington.” Also on the site is the caretaker's residence (c. 1894), built of local stone.