The Lincoln Memorial, designed by architect Henry Bacon in 1913, is sited at the south edge of the National Mall along the Potomac River. It is open 24/7. There are unforgettable vistas both to the east and west from the Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial has become legendary – in fact it appears in well over 300 movies including Forest Gump, National Treasure, Philomena, The Wedding Crasher, The Firm and many, many more.

The siting of the Memorial in the early 1900’s was controversial. Originally this area was mired in muddy water – though plans were underway to solve the problem. Before the reclamation / infill work was completed, the Lincoln Memorial sat alone and somewhat inaccessible in a large mucky field for years. Citizens were horrified at the sight.

However, The Reflecting pool located between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial is the result of this successful reclamation / infill project that eventually created Lower Potomac Park enlarging the National Mall.

The Monument is dedicated to our 16th President who was assassinated in 1865. It is 99 feet tall and there are 36 Doric columns around the perimeter representing each of the states in Union when Lincoln died. The names of these states appear above the columns. More state names were added on the topmost level. When the Memorial was dedicated in 1922 all 48 states were represented. In 1959 Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union and their names were added in the plaza in front of the memorial.