George Washington Boulder, Lexington
A bronze plaque on a stele-shaped boulder commemorates President George Washington's visit to the area on Tuesday, May 31, 1791. The boulder is reportedly the rock he sat on while he enjoyed his lunch during the journey between Salisbury and Salem.
Images: Plaque | View from N.C. Highway 150
GEORGE WASHINGTON / BOULDER /
ON THIS ROCK /
PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON / RESTED AND ATE DINNER ENROUTE /
FROM SALISBURY TO WINSTON-SALEM / MAY 31, 1791 /
ERECTED BY / GEN. WM. DAVIDSON CHAPTER D.A.R. /
LEXINGTON N.C. /
35.505910 , -80.200230 View in Geobrowse
Farnham, Thomas J. "Washington's Southern Tour," NCPEDIA, 2006 (accessed May 28, 2014) Link
George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799: The Diaries of George Washington. In The Diaries of George Washington. Vol. VI. January 1790-December 1799, Donald Jackson and Dorothy Twohig, eds. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1979. (accessed December 14, 2013). Link
Henderson, Archibald. 1923. Washington’s Southern Tour 1791. Boston and New York: Houghton Miffin company, 1923, (accessed May 28, 2014) Link
Waymarking.com. "George Washington Boulder," North Carolina Historical Markers on Waymarking.com, (accessed December 4, 2013) Link
General William Davidson Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution
Shortly after Washington was elected President in 1789, he decided to tour the United States in order to better understand the condition of the country, its makeup and culture, and to give the citizens of the young republic a chance to meet their first President. The duties of office delayed a trip to the South until the spring of 1791. His larger than life status made his visits important events for communities and the places he stayed became historically significant.
There are several stone markers across North Carolina that commemorate President Washington's tour of the southern states in 1791. Notable among them are George Washington Tree Marker in Hampstead outside Wilmington, George Washington and Henry Clay Marker in Wilmington, "George Washington Stopped Here" Marker in Arcadia, and a stone marker at Guilford Courthouse.
The George Washington Boulder is located on N.C. Highway 150 directly across from Reeds Elementary School in the Community of Reeds near Lexington.
The marker sits in a lawn area next to a home.