Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac


Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac is located on Columbia Island, in Washington, D.C. The memorial honors the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson.
The grove consists of two parts. The first area, commemorative in nature, is a Texas granite monolith surrounded by a serpentine pattern of walks and trails. The second area is a grass meadow and provides a tranquil refuge for reflection and rejuvenation of the spirit. The trails are shaded by a grove of hundreds of white pine and dogwood trees, and framed by azaleas and rhododendron. The memorial overlooks the Potomac River with a vista of the city of Washington.
Visitors may listen to a recording made by Lady Bird Johnson at the entrance to the park facing The Pentagon. In the recording, the former First Lady talks about the creation of the park, the trees, and the views of major Washington D.C. landmarks.
The park also contains the Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial, dedicated to the all those who were lost at sea.

Administrative history

The national memorial was authorized by Congress on December 28, 1973 and administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places the same day. The memorial was dedicated on April 6, 1976. It is administered by the National Park Service, as part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
A $500,000 footbridge between the memorial and a 30-car parking lot along Boundary Channel was constructed to make it easier to visit the Grove. The bridge was designed by landscape architect Meade Palmer and dedicated by Lady Bird Johnson on Oct 12, 1977.