Collage of images featuring William McKinley, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan, with memorials, stamps, and historic moments

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MONUMENTAL PRESIDENTS

A journey across America to explore presidential landmarks, libraries, and memorials

Collage of images featuring President Harry S. Truman, Mount Rushmore, Theodore Roosevelt, John Quincy Adams, and John Adams, including stamps, memorials, and historic events

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Forty-five leaders have served as president of the United States. Two, Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump, served nonconsecutive terms. You’ve likely heard of Washington landmarks memorializing a few of them — the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial, for example. But there are at least 100 monuments across the country — tucked into less traveled corners of other cities or along rural roads — that you may not know about.

Monuments, memorials, libraries, statues, historic sites, and parks are scattered across the United States to honor presidents’ legacies. Explore eight such landmarks in honor of Washington’s Birthday, which is February 22 and is observed by Americans on the third Monday of each February.


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Forty-five leaders have served as president of the United States. Two, Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump, served nonconsecutive terms. You’ve likely heard of Washington landmarks memorializing a few of them — the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial, for example. But there are at least 100 monuments across the country — tucked into less traveled corners of other cities or along rural roads — that you may not know about.

Monuments, memorials, libraries, statues, historic sites, and parks are scattered across the United States to honor presidents’ legacies. Explore eight such landmarks in honor of Washington’s Birthday, which is February 22 and is observed by Americans on the third Monday of each February.

★★★ SIMI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA ★★★

RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

“The journey has not just been my own. It seems I’ve been guided by a force much larger than myself, a force made up of ideas and beliefs about what this country is and what it could be.”

— Ronald Reagan, November 21, 1988

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, is the official library and burial site for the 40th president and his wife, Nancy Reagan. The site spans 29 acres and houses 63 million paper records, 62,317 artifacts and 670,000 feet of film documenting the late President Reagan’s life.

Reagan moved to California in 1937 to pursue an acting career before being elected governor, and he maintained ties to the state his entire life. He chose Simi Valley, 40 miles outside of Los Angeles, because of his connection to Hollywood and his love for California.

During his presidency, from 1981 to 1989, Reagan strengthened the U.S. military and revitalized the economy. His leadership was essential to ending the Cold War, and a piece of the Berlin Wall stands on the library grounds. 

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, is the official library and burial site for the 40th president and his wife, Nancy Reagan. The site spans 29 acres and houses 63 million paper records, 62,317 artifacts and 670,000 feet of film documenting the late President Reagan’s life.

Reagan moved to California in 1937 to pursue an acting career before being elected governor, and he maintained ties to the state his entire life. He chose Simi Valley, 40 miles outside of Los Angeles, because of his connection to Hollywood and his love for California.

During his presidency, from 1981 to 1989, Reagan strengthened the U.S. military and revitalized the economy. His leadership was essential to ending the Cold War, and a piece of the Berlin Wall stands on the library grounds. 

★★★ KEYSTONE, SOUTH DAKOTA ★★★

MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL

“Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

— Teddy Roosevelt, September 2, 1901

Four presidents’ faces — Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln — are carved onto the side of a mountain in South Dakota called Mount Rushmore.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, in Keystone, South Dakota, is nestled among the Black Hills in an area 20 miles from the nearest city.

Despite its remoteness, the site draws 2 million tourists each year. It has become one of the most recognizable monuments in the country. Mount Rushmore was designed by Gutzon Borglum in 1927 and required 400 workers to blast apart 90 percent of the granite and then hand carve the rest.

The four presidents delivered many accomplishments. Theodore Roosevelt, president from 1901 to 1909, championed the National Park system in the United States. He is also the namesake for the teddy bear, a popular children’s toy around the world. (Read on for more about Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson.)

Four presidents’ faces — Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln — are carved onto the side of a mountain in South Dakota called Mount Rushmore.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, in Keystone, South Dakota, is nestled among the Black Hills in an area 20 miles from the nearest city.

Despite its remoteness, the site draws 2 million tourists each year. It has become one of the most recognizable monuments in the country. Mount Rushmore was designed by Gutzon Borglum in 1927 and required 400 workers to blast apart 90 percent of the granite and then hand carve the rest.

The four presidents delivered many accomplishments. Theodore Roosevelt, president from 1901 to 1909, championed the National Park system in the United States. He is also the namesake for the teddy bear, a popular children’s toy around the world. (Read on for more about Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson.)

★★★ INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI ★★★

HARRY S. TRUMAN NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

“America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”

— Harry S. Truman, January 8, 1947

On a quiet street in Independence, Missouri, stands a stately Victorian manor: the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, former home of the 33rd president. The house was built in 1867 by the grandfather of Truman’s future wife, Bess Wallace. It is where Truman lived with first lady Bess for a half-century before and after his presidency.

Truman was born and raised in Missouri. He married Bess in 1919, and the couple lived in her family’s house on North Delaware Street in Independence until Truman became president. He served as a senator, then as vice president, becoming president upon the death of Franklin Roosevelt in 1945. Even during Truman’s presidency, he and Bess returned to the house whenever they could. Friends referred to it as their “summer White House.”

Truman is remembered for leading the country and the world out of World War II and for ending segregation in the military. The U.S. Department of State’s headquarters in Washington is named after him, a testament to his foreign policy legacy. 

On a quiet street in Independence, Missouri, stands a stately Victorian manor: the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, former home of the 33rd president. The house was built in 1867 by the grandfather of Truman’s future wife, Bess Wallace. It is where Truman lived with first lady Bess for a half-century before and after his presidency.

Truman was born and raised in Missouri. He married Bess in 1919, and the couple lived in her family’s house on North Delaware Street in Independence until Truman became president. He served as a senator, then as vice president, becoming president upon the death of Franklin Roosevelt in 1945. Even during Truman’s presidency, he and Bess returned to the house whenever they could. Friends referred to it as their “summer White House.”

Truman is remembered for leading the country and the world out of World War II and for ending segregation in the military. The U.S. Department of State’s headquarters in Washington is named after him, a testament to his foreign policy legacy. 

★★★ CANTON, OHIO ★★★

WILLIAM McKINLEY NATIONAL MEMORIAL

“Business life … is ever a sharp struggle for success.”

— William McKinley, September 5, 1901

The William McKinley National Memorial stands atop a hill in northeastern Ohio for all of the Canton city residents — and passersby on Interstate 77 — to see. The site honors the 25th president of the United States, who served from 1897 to 1901. Both President McKinley and his wife, Ida McKinley, are buried there. (The couple met as youngsters nearby.)

While McKinley was born in Niles, Ohio, he spent most of his life, when not in Washington, in Canton. Decades before his presidency, McKinley represented this area of Ohio in Congress. He made a name for himself there by promoting tariffs as a way to strengthen the U.S. economy.

The Canton memorial, completed in 1941, boasts a statue of McKinley out front with a rotunda behind it, where the president is entombed. At the top of the dome of the memorial is a stained glass window with 45 stars — one for each state at the time of McKinley’s death.

As president, McKinley led the U.S. victory in the Spanish-American War and acquired the territories of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam. He championed the gold standard for America’s currency, a policy that helped strengthen the U.S. dollar.

The William McKinley National Memorial stands atop a hill in northeastern Ohio for all of the Canton city residents — and passersby on Interstate 77 — to see. The site honors the 25th president of the United States, who served from 1897 to 1901. Both President McKinley and his wife, Ida McKinley, are buried there. (The couple met as youngsters nearby.)

While McKinley was born in Niles, Ohio, he spent most of his life, when not in Washington, in Canton. Decades before his presidency, McKinley represented this area of Ohio in Congress. He made a name for himself there by promoting tariffs as a way to strengthen the U.S. economy.

The Canton memorial, completed in 1941, boasts a statue of McKinley out front with a rotunda behind it, where the president is entombed. At the top of the dome of the memorial is a stained glass window with 45 stars — one for each state at the time of McKinley’s death.

As president, McKinley led the U.S. victory in the Spanish-American War and acquired the territories of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam. He championed the gold standard for America’s currency, a policy that helped strengthen the U.S. dollar.

★★★ QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS ★★★

ADAMS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

“You will never know, how much it cost the present generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you make good Use of it!”

— John Adams, April 26, 1777

Founding Father John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams, were the second and sixth presidents of the United States. The Adams National Historic Park in Quincy, Massachusetts, is dedicated to both presidents’ lives. It comprises five historic sites: the John Adams birthplace, the John Quincy Adams birthplace, the Old House at Peacefield, the Stone Library, and the United First Parish Church.

John Adams and his wife Abigail bought the Old House at Peacefield in 1788. It remained the primary Adams family home until 1927, when the last living Adams descendent died. The house and the other four sites were consolidated into the National Park system from 1946 to 1998. 

John Adams began his career as a lawyer in Boston before joining the Revolutionary cause. In Europe, he successfully lobbied for French and Dutch assistance to the American cause. He served as president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. 

John and Abigail’s eldest son, John Quincy Adams, served as secretary of state under President James Monroe, negotiating the Adams-Onís Treaty that expanded American territory to Florida and established the border with Mexico along the land acquired by the Louisiana Purchase. As president from 1825 to 1829, John Quincy Adams improved relations and expanded trade with Austria, Norway, Brazil, the countries of Central America, and other allies. He spoke eight languages. (He was the only U.S. president to speak fluent Russian.) After the presidency, he served as a representative from Massachusetts and championed the abolition of slavery.

Founding Father John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams, were the second and sixth presidents of the United States. The Adams National Historic Park in Quincy, Massachusetts, is dedicated to both presidents’ lives. It comprises five historic sites: the John Adams birthplace, the John Quincy Adams birthplace, the Old House at Peacefield, the Stone Library, and the United First Parish Church.

John Adams and his wife Abigail bought the Old House at Peacefield in 1788. It remained the primary Adams family home until 1927, when the last living Adams descendent died. The house and the other four sites were consolidated into the National Park system from 1946 to 1998. 

John Adams began his career as a lawyer in Boston before joining the Revolutionary cause. In Europe, he successfully lobbied for French and Dutch assistance to the American cause. He served as president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. 

John and Abigail’s eldest son, John Quincy Adams, served as secretary of state under President James Monroe, negotiating the Adams-Onís Treaty that expanded American territory to Florida and established the border with Mexico along the land acquired by the Louisiana Purchase. As president from 1825 to 1829, John Quincy Adams improved relations and expanded trade with Austria, Norway, Brazil, the countries of Central America, and other allies. He spoke eight languages. (He was the only U.S. president to speak fluent Russian.) After the presidency, he served as a representative from Massachusetts and championed the abolition of slavery.

★★★ WASHINGTON ★★★

WASHINGTON MONUMENT, JEFFERSON MEMORIAL & LINCOLN MEMORIAL

“To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”

— George Washington, January 8, 1790

In the heart of the nation’s capital are grand monuments dedicated to former presidents, but none are as iconic as the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, or the Lincoln Memorial. 

The Washington Monument, located in the center of the National Mall, honors America’s first president, George Washington (1789–1797). The 555-foot obelisk references the prosperous civilizations of ancient Egypt and Rome. Despite his roles as a founding father and a successful Revolutionary War general, Washington had a quiet demeanor and air of stoicism. He never lived in the White House — as it was under construction at the time of his presidency — but instead lived with his wife Martha and her children from an earlier marriage at Mount Vernon, 14 miles outside of the city in Virginia. 

The Jefferson Memorial, located on the Tidal Basin on the National Mall and built in the Palladian style of Italian Renaissance architecture, was completed in 1943. It reflects Jefferson’s belief in Renaissance ideals of balance and unity — which he strove to apply to both art and politics. (Jefferson designed his home estate, Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia, in a similar style.)  Jefferson was America’s third president and a founding father who worked to secure international diplomacy abroad while expanding the United States westward. He became the first secretary of state in 1789.

The Lincoln Memorial, on the National Mall at the end of the reflecting pool, houses a giant statue of President Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865). The 19-foot, seated figure looks out at the nation’s capital, with the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in his line of sight.

Lincoln guided the nation through the Civil War and signed the 13th Amendment, which emancipated enslaved people. He was a tall man, around 6 feet 4 inches, and spoke softly despite his towering presence. The monument reflects his larger-than-life presence and legacy and is among the most popular U.S. monuments — an estimated 7 million tourists visit each year. 

In the heart of the nation’s capital are grand monuments dedicated to former presidents, but none are as iconic as the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, or the Lincoln Memorial. 

The Washington Monument, located in the center of the National Mall, honors America’s first president, George Washington (1789–1797). The 555-foot obelisk references the prosperous civilizations of ancient Egypt and Rome. Despite his roles as a founding father and a successful Revolutionary War general, Washington had a quiet demeanor and air of stoicism. He never lived in the White House — as it was under construction at the time of his presidency — but instead lived with his wife Martha and her children from an earlier marriage at Mount Vernon, 14 miles outside of the city in Virginia. 

The Jefferson Memorial, located on the Tidal Basin on the National Mall and built in the Palladian style of Italian Renaissance architecture, was completed in 1943. It reflects Jefferson’s belief in Renaissance ideals of balance and unity — which he strove to apply to both art and politics. (Jefferson designed his home estate, Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia, in a similar style.)  Jefferson was America’s third president and a founding father who worked to secure international diplomacy abroad while expanding the United States westward. He became the first secretary of state in 1789.

The Lincoln Memorial, on the National Mall at the end of the reflecting pool, houses a giant statue of President Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865). The 19-foot, seated figure looks out at the nation’s capital, with the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in his line of sight.

Lincoln guided the nation through the Civil War and signed the 13th Amendment, which emancipated enslaved people. He was a tall man, around 6 feet 4 inches, and spoke softly despite his towering presence. The monument reflects his larger-than-life presence and legacy and is among the most popular U.S. monuments — an estimated 7 million tourists visit each year. 

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We hope you’ve enjoyed your journey and learned something new about a president that you might not have known before today!

As America approaches its 250th birthday, follow ShareAmerica and the State Department’s website for more stories about the great history and legacy of our nation. 

★★★





Writer: Noelani Kirschner
Photo editor: Suzy Mast
Graphic designer: Buck Insley
Copy editor: Kathleen Hendrix
Digital storyteller: Pierce McManus

February 2025


★★★

We hope you’ve enjoyed your journey and learned something new about a president that you might not have known before today!

As America approaches its 250th birthday, follow ShareAmerica and the State Department’s website for more stories about the great history and legacy of our nation. 

★★★





Writer: Noelani Kirschner
Photo editor: Suzy Mast
Graphic designer: Buck Insley
Copy editor: Kathleen Hendrix
Digital storyteller: Pierce McManus

February 2025

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