Adams Memorial (Rock Creek Cemetery), Washington, D.C. - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Adams Memorial is a grave marker located in Section E of Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C., that features a cast bronze allegorical sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The shrouded figure is seated against a pink granite block, which forms one side and a long, curved stone bench for visitors the other side of a hexagonal plot, designed by architect Stanford White of McKim, Mead and White.

Erected in 1891, the monument was commissioned by author/historian Henry Adams (a member of the Adams political family) as a memorial to his wife, Marion "Clover" Hooper Adams (September 13, 1843 – December 6, 1885), a gifted photographer. She either committed suicide or was murdered with potassium cyanide, a chemical for retouching photographs.

Saint-Gaudens's name for the bronze figure is "The Mystery of the Hereafter and The Peace of God that Passeth Understanding," but the public commonly called it "Grief" — an appellation that Henry Adams apparently disliked.

Both Henry Adams and his wife, Clover, are buried side by side in unmarked graves in the vicinity of the memorial.

An informative and engaging study of the memorial and the relationship between Clover and Henry Adams is "Clover: The Tragic Love Story of Clover and Henry Adams and Their Brilliant Life in America's Gilded Age" by historian Otto Friedrich. Also "The Five of Hearts – An Intimate Portrait of Henry Adams and His Friends 1880 – 1918" by Patricia O’Toole and Sarah Booth Conroy's "Refinements of Love" c. 1993.

The Adams Memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 16, 1972 and additional documentation approved March 24, 2010 for April 2, 2010 listing.

Street address: Webster St. and Rock Creek Church Rd., NW. Washington, D.C. USA County / Borough / Parish: District of Columbia Year listed: 1972 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1875-1899 Historic function: Recreation & Culture Current function: Recreation & Culture Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/13/2013 Searcher28 visited it