Commissioned by United States Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln, the Tower of Victory was built to celebrate the centennial of the end of the War for Independence. The limestone tower serves as a memorial to both peace and George Washington, who was often held up as a symbol of unification in the troubled post-Civil War period in which the tower was constructed. Visible from both land and river, it was designed by John Hemmenway Duncan to command the attention of attendees at the numerous events held here. It is dedicated to “The Disbandment Under proclamation of the Continental Congress of Oct 18, 1783 Of the Armies By whose Patriotic and Military Virtue Our National Independence and Sovereignty Were Established.” Its bronze statues and ornate gates were designed and created by William Rudolph O'Donovan, and the exterior soldiers represent the four pillars of the Continental Army: Artillery, Riflemen, Dragoons, and Line Officers. The statue of George Washington at the heart of the tower is said to be a near-perfect likeness of the general. The belvedere, or observation level, was damaged by a storm and removed in the 1950s, and after many years without its top, the tower was restored in 2018.
