By Blake Bauer

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Katherine Parker

Abstract

For over two centuries, the final resting place of Mary Ball Washington has remained a mystery due to the lack of historical documentation following her death in 1789. However, the circumstantial evidence and accounts of her grandchildren, among other reputable sources point to the conclusion that Mary is somewhere near Meditation Rock, thus near the present-day monument completed in 1894. Planned to coincide with the 130th anniversary of its dedication, our project employs noninvasive ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology to search for Mary, as well as identify possible utilities on behalf of Washington Heritage Museums. This poster shows our preliminary findings as of spring 2024.