HAGERSTOWN – Washington County was the first-ever U.S. county named after George Washington in 1776, when the country’s future remained uncertain and the Continental Army’s commander had yet to go achieve the glory that makes him our greatest founding father.
In preparation for the county’s 250th anniversary, officials commissioned a seven-foot bronze statue of its namesake, slated to be installed adjacent to the county courthouse to commemorate the county’s founding on Sept. 16, 1776.
Sculptor Toby Mendez, along with members of a special committee chaired by Al Martin presented a two-foot maquette of the sculpture to the county commissioners at its July 15 meeting to help publicize the work.
“This statue will celebrate our county’s namesake and this historic milestone,” Martin said before the commission. “It will outlast us all.”
Mendez’ two-foot version depicts Washington in his Revolutionary War-era uniform around the time of the county’s founding, holding a document and looking straight ahead with a serious look, his trademark ponytail (famously not a wig) evident from the back.
Mendez explained the creation process, which involves scaling the two-foot model with laser technology to cut high-density foam, followed by application of clay, mold-making and bronze casting via the lost-wax process at a foundry in Trenton, N.J.
A detailed scan of the maquette will create a rough, full-size foam outline, which the sculptor will refine with clay before creating a rubber mold. The mold is filled with wax, coated in heat-proof silica and finally molten bronze to form the final statue.
Managed by the Community Foundation of Washington County, the statue project is funded by private donations and contributions from the county are expected to be around $75,000. In 2024, commissioners allocated $25,000 in room tax funds, approved a second equal sum at Tuesday’s meeting, and is expected to approve a final approved another $25,000 in 2026.
The committee held a photo session with the commissioners around the maquette, which Mendez created to buoy support for additional state funding for the project the during the upcoming session, and publicity that might attract additional private donations.
Also providing strong assistance to the project were committee member Tom Riford, a prominent local philanthropist, financial advisor Steve Hommel, grant writer Rachel Nichols, and Judge Paul Bannister, a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
The county dedicated a similar statue honoring Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, in 2024 along the Hagerstown Cultural Trail. That statue was also sculpted by Mendez, created in the same way and cast in the same foundry.
The Clara Barton memorial, initiated by the Clara Barton Memorial Committee, raised nearly $800,000 mostly in private donations, but also grants and an in-kind donation of land from the City of Hagerstown. In that effort, former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole served as honorary chairperson.
For more information or to contribute, contact the Community Foundation.
