Washington County unveils full‑size George Washington statue in Hagerstown

Tom Ryford, master of ceremonies, counted down and led the crowd through the unveiling of a life‑size bronze statue of General George Washington in front of Washington County's historic circuit courthouse on Sept. 6, 2026. "There it is. It's officially unveiled and formally dedicated," Ryford said after the cover came away.

The ceremony opened with a color guard and the national anthem and included remarks from county leaders, committee members and the statue's sculptor. John Barr, president of the Washington County Board of County Commissioners, framed the sculpture as "a gift to Washington County, not just for today, but for generations to come," and said the statue will be "a place where families can ... learn about the people who came before them in Washington County." The program closed with a planned musket salute and photographs on the courthouse plaza.

The statue, cast in bronze and completed after a multi‑year effort, will remain on county property as a permanent addition to the downtown Hagerstown streetscape. Event organizers asked attendees to be prepared for the musket salute at the ceremony's end and urged visitors to read the inscriptions on the monument to learn county history.