The memorial is accessible to the public by crossing a wooden bridge onto a small island set in the lake between Constitution Avenue and the Reflecting Pool, not far from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Public Law 95-260 was passed by Congress in 1978 to create a memorial to the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The memorial is a gift from the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration and consists of 56 stone blocks, each with a facsimile of the signer's actual signature, his occupation, and his home town.

It was dedicated on July 4, 1984, exactly 208 years after the Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence.

[1] Fifty-six delegates to the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence and are honored at this Memorial: President of Congress New Hampshire Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut New York