GW's River Horse

 

Legend has it that the Potomac was once home to these wondrous beasts.

George and Martha Washington are even said to have watched them cavort in

the river shallows from the porch of their beloved Mount Vernon on summer evenings.

Credited with enhancing the fertility of the plantation, the Washingtons believed

the hippopotamus brought them good luck and children on the estate often attempted

to lure the creatures close enough to the shore to touch a nose for good luck.

So, too, may generations of students of The George Washington University.

Art for wisdom,

Science for joy,

Politics for beauty,

And a Hippo for hope.

A Gift to the George Washington University Class of 2000

August 28, 1996

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The George Washington University, Washington, DC

John D. Zeghs – Chair, Board of Trustees

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg – President

Damian A. McKenna – President, Student Association

John G. Boswell – Chair, Faculty Senate Executive Committee

Marker is at the intersection of 21st Street, NW and H Street, NW on 21st Street, NW.

Courtesy hmdb.org

Credits and Sources:

HMDB