Virginia Washington Monument
Virginia Washington Monument | |
 | |
   | |
| Location | Capitol Square, Richmond, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°32′21″N 77°26′4″W / 37.53917°N 77.43444°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1849–1869 |
| Architect | Thomas Crawford (sculptor), Randolph Rogers (sculptor) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 03001421[1] |
| VLR No. | 127-0189 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 15, 2004 |
| Designated VLR | June 18, 2003[2] |
The Virginia Washington Monument, known locally simply as the Washington Monument, is a 19th-century neoclassical statue of George Washington located on the public square in Richmond, Virginia.
Description
[edit]The Washington Monument features a 21-foot (6.4 m), 18,000-pound (8,200 kg) bronze statue of George Washington on horseback. Below Washington, (finished after the American Civil War) includes statues of six other noted Virginians who took part in the American Revolution: Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Andrew Lewis, John Marshall, George Mason, and Thomas Nelson Jr.[3] The lowest level has six bronze female allegorical figures (muses / graces) that represent the ideas of "Colonial Times" (wielding an ax), "Finance" (wielding a ledger book), "Independence" (with broken shackles), "Bill of Rights" (wielding a sword) and "Revolution" (wielding a sword and crushing a king's crown underfoot).[4]
On April 30, 1863, Elements of George Washington on horseback on the monument were incorporated into the Seal of the Confederate States of America.[5]
History
[edit]It was designed by Thomas Crawford (1814-1857) and completed under the supervision of Randolph Rogers (1825-1892) after Crawford's death.[4] It is the terminus for Grace Street. The cornerstone of the monument was laid in 1850 and it became the second equestrian statue of Washington to be unveiled in the United States (following the one in Union Square, New York City, unveiled in 1856).[3] It was not completed until 1869.[3]
On February 22, 1862, the monument was the location for the second inauguration of the president and vice president of the Confederate States. The presidential oath of office was administered to Jefferson Davis by Judge J.D. Halyburton and the vice presidential oath to Alexander H. Stephens by senate president R.M.T. Hunter.[6]
See also
[edit]- List of statues of George Washington
- List of statues of Thomas Jefferson
- List of sculptures of presidents of the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Richmond, Virginia
- National symbols of the Confederate States
References
[edit]- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- ^ a b c "National Register of Historic Places nomination" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
- ^ a b Townes, Meghan (2019). "Statue Stories: George Washington's Statue Of The Deathless Name". The UncommonWealth: Voices from the Library of Virginia. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ Matthews, James M., ed. (1863). The Statutes at Large of the Confederate States of America, Passed at the Third Session of the First Congress; 1863. Richmond: R. M. Smith, Printer to Congress. p. 167. OL 25389078M.
- ^ Programme for the Inauguration of the President and Vice-President of the Confederate States. 1862. p. 2. OL 24601341M.
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Further reading
[edit]- Historical Account of the Washington Monument, in Capitol Square, Richmond, Va., with Biographical Sketches of Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Partick Henry, George Mason, Thomas Nelson, and Andrew Lewis, Also a Brief Notice of the Houdon Statute of Washington, With the Inscription on the Pedestal Thereof. Richmond, Va.: W. A. R. Nye, Whig Building. 1869. LCCN 19015444. OCLC 6203579. OL 6619259M.
External links
[edit]
- 1849 establishments in Virginia
- 1849 sculptures
- Equestrian statues in Virginia
- Greek Revival architecture in Virginia
- Historic American Buildings Survey in Virginia
- Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
- Monuments and memorials to George Washington in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places in Richmond, Virginia
- National symbols of the Confederate States of America
- Statues of George Washington
- Statues of Thomas Jefferson
- Terminating vistas in the United States
- Tourist attractions in Richmond, Virginia