Virginia Washington Monument

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Virginia Washington Monument
Virginia Washington Monument 2011.JPG
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LocationCapitol Square, Richmond, Virginia
Coordinates 37°32′21″N77°26′4″W / 37.53917°N 77.43444°W / 37.53917; -77.43444
Arealess than one acre
Built1849–1869
Architect Thomas Crawford (sculptor), Randolph Rogers (sculptor)
Architectural style Greek Revival
NRHP reference No. 03001421 [1]
VLR No.127-0189
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 15, 2004
Designated VLRJune 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. It was designed by Thomas Crawford (1814-1857) and completed under the supervision of Randolph Rogers (1825-1892) after Crawford's death. [3] 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). [4] It was not completed until 1869. [4]

Contents

Description

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. [4] The lowest level has bronze female allegorical figures that represent relevant events or themes. [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. [5] Elements of the statue were incorporated into the Seal of the Confederate States. [6]

See also

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References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  3. 1 2 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.
  4. 1 2 3 "National Register of Historic Places nomination" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources . Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  5. Programme for the Inauguration of the President and Vice-President of the Confederate States. 1862. p. 2. OL   24601341M.
  6. 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.
Suffragette members of the Equal Suffrage League of Richmond in February 1915 Detail, members of the Equal Suffrage League of Richmond, Va., February 1915 (cropped).jpg
Suffragette members of the Equal Suffrage League of Richmond in February 1915

Further reading