Monument in Savannah, Georgia
The
James Oglethorpe Monument
is a public
monument
in
Chippewa Square
,
Savannah
,
Georgia
,
United States
. It honors
James Oglethorpe
, the founder of the
Province of Georgia
, who established the city of Savannah in 1733. Efforts to erect the monument began in 1901 and were led by members of several patriotic groups in the city. They were key in securing the necessary U.S. government funds for the monument, which consists of a bronze statue of Oglethorpe designed by
Daniel Chester French
, atop a large granite pedestal designed by
Henry Bacon
. It was dedicated in 1910, in a ceremony that attracted several thousand spectators and was attended by several notable government officials.
History
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Background
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]
James Oglethorpe
was a soldier and philanthropist who founded the
Province of Georgia
in 1732, after a charter was granted by the
Parliament of Great Britain
to the
Georgia Trustees
.
In November of that year, Oglethorpe and a group of over a hundred people set sail from
England
to colonize the new province, and on February 12, 1733, these settlers established the city of
Savannah, Georgia
, at
Yamacraw Bluff
on the
Savannah River
. Oglethorpe was directly involved in the colony's growth over the next several years, and he led the colony's defenses during the
War of Jenkins' Ear
against the
Spanish Empire
, which began in 1739. In 1742, forces under Oglethorpe's command successfully repelled the Spanish
invasion of Georgia
, and the following year, Oglethorpe led an unsuccessful attack on the Spanish settlement of
St. Augustine
. Following this, Oglethorpe was called to return to England, where he eventually died in 1785.
Erection
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On May 18, 1901, the Oglethorpe Monument Association was granted a charter by the
Superior Court
of
Chatham County
. The association was founded with the goal of raising funds and coordinating efforts between several patriotic groups for the erection of a
monument
honoring Oglethorpe in Savannah. The association was made up of six representatives each from four patriotic groups: The
Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America
, the
Sons of the Revolution
, the
Daughters of the American Revolution
, and the
Society of Colonial Wars
. The association held its first meeting on November 28, 1902, and by 1905, it had raised approximately $5,000.
That summer, the president of the Colonial Dames urged state representatives from Chatham County to secure aid for the monument from the
Georgia General Assembly
, and on July 12, they introduced a
joint resolution
to the
Georgia House of Representatives
to provide for the erection of the monument. On August 10, the resolution passed through the
appropriations
committee recommending $15,000 to be allocated for the monument's erection.
The resolution was voted down and reconsidered several times into the next year in the General Assembly.
Finally, on August 13, an amended version of the bill was approved by the House of Representatives, and was approved by the
Georgia State Senate
two days later. The resolution was then signed into law by
Georgia Governor
Joseph M. Terrell
.
An amendment added to the resolution on August 2, 1906, stipulated that the monument would be erected in
Chippewa Square
, which was
state property
.
The
state government
appropriated the $15,000 allocation in half increments between 1907 and 1908.
Following the resolution's passage, the governor assembled a commission of seven people to oversee the project.
In fall 1906, the commission selected sculptor
Daniel Chester French
, who at the time was associated with the
architect
Henry Bacon
, to design the monument.
French designed the
statue
of Oglethorpe, while Bacon was responsible for the design of the
pedestal
. Several years later, the two would collaborate to design the
Lincoln Memorial
in
Washington, D.C.
In designing the statue, French decided to portray Oglethorpe as a military commander, and he drew on many portraits of Oglethorpe to ensure an accurate portrayal.
On May 10, 1909, several commission members appeared before the city government of Savannah and petitioned for $15,000 in additional funding for the monument, having realized shortly before that the cost for the monument could not be covered by then-available funds. The government approved the request and additional funds were raised by the patriotic groups.
The total cost of the monument was $38,000.
In 1910, two
busts
of
Confederate States Army
generals
Francis S. Bartow
and
Lafayette McLaws
were removed from Chippewa Square to make way for the Oglethorpe monument. These busts were relocated to near the
Confederate Monument
(now the Civil War Memorial) in
Forsyth Park
.
Dedication
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The monument's dedication ceremony
The monument was unveiled on November 23, 1910.
Prior to its unveiling, it was covered by the flags of
Georgia
and
England
.
The ceremony was a large event attended by many notable individuals, including Georgia Governor
Joseph M. Brown
,
Alabama Governor
B. B. Comer
,
Senators
Augustus O. Bacon
and
Joseph M. Terrell
,
Representative
Charles G. Edwards
, and Chancellor
David C. Barrow
of the
University of Georgia
, among others.
Multiple
military companies
and thousands of spectators were also in attendance.
The
invocation
for the monument was given by Bishop
Frederick F. Reese
of the
Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
.
Following this, multiple addresses were made, including one by
A. Mitchell Innes
, then-acting
British ambassador
.
Following these addresses, French and the
chairman
of the commission led Brown and J. J. Wilder, the president of the Society of Colonial Dames of America, to the monument, where the two of them removed the flags and officially unveiled the monument.
On the next day,
Thanksgiving
, the
Georgia Bulldogs
and the
Auburn Tigers
played
their annual football rivalry game
in a field near Chippewa Square as part of further celebrations for the monument.
The governors of Georgia and Alabama (where
Auburn University
is located) were among the 5,000 people in attendance.
Georgia historical marker
for the monument
In 1957, the
Georgia Historical Commission
erected a
Georgia historical marker
near the monument, describing its history.
Design
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The statue of Oglethorpe is made of
bronze
and stands 9 feet (2.7 m) tall.
Oglethorpe is depicted as wearing a contemporary military uniform from the 1700s, including a
cuirass
,
waistcoat
, boots, and a
tricorn hat
. Additionally, he is wearing a
wig
similar to one he is depicted as having worn.
Oglethorpe holds a sword in his hand, and a
palmetto
frond
is next to his feet. The statue faces towards the south, which, according to the Georgia Historical Society, symbolizes "the threat of Spain’s imperial ambitions to the young colony."
The
pedestal
for the statue is made of pink-gray
marble
and was designed in the
Italian Renaissance
style. The pedestal itself rests on a large square base that has four
lion rampants
, one on each corner.
Each lion is holding a shield that depicts Oglethorpe's personal
coat of arms
and the seals of
the state of Georgia
, the colony of Georgia, and the city of Savannah.
The base is further decorated with
garlands
.
Part of the original charter granted to Oglethorpe by Parliament is inscribed on the monument,
while on the south side of the monument is inscribed the following:
Historic American Buildings Survey
picture of the monument
Erected by
The State of Georgia
The City of Savannah,
And the Patriotic
Societies of the State
To the Memory of
The Great Soldier
Eminent Statesman, and
Famous Philanthropist,
General James Edward Oglethorpe who in
This City on the 12th
Day of February
A. D. 1733 Founded and
Established the
Colony of Georgia
See also
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References
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Bibliography
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- Carlisle, Rodney; Carlisle, Loretta (2019).
Savannah in History: A Guide to More Than 75 Sites in Historical Context
.
Globe Pequot Press
.
ISBN
978-1-68334-028-7
– via
Google Books
.
- Garbin, Patrick (2008).
About Them Dawgs!: Georgia Football's Memorable Teams and Players
.
The Scarecrow Press
.
ISBN
978-0-8108-6040-7
– via
Google Books
.
- "A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument to General James Edward Oglethorpe"
.
Collections of the Georgia Historical Society
.
VII
(II).
Georgia Historical Society
: 1?53. 1911 – via
Google Books
.
- "James Edward Oglethorpe (1696-1785)"
.
Georgia Historical Society
. June 16, 2014a.
Archived
from the original on August 15, 2020
. Retrieved
November 14,
2020
.
- "Landing of Oglethorpe and the Colonists"
.
Georgia Historical Society
. June 16, 2014b.
Archived
from the original on July 29, 2020
. Retrieved
November 14,
2020
.
- Griner, Ken (November 10, 2017).
"UGA's handler remembers chomp on the plains"
.
WTOC-TV
.
Archived
from the original on November 11, 2017
. Retrieved
November 14,
2020
.
- Jackson, Edwin L. (December 2, 2003).
"James Oglethorpe (1696-1785)"
.
New Georgia Encyclopedia
.
Archived
from the original on November 8, 2020
. Retrieved
November 14,
2020
.
- Knight, Lucian Lamar (1913).
Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends
. Vol. I. Byrd Printing Company – via
Google Books
.
- Knight, Lucian Lamar (1917).
A Standard History of Georgia and Georgians
. Vol. II.
Lewis Publishing Company
.
ISBN
978-5-87666-730-4
– via
Google Books
.
- Komanecky, DeAnn (June 18, 2020).
"Family of Confederate leader offers to purchase vandalized Savannah memorial"
.
Athens Banner-Herald
.
Gannett
.
Archived
from the original on December 6, 2020
. Retrieved
December 6,
2020
.
- Spalding, Phinizy; Jackson III, Harvey H., eds. (1989).
Oglethorpe in Perspective: Georgia's Founder After Two Hundred Years
.
University of Alabama Press
.
ISBN
978-0-8173-5345-2
– via
Google Books
.
External links
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