Public monument in Georgia, USA
The
William Washington Gordon Monument
is a public
monument
in
Savannah
,
Georgia
,
United States
. Located in
Wright Square
, the monument honors politician and businessman
William Washington Gordon
and was designed by
Henry Van Brunt
and
Frank M. Howe
. It was completed in 1883.
History
[
edit
]
William Washington Gordon
was a
railroad baron
during the mid-1800s who served as the founder and first president of the
Central of Georgia Railway
.
[1]
[2]
He was also the father of
Juliette Gordon Low
, the founder of the
Girl Scouts of the USA
.
[1]
In 1842,
[3]
Gordon passed away at the age of 46.
[2]
Several years later, in 1883, efforts were underway to erect a monument in honor of Gordon in Savannah. At Wright Square, a pyramid of rocks that marked the burial place of
Tomochichi
was removed to make way for the monument.
[4]
Tomochichi
was a
Yamacraw
chief who aided the early settlers of Savannah, and after his death in 1739, he was buried at Wright Square,
[5]
with General James Oglethorpe serving as one of his
pallbearers
.
[3]
Tomochichi's body was relocated from the center of the square to the southeast corner to make way for the new monument.
[5]
Nellie Gordon, Gordon's daughter-in-law and the first president of the Georgia branch of the
National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
,
[4]
would later advocate for a new monument to be erected in honor of Tomochichi, which occurred several years later in 1899.
[6]
The monument to Gordon, completed in 1883 with funds from the Central of Georgia Railway, was completed in 1883.
[5]
It was designed by the
architects
Henry Van Brunt
and
Frank M. Howe
.
[1]
In 1958, a
Georgia historical marker
was erected in the square that detailed the history of the monument and surrounding area.
[3]
Design
[
edit
]
The monument consists of a
granite
pedestal
supporting four
marble
columns
. An
urn
is located between these columns, and at the top of the monument is a
globe
. One side of the monument features a carving of a train on a
trestle bridge
, while another two sides feature the following inscriptions:
[7]
William Washington Gordon Born June 17, 1796 Died March 20 1842 The Pioneer Of Works Of Internal Improvement In His Native State And First President Of The Central Rail Road And Banking Company Of Georgia To Which He Gave His Time His Talents And Finally His Life
Erected A.D. 1882 By The Central Railroad And Banking Company Of Georgia In Honor Of A Brave Man + A Faithful And Devoted Officer And To Preserve His Name In The Grateful Remembrance Of His Fellow Citizens
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Triplett, Whip Morrison (2006).
Savannah
. Postcard History Series.
Arcadia Publishing
. p. 75.
ISBN
978-0-7385-4209-6
– via
Google Books
.
- ^
a
b
Knight, Lucian Lamar (1917).
A Standard History of Georgia and Georgians
. Vol. II.
Lewis Publishing Company
. p. 694 – via
Google Books
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Wright Square"
.
Georgia Historical Society
. June 16, 2014
. Retrieved
October 14,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Tomochichi's Monument"
.
The
National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
in the State of Georgia
. Retrieved
October 14,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
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
.
- ^
"Tomochichi: Death and Burial"
.
Georgia Historical Society
. Retrieved
October 14,
2020
.
- ^
Knight, Lucian Lamar (1913).
Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends
. Vol. I. Byrd Printing Company. pp. 404?405 – via
Google Books
.
External links
[
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]
32°04′41″N
81°05′32″W
/
32.07796°N 81.09233°W
/
32.07796; -81.09233