Archive for May, 2009
Baltimore’s George Washington Monument
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Mount Vernon Place & Washington Place (Street View)
GPS: 39° 17′ 50.80″ N 76° 36′ 56.40″ W
History
Begun in 1815, Baltimore’s Washington Monument was the first monument planned to our nation’s first president. However, it was not the first completed. The stonework monument in Washington County, MD at Washington Monument State Park was finished in 1827, two years before Baltimore’s elegant spire. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1815 and the statue by artist Enrico Causici was dedicated November 11, 1829.
Legend holds that a prodigy or omen was observed upon the raising of the statue to the top of the 178 foot doric column, “…a shooting star dashed across the sky and an eagle lit on the head of the settling general.” The Baltimore monument was designed by architect Robert Mills, who also designed the Washington Monument in Washington, DC. The original statue design featured Washington dressed in Roman military garb riding a chariot. As project finances tightened, the statue theme was modified to that of Washington resigning his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in Annapolis.
The original site for this massive monument was down by the old Court House, on Calvert between Lexington and Fayette, by the Battle Monument. Area residents, however, feared that the monument would either topple on their homes or attract lightning. Colonel John Eager Howard, who served under Washington, donated a portion of his estate, Howard’s Woods, to the project. The hill upon which this monument stands was, at the time, well north of the city proper. $100,000 was raised by lottery for the monument’s construction through the authorized sale of 35,000 tickets. The monument actually ended up costing $200,000. The statue and monument are made of marble from Cockeysville, just north of the city.
Notes
Over the coming decades after the monument’s completion, the parks running north and south (in the shape of a Greek cross) became filled with other outdoor sculptures, including monuments to Taney, Lafayette, John Eager Howard, Severn Teackle Wallis and George Peabody, along with the Sea Urchin statue, several ornate fountains, a proud regal lion by Barye, Military Courage and four corner pieces around the great circle of the Washington Monument depicting allegorically the figures of War, Peace, Order and Force.
As the Washington Monument project wore on, the original design for the column was simplified – some of the details of which were later re-invested into the ornate fencing surrounding the base of the column. During the warmer months, visitors to the Washington Monument can enter through the base (which contains a small museum) and pay a dollar to climb 228 stairs all the way to the top, which affords an excellent vantage point of the city.
Nearby
- Roger B. Taney
- John Eager Howard
- George Peabody
- Severn Teackle Wallis
- Marquis de Lafayette
- Military Courage Statue
- Sea Urchin in Mount Vernon
Links
- On Flickr [2] [3] [4] [5] & Panoramio [2] [3]
- History of the Washington Monument
- Smithsonian entry
Baltimore’s War Memorial Building
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N Gay Street & E Fayette Street (Street View)
GPS: 39° 17′ 26.85″ N 76° 36′ 31.96″ W
History
Construction on the War Memorial Building at 101 North Gay Street began in 1921, and was completed four years later. The massive monument to Maryland’s soldiers that died in World War I is the work of Laurence Hall Fowler, a local architect who’s design won a competition held by officials for the commission. Directly across from Baltimore’s City Hall, the lot was chosen as part of the 1910 Olmstead plan to focus the city’s more important buildings into a civic plaza. Flanking the Neoclassical edifice are two aquatic war horse sculptures created by by Edmond R. Amateis that are said to depict “the might of America crossing the sea to come to the aid of the Allies.” Made of Indiana limestone, the horses, when viewed up-close, display fossils of marine organisms. Along the sides and back of the building are German cannon confiscated during WWI. In 1977, the memorial was rededicated to honor the state’s lost from both World Wars, the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Notes
Inside the building is an impressive banquet hall occupying the top floor. With high ceilings and room for hundreds of people, the vast open space is used for various events. Usually occupied by veteran’s groups and city or state politicians (the memorial is owned jointly between Baltimore and Maryland), the location has recently been used for fashion shows and movie sets. A large mural depicting the “sacrifice to patriotism,” painted by Charm City artist R. McGill Mackall, covers the back wall. Throughout the auditorium are the names of the 1752 Maryland fatalities of WWI.
Nearby
Links
John Eager Howard Monument in Mount Vernon
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Madison Street & Washington Place / N Charles Street (Street View)
GPS: 39° 17′ 54.32″ N 76° 36′ 56.75″ W
History
Dedicated on January 16, 1904, this lively equestrian statue of Maryland’s own John Eager Howard was executed by artist Emmanuel Fremiet. It was a gift of the Municipal Art Society of Baltimore City and stands on land once part of Howard’s estate. Fremiet, a renowned animal sculptor of the time, is also well known for his equestrian statue of Joan of Arc in the Place des Pyramides of Paris. Howard served under George Washington as a Colonel in the Continental Army, hence his placement just north of Washington’s spire in the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood.
Howard distinguished himself militarily at the Battle of Cowpens, where he lead a bayonet charge that turned the tide of battle. That act of valor is commemorated at another monument to Eager nearby on Centre Street. Howard County, Maryland, is named after him, as are Howard & Eager Streets in Baltimore City. Howard sat as a member of the Continental Congress in 1788, served as governor of Maryland for three consecutive one-year terms, was state senator, United States congressman and United States senator and lost the vice-presidential election in 1816. He is buried in Old Saint Paul’s Cemetery.
Notes
On the back of the monument is a replica of the medal granted Howard by Congress for valor at the Battle of Cowpens, along with a panel showing a Continental officer riding down a British soldier.
Nearby
- Roger B. Taney
- Washington Monument
- George Peabody
- Severn Teackle Wallis
- Marquis de Lafayette
- Sea Urchin in Mount Vernon
- Military Courage Statue
Links
George Washington Statue in Druid Hill Park
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Hanlon Drive & Mansion House Drive (Street View)
GPS: 39° 19′ 3.00″ N 76° 38′ 33.60″ W
History
This statue was constructed in 1857 in Rome by the American artist Edward Sheffield Bartholomew at the behest of Noah Walker, a Baltimore businessman. Walker had the statue installed in a niche within the facade of his West Baltimore Street clothing business, at what came to be known as the Washington Building. The statue was originally installed on the second floor and was lit at night by a circle of gaslights. An 1871 sketch of its original appearance can be found here. When Walker died the statue was donated by his family to the city and was moved to Druid Hill Park. Initially the statue was placed on a small pedestal that has since been upgraded. Enoch Pratt, the philanthropist after whom Baltimore’s library system is named, donated the structure in which it now rests. The monument is next to the old Promenade entrance.
Notes
Bartholomew’s Washington statue is one of many monuments dedicated to America’s first president. Aside from the Washington Monument in Mount Vernon, there is also a Washington Bicentennial marker near the Basilica. And compatriots of Washington’s like Lafayette and Pulaski are also memorialized in Baltimore City.
Nearby
- Repeal Statue
- Eli Siegel Stone
- William Wallace Statue
- Christopher Columbus (Druid Hill)
- John Cook Garden & Sundial
- Richard Wagner Bust
Links
- On Flickr [2] & Panoramio [2]
- Druid Hill Park: The Heart of Historic Baltimore by Eden Unger Bowditch & Anne Draddy
John Eager Howard Bayonet Monument
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W Centre Street & N Howard Street (Street View)
GPS: 39° 17′ 47.46″ N 76° 37′ 13.49″ W
History
Just west of the Centre Street light rail stop on Howard Street, which was named after him, this 1985 monument is by artist David Gerlach and is one of two monuments to the Revolutionary War hero and statesman John Eager Howard. The other more classical equestrian monument to Howard lies at the north end of the park above the Washington Monument in Mount Vernon. Howard became recognized for his gallantry at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781 with a bayonet charge which helped secure the American victory. The sculpture was installed as part of the Market Center Redevelopment.
Notes
The park this memorial sits in was once part of Howard’s expansive 260-acre Baltimore estate, which he split up and gifted to various civic causes, religious groups, Lexington Market and even the land for the Mount Vernon Washington Monument. The monument consists of three stylized figures, two of whom are pointing rifles which once had bayonets affixed to them. The figure of Howard points off to the distance, as if ordering the men to charge. At one time his pointing hand held something, presumably a sword or pistol by the way the hand is sculpted. In addition to the missing elements, the figures are also scrawled with graffiti. Howard is buried in Old Saint Paul’s Cemetery, which is not far away.
Nearby
Links
- On Panoramio [2] & Flickr
- HMdb entry
- Smithsonian entry
Lizette Woodworth Reese Monument Plaques
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Grace Turnbull‘s Lizette Woodworth Reese Monument was moved from Lake Clifton High School to the new Johns Hopkins Eastern Campus, the former site of old Eastern High School, in April of this year. In May two plaques were placed at the foot of the memorial. The Bell Tower at Stadium Place is across the street.
Thomas Wildey Odd Fellows Monument
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N Broadway & E Fayette Street, south one block (Street View)
GPS: 39° 17′ 36.19″ N 76° 35′ 38.24″ W
History
The American charter for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was established in 1819 by Thomas Wildey. The British-born Wildey was a member of the altruistic organization as a youth in his home country, moving through its ranks with determination and brevity. A blacksmith by trade, the bullish figure left for the United States in his early twenties taking his restlessness along with him. Upon arriving in North America, in 1817, he found that sentiment towards the British was low, the War of 1812 not entirely forgiven. The boisterous and outgoing Wildey found work easily, yet had trouble gaining the companionship he desired. Following a conversation with John Welch, a fellow countryman, the two realized they were both part of the Odd Fellows fraternity. Wildey proposed putting an ad in the newspaper soliciting Baltimore’s existing members. Four men showed up at the initial conference and the seeds of America’s IOOF were planted. Thomas Wildey became the order’s first presiding officer and worked tirelessly to expand the group. His only occupation after 1819 was the Odd Fellows, and he sank great portions of his own money into the project. The other men involved in the early stages of the IOOF were certainly more literate and eloquent, but the frequently over-bearing Wildey and his unyielding enthusiasm point to him as the body’s true founding father. He relinquished his leadership post in 1825, yet continued to work for his cause until his last breath. Traveling from town to town, Wildey established Odd Fellows Lodges in practically every state incorporated at the time. He died in 1861 and is buried in Green Mount Cemetery.
Notes
The 52-foot tall superstructure sits on the crest of Washington Hill. The top of the marble monument depicts the widow Charity holding a child while another rests at her foot. Rich with the fraternal order of Odd Fellows imagery, the statue and spire pay a telling tribute to the organizations founder. Four bronze relief plaques and various inscriptions adorn the base of the memorial. The combination of beauty and gravity make this one of the more monumental fabrications in Baltimore. Dedicated in 1865, the column is the work of architect Edward F. Durang.
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Links
Mayor Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe Monument
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Location
N Broadway & E Baltimore Street (Street View)
GPS: 39° 17′ 30.13″ N 76° 35′ 37.96″ W
History
Dedicated on June 1, 1914 and rededicated on June 11, 1997, this monument to Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe is by artists Edward Berge and J. Maxwell Miller. Baltimore-born Ferdinand Latrobe (1833-1911) served seven non-consecutive terms as mayor of Baltimore, between 1875-1877, 1878-1881, 1883-1885, 1887-1889, and finally again in 1891-1895. Along with Thomas D’Alesandro, Sam Smith and William Donald Schaefer, Latrobe is one of four Baltimore mayors who have been immortalized in outdoor monumental form. Clayton Colman Hall writes in his book, Baltimore, “To write a personal history of General Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe is in effect to write the history of the most important events concerning the growth and improvement of the city of Baltimore for more than half a century.” Responsible for a slew of civic works and improvement projects, Colman explains that “It is not flattery to say that he was acknowledged to be the most prominent and popular citizen of Baltimore, and in his private as well as in his official capacity did more for the advancement and improvement of the city of Baltimore than any other one man.” Latrobe also was responsible for the re-organization of the Maryland militia under the Act of 1868, which he authored. Ferdinand Latrobe was the son of John Hazelhurst Boneval Latrobe and grandson of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, figures of no small import in Baltimore, as well as national, history. Latrobe is quoted as having said, in 1894, about the first incarnation of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, “We have always had the most beautiful women and the finest oysters in the world, and now we have the best baseball club.” Latrobe is also known to have been an avid breeder of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. He is buried in Green Mount Cemetery.
Notes
Latrobe’s memorial stands at the southern-most end of a row of monuments which stretches north along Broadway, next in line being Thomas Wildey, and Jose Marti. A few short blocks to the east is the western entrance of Patterson Park, in which resides several other city monuments.
Nearby
Links
- On Panoramio [2] & Flickr
- Smithsonian outdoor sculpture entry
- Ferdinand C. Latrobe on Wikipedia
- List of mayors of Baltimore
Bell Tower at Stadium Place
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Built in 2006, and also known as Thanksgiving Place Labyrinth, the Bell Tower at Stadium Place was a joint project between the Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation and the TKF Foundation, “a private grant-making foundation” involved in a civic development project called “Open Spaces, Sacred Places,” integrating meditative green spaces in the midst of bustling urban locations.
The Bell Tower stands slightly west of the former entrance gates of two razed Baltimore sports stadiums. In 1922, Municipal Stadium (or Baltimore Stadium) was completed, hosting college and professional football, as well as baseball. The first of its kind in Charm City, Old Municipal helped attract solid professional sporting events to the area. By 1950, Old Municipal made way for Memorial Stadium, a larger and more modern facility. The monumental structure helped attract the American League’s Orioles in 1954. Memorial Stadium is the former location of another significant Baltimore monument, the Memorial Urn. The urn, which contains soil from military cemeteries around the world, was moved to Camden Yards.
The Bell Tower park at Stadium Place also features a stone labyrinth on the ground, surrounded on one side by a white wooden structure, trees, flowering gardens and benches. Nearby is the state’s largest YMCA and the retirement community called Stadium Place. There is also an all volunteer-built playground behind the YMCA on 33rd and Ellerslie. When a fire burned most of the playground, volunteers assembled once again to rebuild it, a testament to the civic spirit of area residents.
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The Washington Papers at the Library of Congress
[Source]
The Library of Congress contains the George Washington Papers, which may be viewed online. A search inquiry yielded archives which contain actual photographs of original documents either written to or by Washington. The reader may view these documents in their original form. We have also transcribed certain letters which demonstrate, not only Washington’s close ties to Freemasonry, but his position as Grand Master of the Alexandria Lodge No. 22 of Virginia.
Although Washington’s correspondence with the Masonic Lodges is replete with Masonic references to the Great Architect of the Universe, his response to a Christian clergyman conspicuously avoids mention of Jesus Christ or acknowledgment of personal Christian faith. Washington also defended American Freemasonry and denied that American Masonic societies were connected to English Freemasonry or contaminated with the subversive principles of the Illuminati. The final exchange of letters reveals the mutual admiration between Washington and the Swedenborgian New Church of Baltimore.