Pastorius Monument, (sculpture).

Pastorius Monument, (sculpture).

Jaegers, Albert, 1865-1925, sculptor.

Bacon, Henry, 1866-1924, architect.

Jacoby & Son Company, contractor.

Pastorius Monument, (sculpture).

Founder's Monument, (sculpture).

Founding of Germantown, (sculpture).

Founders of Germantown, (sculpture).

Early German Pioneers, (sculpture).

Cornerstone laid Oct. 6, 1908. Designed 1912. 1917. Dedicated Nov. 10, 1920.

Sculpture: Tennessee marble; Base: Tennessee marble and granite.

Sculpture: approx. H. 324 in.; Base: approx. W. 111 in. D. 141 in.

Steps, front and back: approx. 238 in.; Steps, sides: approx. 274 in.

(IAS files contain the complete Latin inscription which appears on the back of the base.) (Base, front:) IN COMMEMORATION/OF THE/LANDING OF THE GERMAN COLONISTS/OCTOBER 6, 1683/FRANZ DANIEL PASTORIUS/DIRK HERMAN, ABRAHAM OPDENGRAEFF/TUENES RUNDERS. LENERT ARENS/REINERT TISEN.WILHELM STREPERS/JAN LENSEN.PETER KEURLIS.JAN SIEMENS/JOHANN BLEIRERS.ABRAHAM TUENE AND/JAN LUEKEN WITH THEIR FAMILIES (Base, left side, front piece:) Albert Jaegers, sculpture/Henry Bacon, Architect (Base, left side:) To The Memory of/The Hundreds of Thousands/of German Volunteers in/the American wars (Base, right side:) THE PROTEST OF THE GERMANS/OF GERMANTOWN AGAINST SLAVERY/ON FEBRUARY 18, 1688 signed

This monument honors the founder of Germantown, Francis Pastorius, and the indomitable spirit of his fellow colonists. It consists of four parts beginning with a set of low steps which lead to two square bases, one on top of the other. The lower square base is inscribed with a message written by Pastorius in Latin so that all might read it. Above the inscription, is a square base adorned with reliefs on all four sides. At the top of the monument is the statue of the "Light Bearing Civilization" represented by a bare-chested female figure loosely draped and seated on her throne.

The reliefs on the front of the base depict in high relief, a male and female figure dressed in pilgrim attire standing in front of a low relief figure of a male attired in only a loin cloth. The male pilgrim is not a portrait of Pastorius, since no likeness of him exits, but rather the representation of him as a young man arriving with his mate on the shores of the new colony ready to face its challenges. The pilgrims are accompanied by a male figure standing behind them who represents the spirit of music and joy that the early German colonists brought with them. The future deeds of the pilgrims are depicted in low relief on the two side panels: One panel represents "The Volunteer" and honors the memory of the thousands of men of German blood who fought in American wars; the other panel represents first written "Protest against Slavery" by the German Quakers of Germantown. The rear relief panel depicts the belief that "Science and Art" rise from the foundation of "Labor."

Homage -- Pastorius, Francis Daniel

History -- United States -- Colonization

History -- United States -- Pennsylvania

Occupation -- Other -- Colonizer

Dress -- Historic -- Pilgrim Dress

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

Administered by City of Philadelphia, Fairmount Park Commission, Memorial Hall, West Park, P. O. Box 21601, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19131

Located Vernon Park, Germantown Avenue & Price Street, between Chelten Avenue & Haines Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19144

The monument was jointly funded by the German-American Alliance which contributed $25,000 and the U.S. Congress, which matched their $25,000 in a bill approved on March 4, 1911. The monument was designed to commemorate the founding of Germantown by Francis Daniel Pastorius in 1683. The cornerstone was laid in 1908 on the 225 anniversary of the founding. The monument was completed by 1917, but the dedication was delayed due to the start of World War I and anti-German sentiment. The monument, which was already installed, was encased in a wooden box by the War Department until it was formally dedicated in 1920. The monument was again boxed when the U.S. entered World War II, and remained so until the end of the second world war. IAS files contain an article from the Germantown Courier (Pennsylvania), March 3, 1966, pg. 11, which includes a transcription of Pastorius' Latin message on the base. IAS files also contain several newspaper articles from the files Germantown Historical Society library that explain the artist's use of symbols, the history of the creation of the monument, and the subsequent delay in its dedication.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

City of Philadelphia, 1973.

Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 279.

Bach, Penny Balkin, "Public Art in Philadelphia," Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992, pg. 215.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia survey, 1993.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, PA0064, PA0066, PA0070, PA5022, PA5031, 1989.

Monumental News, June, Aug. and Oct. 1908; March 1913; March 1914.

Fairmount Park Art Assoc., "Sculpture of a City: Philadelphia's Treasures in Bronze & Stone," NY: Walker Publ., 1974, pg. 279.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System