Pennsylvania State Monument, (sculpture).

Pennsylvania State Monument, (sculpture).

Asbjornsen, Sigvald, 1867-1954, sculptor.

Taylor, James E., painter. (copy after)

American Bronze Company, founder.

Miller and Clark, contractor.

Bureau Brothers, founder.

Pennsylvania State Monument, (sculpture).

Pennsylvania Monument, (sculpture).

Commissioned 1902. Dedicated Dec. 7, 1905.

Digital Reference:

Monument: Barre granite, Georgia marble, Italian marble, and bronze; Base: granite; Foundation: concrete.

Overall: approx. 43 x 20 x 20 ft.; Figure atop dome: approx. H. 8 ft.

(South face of dome, raised letters:) PENNSYLVANIA (Two bronze tablets on interior wall of arch contain dedication and the Pennsylvania coat of arms, the act of assembly authorizing the erection of the monument and names of committee members) unsigned

A 35 foot tall arcade topped by a dome and a bronze figure of a prisoner of war (POW). The figure stands with his hands at his side and appears downtrodden. He is dressed in loose blouse, with worn clothing and torn shoes. When first placed, the figure faced North, but was subsequently moved to face the grave sites. The arcade has gothic arches on the north and south sides and heavy buttresses on the four corners. The monument arch has a bronze keystone. On the interior wall of the arch are inscription plaques and a bronze plaque depicting the breaking out of Providence Spring, which provided drinking water for the prisoners, as taken from a picture by James E. Taylor of New York.

The exterior of the monument is rock-faced Barre granite. The interior floor, base and mould is Georgia granite. The interior ceiling and sides are of Italian marble.

History -- United States -- Civil War

State of Being -- Other -- Imprisonment

Outdoor Sculpture -- Georgia -- Andersonville

Administered by United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, District of Columbia

Located Andersonville National Historic Site, 496 Cemetery Road, Andersonville, Georgia 31711

The monument was erected in memory of the 1,849 soldiers of Pennsylvania who perished in Confederate prisons at Andersonville, Georgia, in 1864-1865. The memorial was authorized July 18, 1901 by an act of Governor William A. Stone, and funded through the state legislature. On Dec. 21, 1901, the site for the memorial was selected and on April 17, 1902, the committee selected a design by Messers. Miller & Clark. In 1903, an initial $2,500 was approved; with additional funding approved May 11, 1905. Miller & Clark were awarded $7,750 towards the total monument costs of $10,000. The bronze soldier was done by Asbjornsen; the arch keystone by the firm Bureau Brothers. The dedication ceremonies for the memorial were postponed by the Governor, because of a yellow fever outbreak in the South.

IAS files contain copies of Bill Burnett's "Andersonville Monument," (on file with the Andersonville National Historic Site Library), a publication from the archives of the Andersonville National Cemetery which details history and dedication of the monument and "Ceremonies at the Dedication of the Memorial, Erected by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the National Cemetery at Andersonville, Georgia, 1905." IAS files contain transcription of text on interior tablet. The memorial is on the National Park Service List of Classified Structures (LCS no. 06078) and IAS files contain copy of LCS data sheet.

Monumental News, July 1903; Dec. 1905.

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, GA0042, 1989.

Heitmann, Helen M., 1989, 1993.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Georgia survey, 1993.

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

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