Alexander H. Stephens Monument, (sculpture).

Alexander H. Stephens Monument, (sculpture).

Markwalter, Theodore, sculptor.

Borglum, Gutzon, 1867-1941, sculptor.

Alexander H. Stephens Monument, (sculpture).

Installed 1893. Dedicated May 24, 1893.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: marble; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. 13 x 6 x 4 ft. 4 in.; Base: approx. 2 ft. 6 in. x 8 ft. 4 in. x 6 ft. 8 in.

(On front base of sculpture, foot of figure:) T. MARKWALTER./AUGUSTA, GA. (Front of base:) BORN FEB. 11, 1812,/MEMBER GA. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,/1836 TO 1840,/MEMBER GA. STATE SENATE 1842,/MEMBER U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,/1843 TO 1859,/RETIRED FROM CONGRESS 1859./VICE-PRESIDENT CONFEDERATE STATES 1861 TO 1865,/U.S. SENATOR-ELECT FROM GEORGIA, 1866,/MEMBER U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES/1873 TO 1882,/GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA, 1882,/DIED IN ATLANTA, GA.,/SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 4, 1883./AUTHOR OF A CONSTITUTIONAL VIEW OF THE WAR/BETWEEN THE STATES AND OF A COMPENDIUM OF/THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FROM THEIR/EARLIEST SETTLEMENT TO 1872. (On right side of base:) "I am afraid of nothing on earth,/or above the earth, or under the/earth, except to do wrong-the/path of duty I shall ever endeavor/to travel, fearing no evil and dreading no consequences."/Here sleep the remains of one who dared to tell the people they were/wrong when he believed so, and who/never intentionally deceived a/friend or betrayed even an enemy."/-Extracts from Augusta speech 1855.

(On left side of base:) Throughout life a sufferer in body,/mind and spirit, he was a signal exemplar of wisdom, courage, fortitude,/patience, and unwearying charity./In the decrepitude of age called to be Governor of the State he died/while in performance of the work/of his office, and it seemed fit,/that having survived parents,/brethren, sisters and most of/the dear companions of youth,/he should lay his dying head/upon the bosom of his people. (On rear of base:) THE GREAT COMMONER THE DEFENDER OF CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY./"He coveted and took from the Republic/Nothing Save Glory."/Non Sibi. Sed. Aliis./Erected 1893. signed

A portrait of Alexander H. Stephens standing with his proper left foot forward. His proper right arm is raised to his waist and he is pointing with his index finger. His proper left hand is resting on a table adorned with a fringed table cloth and two books. The sculpture is mounted on a square base with a three-stepped bottom and a tapered cap piece. The front of the base contains a wreath and a pair of crossed leafy branches in relief. Each of the other sides contains an inscribed, tablet-like projection with a decorated, curved upper section.

Portrait male -- Stephens, Alexander H. -- Full length

History -- United States -- Civil War

Occupation -- Political -- Governor

Occupation -- Political -- State Congressman

Occupation -- Political -- State Senator

Occupation -- Political -- Congressman

Occupation -- Political -- Senator

Occupation -- Writer -- Author

Object -- Furniture -- Table

Object -- Written Matter -- Book

Outdoor Sculpture -- Georgia -- Crawfordville

Administered by State of Georgia, Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks, Historic Sites and Monuments, P. O. Box 283, Crawfordville, Georgia 30631

Located Alexander H. Stephens Memorial State Park, In front of Liberty Hall, Park Street, Crawfordville, Georgia

Alexander H. Stephens was the Vice-President of the Confederacy during the Civil War and an outspoken advocate of personal liberty. So strongly did he believe in personal liberty, that he would not agree to its sacrifice even in time of war. Born February 11, 1812, Stephens held numerous political offices during his lifetime. He served as both a Representative and a Senator in the Georgia Congress, a United States Senator-elect from Georgia, and a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1873 to 1882. Stephens served as Governor of Georgia during 1882 and died in office in 1883. He authored two books, "A Constitutional View of the War Between the States," and "A Compendium of the History of the United States from their Settlement to 1872." Stephens, who was small in stature and suffered from a physical disability requiring him to use a wheelchair, was also known as the "Little Giant" or "Little Alex."

IAS files contain an excerpt from Isabell Smith Buzzett's "Confederate Monuments of Georgia," Atlanta: Atlanta Chapter No. 18, United Daughters of the Confederacy, 1984, pg. 58-60; and an Alexander H. Stephens Memorial State Park brochure from the Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks, Historic Sites and Monuments.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Georgia survey, 1994.

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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