Madonna of the Trail, (sculpture).

Madonna of the Trail, (sculpture).

Leimbach, Auguste, 1882-1965, sculptor.

Madonna of the Trail, (sculpture).

Pioneer Mother, (sculpture).

1928. Copyrighted 1928. Dedicated Dec. 8, 1928. Rededicated June 23, 1990.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: granite; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. 12 x 5 x 5 ft.; Base: approx. 12 x 7 x 7 ft.

(Front of base:) MADONNA OF THE TRAIL (Front of base:) (DAR Symbol) N.S.D.A.R. MEMORIAL/TO THE/PIONEER MOTHERS/OF THE/COVERED WAGON DAYS. (On side of base, incised:) ERECTED IN/NINETEEN HUNDRED TWENTY EIGHT/IN WASHINGTON COUNTY./PENNSYLVANIA/THE OLDEST COUNTY WEST OF/THE ALLEGHENY MOUNTAINS/NAMED FOR THE FATHER/OF OUR COUNTRY (On other side of base, incised:) ON THIS HISTORIC SPOT/THE HUNTING GROUND/OF THE FRIENDLY INDIAN/NEMACOLIN/THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED AND DEDICATED/TO THE MEMORY OF OUR PIONEER MOTHERS unsigned

A full-length, standing female figure, in pioneer clothing, with a long dress, boots, a sunbonnet, and a shawl. In her proper left arm she holds an infant and in her proper right hand she holds the top of the barrel of a rifle, the butt of which rests on the ground. A little boy is at her side, with his proper left hand on the rifle and his proper right hand holding the front of her dress. At the figures' feet is a bed of cactus and large leaves.

History -- United States -- Westward Expansion

Figure group -- Family -- Mother & Child

Dress -- Historic -- Pioneer Dress

Object -- Weapon -- Gun

Allegory -- Life -- Womanhood

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Washington

Administered by Daughters of the American Revolution, Washington County Chapter, 264 North Avenue, Washington, Pennsylvania 15301

Located Route 40, Across from Nemacolin Country Club, 15 miles west of Washington, Washington, Pennsylvania

The statue is one of twelve similar monuments erected and funded by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution in each of twelve states through which the National Old Trails Road or Cumberland Road passes. Each sculpture cost $1,000. IAS files contain excerpt from Washington County Historical Society newsletter: Focus, vol. 94; fact sheet from National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution; and related excerpt from "History of the National Pike in Washington County."

The idea for the statue originated in 1916; and in 1922 a committee was formed with Mrs. John Trigg Moss (St. Louis, Missouri chapter) as chair. She conceived the design, along with her son, inspired by the trek of the Indian guide Sacajawea and her baby. A Pioneer 50-50 club was raised with 50 members each contributing $50.00 towards the total $2,500 cost of the statue and its installation. Placement of the sculpture proved controversial, with Washington eventually winning out as the Pennsylvania site. A time capsule was added to the sculpture's base.

Sculpture was restored in the early 1990s by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Nearby plaque reads: MADONNA OF THE TRAIL/PRESENTED AND DEDICATED/DECEMBER 8, 1928/BY THE/NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE/DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION/RESTORED 1990 BY THE/PENNSYLVANIA STATE SOCIETY/DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOULTION/MRS. THOMAS G. BURKEY, STATE REGENT/REDEDICATED JUNE 28, 1990.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania survey, 1995.

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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