Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, (sculpture).

Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, (sculpture).

Unknown, sculptor.

Earl Dickerson Construction Company, contractor.

Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, (sculpture).

1986-1988. Dedicated Jan. 17, 1988.

Bronze plaques inset in stone/concrete.

Approx. 110 x 48 x 54 in.

(Bronze plaque on east side of monument:) In Memorium/DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR./January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968/I Have A Dream/I have a dream that one day every valley/shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall/be made low, the rough places shall be made/plain, and the crooked places be made straight/and the glory of the Lord will be revealed and/all flesh shall see it together./This is our hope. This is the faith that I/go back to the South with.

(Bronze plaque on south side of monument:) GLIMPSE OF THE PAST/One cannot rest on past laurels, for new/needs are arising each day. This statement/was the conviction of the visionaries of the/Colored Men's Club in 1929. These wise/men realized the need for additional/recreational facilities for colored people in/this community and persisted in persuading/the city authorities to provide a community/park./1929 Elm Grove Park and Playground was secured/and received it's name from the many elm trees in the area./Properties were acquired from Mr. & Mrs. E. P. Rowell,/Mr. & Mrs. S. W. Harrison, Mr. & Mrs. Ed Stephens and the/Kelley Trust Company./The original park and playground also comprised comfort/stations and recreational cabin./1949 Swimming Pool installed./1969 Park renamed as Martin Luther King Jr. Park/1974 Total renovation of the Park

(Bronze plaque on north side of monument:) MARTIN LUTHER KING JR./MEMORIAL GARDEN/OUR DREAM/Fort Smith Branch N.A.A.C.P./1984-1986 Officers Roster/Pres. Allen Black Jr./V. Pres. Dr. H. P. McDonald/Sec'y. Faith Mcneeley/Treas. Roberta Posey/1986-1988 Officers Roster/Pres. Rev. Robert E. Dotson Sr./1st. V. Pres. Dr. H. P. McDonald/2nd. V. Pres. Allen Black Jr./Sec'y. Sheila Posey/Treas. Roberta Posey/My country 'tis of thee,/sweet land of liberty,/of thee I sing;/Land where my father died;/Land of the pilgrims pride;/From ever Mountain side/Let Freedom Ring!/$500 Donors/First National Bank/Godfrey Foundation/V.F.W. Post 9815/Mr. Earl Dickerson/Mr. Steve McCleary/Erected by: EARL DICKERSON CONSTRUCTION CO./Dedicated by: FORT SMITH BRANCH OF THE N.A.A.C.P./JAN. 17, 1988/A vision without a task is a dream/But a vision with a task is a joy/and a satisfaction. unsigned

A concrete and pebble monument which contains three bronze plaques with a waterfall and gas light torch on top, and now missing a stainless steel crown of light rays. The plaque on the east side contains a bust relief portrait of Martin Luther King Jr., seen in a proper right three-quarter pose. The other two plaques are commemorative text plaques.

Portrait male -- King, Martin Luther, Jr. -- Bust

Occupation -- Other -- Reformer

Occupation -- Religion -- Clergy

Occupation -- Political

Ethnic -- African American

Literature -- King

History -- United States -- Black History

Outdoor Sculpture -- Arkansas -- Fort Smith

Administered by City of Fort Smith, Parks Department, 623 Garrison, P.O. Box 1908, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72902

Located Martin Luther King Jr. Park, On Greenwood, 100 yards south of R Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas

The monument was sponsored by the Fort Smith branch of the N.A.A.C.P., with funding from various donors including the First National Bank, Godfrey Foundation, V.F.W. Post 9815, Earl Dickerson, Steve McCleary, and others. The park where it is located was originally named Elm Grove Park and Playground, and was built under the auspices of the Colored Men's Club in 1929.

IAS files contain a related article from Southwest Times (Fort Smith, Arkansas), Jan. 18, 1988, pg. 1A.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Arkansas survey, 1993.

Southwest Times (Fort Smith, AR), Jan. 18, 1988, pg. 1A.

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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