Bald Eagle, (sculpture).

Bald Eagle, (sculpture).

LaBoudy, James, sculptor.

Bald Eagle, (sculpture).

1993. Dedicated Summer 1993.

Digital Reference:

Eagle: carved oak, painted; Base: carved oak.

Eagle: approx. 32 x 12 x 20 in.; Base: approx. H. 39 in. x Diam. 2 ft. (600 lbs.).

(Plaque on base:) BALD EAGLE/CARVED FROM/1902 CONSTITUTION OAK/LOCATED ON THE BETHLEHEM GREEN/SCULPTURED BY/JAMES LABOUDY/BETHLEHEM CONNECTICUT 1993 unsigned

Carved bald eagle with its wings extended upward. The eagle's tail and talons rest upon a tree stump base. The head and the tail feathers are painted white.

Animal -- Bird -- Eagle

Allegory -- Place -- America

Outdoor Sculpture -- Connecticut -- Bethlehem

Town of Bethlehem, 36 Main Street, Town Hall, Bethlehem, Connecticut 06751

The eagle is carved from a descendent tree of Connecticut's "Charter Oak." Legend has it that in 1687 colonists hid the Connecticut charter in an oak tree to hide it from the British who were attempting to revoke it. Blown down on August 21, 1856, the tree had become a symbol for freedom. In 1902, on Constitution Day, Senator Joseph R. Hawley presented the town of Bethlehem with an acorn extracted from the famed Charter Oak. The acorn was planted in the town green and grew into a healthy tree, but in 1993 the tree had to be removed. To keep the spirit of the tree alive, town officials, along with the Old Bethlehem Historical Society, commissioned LaBoudy to carve a bald eagle from a section of the oak. The Historical Society placed the plaque on the base. IAS files contain a related article from Voices (Southbury, CT), Aug. 4, 1993, pg. 16.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Connecticut survey, 1994.

Voices (Southbury, CT), Aug. 4, 1993, pg. 16.

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