Soldiers and Sailors Monument, (sculpture).

Soldiers and Sailors Monument, (sculpture).

Young, F. M., sculptor.

Schwarz, Rudolf, 1866-1912, sculptor.

Werking, Frank D., contractor.

Young & Lipe Company, architectural firm.

Schwarz Foundry, founder.

Charles G. Blake Company, fabricator.

Marr and Gordon, contractor.

Soldiers and Sailors Monument, (sculpture).

Installed June 25, 1908. Dedicated July 23, 1908.

Sculpture and base figures: bronze; Base: Barre granite and limestone; Foundation: concrete.

Sculpture: approx. 20 x 5 x 5 ft.; Each base figure: approx. 8 x 3 x 3 ft.; Base: approx. 35 ft. x 163 in. x 121 in. (1,500 lbs.).

(On bronze plaque on west side of base:) TO/THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS/OF/POSEY COUNTY/DEDICATED JULY 23, 1908 (On bronze plaque on east side of base:) "A PATRIOTISM/WHICH READILY RESPONDS TO ITS COUNTRY'S CALL;/A DEEP REVERENCE FOR THE LAWS;/AND A DECENT RESPECT FOR THE RIGHTS/OF OTHERS;/A SINCERE LOVE OF JUSTICE, TRUTH, AND COUNTRY/ARE THE/BEST SAFEGUARDS OF A NATION'S PEACE."

A bronze Goddess of Liberty stands holding a flag aloft in her proper right hand atop a tall stone column, with four bronze military soldiers at each corner of the base. Liberty is seen in classical dress. The granite column on which she stands is topped with a limestone Corinthian capital and has a limestone tiered base, with three columns. Mounted on each corner of the base is a Civil War soldier--an infantryman on the southwest; a sailor on the northwest; an artilleryman on the southeast; and a cavalry man on the northeast.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Figure male -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Occupation -- Military -- Sailor

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Allegory -- Civic -- Liberty

Figure female -- Full length

Object -- Other -- Flag

Outdoor Sculpture -- Indiana -- Mt. Vernon

Administered by Posey County Commissioners, Posey County Courthouse, Mt. Vernon, Indiana 47620

Located Posey County Courthouse, Courthouse square, 4th & Main, Mt. Vernon, Indiana

The sculpture cost approximately $14,000. It was installed by the citizens of Posey County in memory of the soldiers and sailors of Posey County who fought during the Civil War. A six cent tax levy on personal property financed the sculpture. The project was spearheaded by Christian Dannheiser, a county resident who prompted the local Grand Army Post to take up the matter. The sculpture was designed by architect F. M. Young of Young & Lipe Company of Litchfield, Illinois. Rudolf Schwarz molded and cast the bronze figures at Schwarz Foundry. The base was fabricated and installed by the Charles G. Blake Company and cut by Marr and Gordon of Barre, Vermont. Builder Frank D. Werking put in the foundation for the sculpture. Two cannons originally stood to the north and south of the sculpture, but they were removed during World War II.

IAS files contain related articles from the Mt. Vernon Western Sun, April 18, 1907 through July 30, 1908. IAS files contain an excerpt from a National Register of Historic Places nomination form; and a 1978 Historical Marker Survey from the Indiana Historical Bureau.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Indiana 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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