Otway Burns Monument, (sculpture).

Otway Burns Monument, (sculpture).

W. H. Mullins Company, fabricator.

Boone, Daniel, VI, fabricator.

Otway Burns Monument, (sculpture).

Dedicated July 5, 1909.

Figure: hand-wrought copper; Base: Mt. Airy granite; Foundation: concrete.

Figure: approx. 6 x 3 x 2.5 ft.; Base: approx. 9 x 6 x 8 ft.

Manufactured by/The W. H. Mullins Co./Salem, OH/USA (Plaque on front of base:) OTWAY BURNS,/BORN IN ONSLOW COUNTY/N.C. 1775/DIED AT PORTSMOUTH/N.C. 1850./SAILOR-SOLDIER-/STATESMAN./NORTH CAROLINA'S FOREMOST SON/IN THE WAR OF 1812-15./FOR HIM, THIS TOWN IS NAMED./HE GUARDED WELL OUR SEAS,/LET OUR MOUNTAINS HONOR HIM. Founder's mark appears.

Standing full-length figure of Otway Burns in a naval uniform and cap from the War of 1812. He originally held a sword and scabbard in his proper right hand and a bugle in his proper left hand. Figure is on a tiered granite base.

Portrait male -- Burns, Otway -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Sailor

Occupation -- Industry -- Shipping

Occupation -- Political -- Statesman

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Outdoor Sculpture -- North Carolina -- Burnsville

Administered by Town of Burnsville, Clerk's Office, P. O. Box 97, Burnsville, North Carolina 28714

Located Burnsville Town Square, Burnsville, North Carolina

The statue commemorates Capt. Otway Burns (1775-184), for whom the town of Burnsville was named. A hero of the War of 1812, Burns cast the tie-breaking vote in 1833 to establish Yancee County. The statue is a gift of his grandson, Walter Francis Burns, Sr. The copper statue (erroneously and variously reported to be bronze in 1958 issue of National Geographic) was unveiled at Burtonsville on July 5, 1909. Historic photographs show a sword and scabbard in his proper right hand; a bugle in his proper left hand. The statue was defaced in 1947, losing the sword, scabbard and left hand with bugle. In 1960, it was damaged again, when high winds tipped the statue over. In 1963, the Burnsville Garden Club oversaw restoration efforts. Local blacksmith Daniel Boone VII, crafted a new hand and bugle from sheet copper; straightened the head, cleaned, coated and reinstalled the statue. In 1972, the sword, scabbard and bugle were found laying on the ground and were placed in storage.

Historic photographs of the monument can be found in the Division of Archives and History, Raleigh. IAS files contain additional bibliographic citations and related articles from Hope Bailey's "Images of Yancey: Pictoral History of a Western Carolina County," (Wasworth Pub. Co.,) 1993, pg. 10-11, and an article from the Asheville Citizen Times (North Carolina), date unknown, which include historic views of the sculpture with sword, scabbard and bugle.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, North Carolina 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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