Martin Irons Monument, (sculpture).

Martin Irons Monument, (sculpture).

Granite Cutters' Union, fabricator.

Heynen, Charles, contractor.

Martin Irons Monument, (sculpture).

Dedicated May 17, 1911.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: Barre granite or Vermont marble; Base: Barre granite or Vermont marble.

Sculpture: approx. 5 x 3 x 1 ft.; Base: approx. 1 x 3 x 1 ft.

(Front of marker, incised lettering:) MARTIN IRONS/OCTOBER 7, 1827-NOVEMBER 17, 1900/LEADER GOULD SOUTHWEST/RAILROAD STRIKE 1886/FEARLESS CHAMPION OF/INDUSTRIAL FREEDOM/ERECTED BY THE/MISSOURI STATE FEDERATION OF/LABOR AND AFFILIATED UNIONS/LABOR DAY SEPTEMBER 5, 1910/(Raised lettering:) IRONS (Right side of base: insignia of Granite Cutters Union) unsigned Founder's mark appears.

Grave marker for labor leader Martin Irons, with one side rough-hewn and the other side with a column and leaf border. Marker is mounted upon a short, rectangular base .

Homage -- Irons, Martin

Occupation -- Other -- Reformer

Outdoor Sculpture -- Texas -- Bruceville

Bruceville Cemetery, Highway I-35, east side, Bruceville, Texas

Martin Irons was a renown Scottish-born labor leader who played an influential role in the "Great Southwest or Gould Strike of 1885-1886." He died in Bruceville (Texas) almost penniless and away from the region where he had achieved fame in the labor movement. The memorial was erected by the Martin Irons Memorial Fund Committee and the Missouri State Federation of Labor and Affiliated Unions. $252 was raised for the monument, with each of the local labor unions in Missouri donating one dollar. Several local unions of the Mine Workers in Arkansas, where Irons spent several years, also contributed.

The monument was quarried and cut by the Granite Cutters' Union at Barre, Vermont. It was purchased through Charles Heynen of Sedalia, Missouri. The inscription on the monument incorrectly states that it was dedicated on September 5, 1910, which was Labor Day. The dedication was delayed until May 17, 1911.

IAS files contain a photocopy of a pamphlet entitled "Dedication Martin Irons Monument, Bruceville, Texas, Wednesday May 17, 1911," from the Labor Movement in Texas Collection, Center for American History, University of Texas-Austin (Box 2E302, folder 13). Pamphlet includes a list of unions contributing to the monument. IAS files also contain excerpt from Ruth A. Allen's "The Great Southwest Strike," Austin, TX: University of Texas, 1942, pg. 5-6, 148-153 (The University of Texas Publication No. 4214, April 8, 1942).

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Texas survey, 1993.

Allen, Ruth A., "The Great Southwest Strike," Austin, TX: The University of Texas, 1942, pg. 150 (The University of Texas Publication No. 4214, April 8, 1942).

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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