Mitchell and Phoebe Clay, (sculpture).

Mitchell and Phoebe Clay, (sculpture).

Dye, Eric D., sculptor.

Mitchell and Phoebe Clay, (sculpture).

1977. Dedicated Nov. 11, 1977.

Sculpture: quartzite sandstone; Base: concrete.

Sculpture: approx. 7 ft. 5 in. x 5 ft. 6 in. x 2 ft. 9 in.; Base: approx. 4 ft. 5 in. x 5 ft. x 3 ft. 8 in. (4 tons).

ERIC DYE (Front of base, east side:) MITCHELL AND PHOEBE CLAY/MITCHELL AND PHOEBE BELCHER CLAY BECAME/THE FIRST WHITE SETTLERS IN WHAT IS NOW/MERCER COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA, WHEN IN/1775 THEY BROUGHT THEIR FAMILY TO THEIR/800 ACRE TRACT OF LAND AT CLOVER BOTTOM/ON BLUESTONE CREEK IN FINCASTLE COUNTY,/VIRGINIA. EIGHT YEARS LATER IN AUGUST/OF 1783, THE FAMILY WAS ATTACKED BY AN/INDIAN PARTY. TWO OF THE CLAY CHILDREN/BARTLEY AND TABITHIA WERE KILLED IN/THE RAID. ANOTHER SON EZECKIAL WAS CAPTURED/AND TAKEN TO CHILICOTHE, OHIO, WHERE HE WAS/LATER BURNED AT THE STAKE./STATUE ERECTED BY/THE MERCER COUNTY BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION, INC./ERIC D DYE, SCULPTOR/NOV. 11, 1977. signed

An abstraction of a man and woman representing Mitchell and Phoebe Clay. Mitchell is the main figure. He stands tall, facing forward, with his left leg bent slightly at the knee. He holds his right hand stiffly at his side with a clinched fist. His head is lifted and turned slightly to the left. His expression is stern. His hair is shoulder length. There are few details on his clothing but he seems to be wearing a coat that falls below his waist and has an open collar. Phoebe leans on his proper left side with her head turned away and resting on his proper left shoulder. She clutches him tightly with her proper left arm tucked under his proper left arm, with her hand gripping his. From the back of the statue her face is visible behind his shoulder. Her oversized proper right hand extends across his back. There is no detail on the lower part of the sculpture. The sculpture rests on a simple rectangular base.

Portrait male -- Clay, Mitchell -- Full length

Portrait female -- Clay, Phoebe -- Full length

History -- United States -- Westward Expansion

Outdoor Sculpture -- West Virginia -- Princeton

Administered by Mercer County, County Clerk, Mercer County Courthouse, Princeton, West Virginia 24740

Located Mercer County Courthouse, Main, Alvis, & Scott Streets, Princeton, West Virginia 24740

IAS files contain related articles from Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Bluefield, WV), Nov. 11, 1977, and Princeton Times (Princeton, WV), Nov. 22, 1977, pg. 1, 12, which discuss the dedication ceremony; and Princeton Times (Princeton, WV), Nov. 16, 1977, pg. 1-12 which includes an interview with the artist.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, West Virginia survey, 1992.

Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Bluefield, WV), Nov. 11, 1977

Princeton Times (Princeton, WV), Nov. 16, 1977, pg. 1, 12.

Princeton Times (Princeton, WV), Nov. 22, 1977, pg. 1, 12.

Princeton Times (Princeton, WV), Nov. 16, 1977, pg. A-1.

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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