Lawrence, (sculpture).

Lawrence, (sculpture).

J.L. Mott Iron Works, founder.

Lawrence, (sculpture).

Little Joe, (sculpture).

Lawrence the Indian, (sculpture).

Indian, (sculpture).

Dedicated Sept. 12, 1887. Restored 1988.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze, gilded and painted; Base: cast iron, painted.

Sculpture: approx. 6 ft. x 3 ft. x 2 ft. 6 in.; Upper base: approx. H. 2 ft. 7 1/2 in. W. x 2 ft. 4 in. x Diam. 4 ft.; Lower base: approx. H. 4 ft. 2 in. x W. 2 ft. 5 in.

(Plaque on front of base, incised lettering:) IN MEMORY OF/LAWRENCE/A CHRISTIAN INDIAN/OF THE MOHAWK NATION/LEADER UNATTEMPTING THE RESCUE/OF HIS WHITE BRETHERN (sic)/OF SCHENECTADY/TAKEN PRISON IN THE MASSACRE/OF FEBRUARY 9, 1690/ERECTED THIS TERCENTENARY YEAR/1962 (Plaque, repeated four times on sides of base, incised lettering:) QUEENS NEW FORT/BUILT 1705/DEMOLISHED/DURING/THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR/THIS/MEMORIAL STATUE/ERECTED/12TH SEPT 1887 (Plaque on one side of base, incised lettering:) LAWRENCE/A FRIEND OF SCHENECTADY/RESTORED BY HIS FRIENDS/1988/(list of four names in two columns follows)/COMMITTEE/(list of thirty-five names in two columns follows) unsigned

A Native American brave stands with his proper left foot on a small rock. He holds a bow in his proper left hand and an arrow in his proper right hand. He wears a cape or blanket, fringed leggings, and a feathered headband. At the back of his proper right leg is a small tree stump. The sculpture is mounted atop a two-tiered cast iron base with a square upper tier decorated with relief panels. The lower tier is octagonal and ringed with animal or fish heads that were once use as water spouts for basins and troughs that have been removed. The monument is encircled by a wrought iron fence.

Figure male -- Full length

Homage -- Lawrence

Ethnic -- Indian -- Mohawk

Dress -- Ethnic -- Indian Dress

Object -- Weapon -- Bow and Arrow

Outdoor Sculpture -- New York -- Schenectady

Administered by City of Schenectady, Department of Parks & Recreation, 105 Jay Street, City Hall, Schenectady, New York 12305

Located Junction of Front, Ferry & Green Streets, Schenectady, New York

Formerly located Old Fort Park, Junction of Front, Ferry & Green Streets, Schenectady, New York

The monument commemorates Lawrence, a Christian Native American Mohawk who led a rescue party to save Schenectady citizens taken prisoner during the Massacre of Feb. 8-9, 1690. It is a J. L. Mott stock item that was erected by popular subscription through the efforts of Alderman George Holtzman to mark the site of the former "Queen's Fort," or "Queen's New Fort," which was demolished during the Revolution. Holtzman had seen it in a 1873 catalog entitled "Illustrated Catalog of Statuary -- Fountains, Vases, Setees for Parks, Gardens and Conservatories." The cost for the monument in a later 1893 Mott catalog was "$775 painted," and "$875 bronzed." The monument was initially referred to as "Little Joe," or "The Indian," and functioned as a fountain. On June 18, 1962, as part of the Tercentenary celebration of the settling of Schenectady, a new plaque commemorating Lawrence was unveiled on the base. Afterwards, the monument was referred to as "Lawrence," or "Lawrence the Indian." Just before Christmas of 1967, the figure was toppled off its base and was beheaded in a traffic accident. In 1988, the monument was restored. The site was formerly known as Old Fort Park and is part of Schenectady's Historic Stockade District. For related article see: the Bulletin of the Schenectady County Historical Society (Sept. 1962).

IAS files contain: full transcription of base plaques; transcription of plaque placed in front of the monument; Schenectady County Historical Society Quarterly Bulletin 11 (March 1968): pg. 1; and articles from the Daily Gazette, April 22, 1991 and Feb. 11, 1993.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New York survey, 1993.

Schenectady County Historical Society Quarterly Bulletin 11 (March 1968): pg. 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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