Confederate Memorial Carving (Stone Mountain), (sculpture).

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Confederate Memorial Carving (Stone Mountain), (sculpture).

Borglum, Gutzon, 1867-1941, sculptor.

Lukeman, Augustus, 1871-1935, sculptor.

Hancock, Walker, 1901-1998, sculptor.

Confederate Memorial Carving (Stone Mountain), (sculpture).

Stone Mountain Memorial Carving, (sculpture).

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: approx. H. 90 ft. x W. 190 ft. x D. 12 ft.

Colossal bas-relief sculpture carved on north face of mountain depicting three heroes of the Civil War, from left to right, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. All are seen on horseback, in profile, in 3/4 view, holding hats over their hearts with their proper right hands. All are dressed in military uniform.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Occupation -- Political -- President

Portrait male -- Davis, Jefferson -- Bust

Portrait male -- Lee, Robert E. -- Bust

Portrait male -- Jackson, Stonewall -- Bust

Occupation -- Military -- General

Outdoor Sculpture -- Georgia -- Stone Mountain

Administered by State of Georgia, Stone Mountain Park Authority, P. O. Box 778, Stone Mountain, Georgia 30086

Located Stone Mountain Memorial Park, Stone Mountain, Georgia

Calls for a memorial began in 1909, and in 1915 Mrs. Helen Plane, a charter member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, suggested having a 70 foot statue of General Robert E. Lee carved on the mountainside. Gutzon Borglum was hired in 1915 as carving consultant, and in 1916 was appointed carving sculptor by the Stone Mountain Monumental Association (an independent organization chartered by the UDC). Borglum's original design plans for the memorial called for seven major figures accompanied by an army of "thousands." He estimated the memorial would cost three million dollars and take ten years to build. The Samuel H. Venable family, who owned the land, deeded the north face of the mountain to the UDC in 1916, with the stipulation that the memorial be built within twelve years. Because of World War I and funding delays, carving on the memorial did not begin until 1923. Borglum used photographic equipment to project a sketch on the mountain and dynamite for blasting. By January 1924, he had completed the face of Lee, over 10,000 attending the unveiling held on January 19, 1924. As part of the publicity and fund-raising campaign, a memorial half-dollar coin was designed by Borglum, depicting Lee and Jackson seated on horseback. Reportedly over a million dollars was raised towards the cost of the memorial.

In 1925 because of a dispute with the Association, Borglum left the project taking all sketches and models with him. (The original $250,000 contract had called for the execution of five figures within three years). Augustus Lukeman was hired as a replacement, and Borglum's face of Lee was chiseled away for a new carving. Lukeman's new design showed Davis, Lee and Jackson on horseback followed by an army marching out of the solid rock. Lukeman and a team of eight carvers used pneumatic drills to carve the faces of Lee and Davis, and block out Lee's horse Traveller, which were unveiled on April 9th, 1928. Funds for the project gave out however, and in May of 1928, the Venable family reclaimed their property and all work on the monument stopped. Lukeman died in 1935; Borglum in 1941.

In 1952, the Georgia General Assembly passed a bill authorizing purchase of the mountain and surrounding land and the Park Authority commissioned Julian H. Harris, an Atlanta sculptor, to submit a design for completion of the memorial.

In 1958, the State of Georgia purchased the mountain and surrounding land and formed a Stone Mountain Memorial Association to oversee completion of the memorial. In 1963, on advice the committee, Walker Hancock was chosen to complete the carving. Work resumed in 1964 with thermo-jet torches. George A. Wieblen (operator of the Stone Mountain quarry) assembled a work crew and Roy Faulkner was hired as foreman. Faulkner stayed on for the next eight years to complete the carvings according to Hancock's instructions. The carving was continued from Lukeman's master model, with some changes made by Hancock. Changes included stopping the monument below the riders' knees; eliminating the "army" that was to follow the three central figures, lowering the head and neck of General Lee's horse (so that more of President Davis could be seen), and replacing the campaign hat Lukeman had designed for Davis, with a civilian hat. Hancock also modeled a new head of Stonewall Jackson, closer to photographs of the General taken just before his death. A dedication ceremony for the Confederate Memorial Carving was held May 9, 1970. Finishing touches on the memorial were completed in 1972.

IAS files contain Willard Neal's, "Georgia's Stone Mountain," 1970; and excerpt from Franklin Garrett's "Atlanta & Environs," Univ. of Georgia Press, 1988, pg. 591-595. IAS files contain brochure "Carving and History of Georgia's Stone Mountain," Dec. 1991; article from Atlanta Journal/Atlanta Constitution, Oct. 11, 1993, pg. B3; and copy of Official Guide to City of Atlanta, compiled by Convention & Tourist Bureau, c. 1926.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Georgia, Atlanta survey, 1993.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

National Park Service, American Monuments and Outdoor Sculpture Database, GA5008, 1989.

Monumental News, July 1918; Dec. 1921; Oct. 1929.

New York Times, May 3, 1970..

Monumental News, Dec. 1921, pg. 850.

Monumental News, Oct. 1929, pg. 492.

For model see: 67230082.

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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