Monument Avenue
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Monument Avenue, in Richmond, Virginia, memorializes Confederate heroes of the Civil War, and one Richmond native. "Monument Avenue Historic District" is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On May 29 1890, crowds were estimated at 100,000 to see the unveiling of the first monument, to Robert E. Lee. Monument Avenue is also the site of the Monument Avenue 10K. The Sons of Confederate Veterans hold an annual walk down Monument Avenue in traditional garb to celebrate Confederate History Month in April. Monument Avenue is also the site of "Easter on Parade" another April tradition where large numbers of people walk around wearing funny hats. The tradition is said to originate from the large numbers of people that would walk around after Easter services to show off their Easter bonnets and other fashinable clothing.
Monuments on Monument Avenue
- Robert E. Lee – equestrian sculpture sculpted by Antonin Mercié; unveiled May 29 1890
- J.E.B. Stuart – sculpted by Frederick Moynihan; unveiled May 30 1907
- Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America – sculpted by Edward Valentine; unveiled June 3 1907
- Stonewall Jackson – sculpted by Frederick William Sievers; unveiled October 11 1919
- Matthew Fontaine Maury, oceanographer – sculpted by Frederick William Sievers; unveiled November 11 1929
- Arthur Ashe, tennis player – sculpted by Paul Di Pasquale; unveiled July 10 1996
The "Pathfinder of the Seas" monument of Matthew Fontaine Maury is unique. It is located on the west end of Monument Avenue, closest to the Arthur Ashe monument. The Maury monument is not much of a "Confederate monument" and shows little indication of that by some mentioning inventing electrical torpedoes. The monument looks to the East, to the Atlantic Ocean that Maury charted. He holds in his left hand a pencil and compass and in his right hand a copy of his charts. Beside his left foot is his book, Physical Geography of the Sea and with it there is the Bible that Maury relied upon so heavily throughout his entire life. The Globe of the world is tilted slightly on it's axis behind his head and depicts people struggling against the weather -- people clinging to a half sunken boat being pulled ashore by a Lady and a Farmer depicting weather on land with cattle and sons trying to get to safety. These two elements of land and sea represent Maury's work on predicting weather and warning people on both sea and land. There are fish, dolphins, and birds around the monument's perimeter. The Monument was originally to have been placed in Washington, D.C., but Maury did side with his state of Virginia as did Lee and others who had already made a career in the USA and USN. Therefore all Confederates were considered "traitors" and the Maury Monument was placed in Richmond instead of "Washington City" as it was called in his time. Maury was at the top of his career with international fame when he reluctantly resigned his position in Washington City. He had been Knighted by several nations that pleaded that he come there with his family to live and work. He had been given medals by several nations with precious gems throughout his career in the USN. Had it not been for his family and so many kin in Virginia and in other Southern States he would have remained in the USN.
The decision to place the statue of Arthur Ashe on Monument Avenue was widely disputed due to the lack of correlation between the Richmond native tennis star and former soldiers, as well as the racial tension throughout the city. In addition, the controversy over the statue may have been caused by some of the choices made when designing and placing the statue. The statue shows Arthur Ashe holding a racket, with children below him. However, from a distance it appears that he is striking the children with the racket. Also, Arthur Ashe's statue is much smaller than the many Confederate war heroes’ statues. Finally, the statue is the very last and the furthest away from downtown just outside of the prominent "Fan" area of Richmond.
Images
Further reading
- Richmond's Monument Avenue (2001) by Sarah Shields Driggs, Richard Guy Wilson, and Robert P. Winthrop, University of North Carolina Press
External links
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