The front side of the Lake Monroe Bridge in Sanford, Florida Historic MarkerThe backside of the Lake Monroe historic markerThe old Lake Monroe Bridge with the historic marker showing in front.
Marker Text
The Lake Monroe Bridge was the first electronically operated swing bridge in Florida. In 1932-1933, the
state used Federal assistance to build the bridge, which replaced a wooden toll bridge that was manually
operated. The construction of the bridge provided economic relief for an area hurt by the economic
collapse of the Depression era. The bridge was fabricated by Ingalls Iron Works of Birmingham, Alabama;
the swing machinery manufactured by Earl’s Gears and Machine Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and it
was erected by W. W. White Steel Construction of St. Petersburg, Florida. Kreis Contracting Company of
Knoxville, Tennessee was the general contractor for the Florida Department of Transportation. The
Florida Department of Transportation and Seminole County cooperated in preserving the swing span as
a fishing pier when the new Benedict Bridge was completed in 1994.
The Lake Monroe Bridge had historic impact on the communities of the area, but also is of historical
value as an example of a branch of bridge engineering.
The Lake Monroe Bridge was 627 feet, and included a 235 foot swing span. It carried the main route
linking Daytona Beach and Tampa, via DeLand, Sanford, Orlando, and Lakeland. It could pivot 360
degrees on its curved rack and two spur pinions.
The Warren-type through truss construction had a central panel section peaked to accommodate the
drive machinery. The Warren-type truss is considered the most economical type of construction for
continuous spans. It is characterized by diagonals that alternate in direction. The first diagonal beam
starts at base level and goes up to the top. The next level diagonal starts at the top and goes down to
the base level. The diagonals are in tension and compression in alternate panels. To meet the heavy
stresses of the swing span operation the bridge arms were heavily reinforced and had riveted
connections at all stress points. The harbor for Lake Monroe Park in Volusia County was created by fill
taken from the approaches to the Lake Monroe Bridge.
Seminole County Board of County Commissioners
This marker is not part of the State of Florida historic marker program.
The April 6, 1934 Lake Monroe Bridge dedication. Image courtesy Florida Memory n028431
Local newspaper reports state that dedication of the $75,000 Bridge took place at a 3 p.m. ceremony on
April 6, 1934. Participants included Florida Governor David Sholtz and the Stetson University band. An image of the dedication is shown above.
See some beautiful early images of Sanford, FL in this title from the Images ofAmerica Series. From its days as a leading river town, to being the Celery Capital, to being the home to many incredible mid-century modern homes, Sanford has an incredible history.
Also recommended is African Americans of Sanford, which recognizes and applauds those who have helped to preserve Sanford’s history as well as those who have participated in making it.
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Rivertown Brick Mural. Image courtesy City of DeLand
I have often said that art is all around us we just need to look for it. That is certainly true when it comes to the 3D work Rivertown Brick Mural. Gracing the south entrance to DeLand City Hall, this work is so well matched to the color and design of the building itself that visitors can be forgiven for not noticing it in their haste to pay a utility bill or handle other business.
Rivertown Brick Mural is the creation of artists Dr. John Wilton,John Wolfe, and Harry Messersmith; all artists well known in the Florida art scene. The work shows a family along the banks of the St. Johns River using color, depth, and texture to create the scene.
Installation of the work occurred in 2007 as a part of the 125th anniversary of the City of DeLand. The piece was presented in memory of former mayor Earl W. Brown.
DeLand City Hall is located at 120 S. Florida Avenue. Free parking is available on site.
Please see a video of this installation by clicking here.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
The Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon located in Washington D.C.
Senator Robert A. Taft, the son of President and Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft, served the residents of Ohio in the United States Senate from 1939 until his death in 1953. Taft was a staunch conservative, helping bring together Republicans and conservative Democrats in a bid to prevent expansion of President Roosevelt’s New Deal initiatives.
One of Taft’s lasting legacies is the sponsorship of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, which ultimately led to the creation of the misnamed “right to work” policies that have ultimately been pro-business and anti-labor.
In multiple elections Taft sought the Republican nomination for the presidency only to be defeated each time by the likes of Dwight Eisenhower, Wendell Wilkie, and Thomas Dewey.
On April 14, 1959 more than 5,000 people attended a dedication ceremony for the Taft Memorial on Constitution Avenue between New Jersey Avenue and First Street, N.W., only a block from the Capitol Building. The memorial was originally authorized in 1955 and was created by artist Douglas W. Orr. It features a fifteen foot base with a ten foot tall statue of Taft, sculpted by Wheeler Williams, that is topped with a 100-foot bell tower created out of Tennessee marble.
Inscribed in the marble above the Taft sculpture are the words, “This Memorial to Robert A. Taft presented by the people to the Congress of the United States stands as a tribute to the honesty, indomitable courage,, and high principles of free government symbolized by his life.” Speeches at the dedication were made by President Eisenhower, former President Herbert Hoover, and Richard Nixon.
According to the Architect of the Capitol, “The 27 bells in the upper part of the tower are among the
finest in the world and were cast in the Paccard Bell Foundry in Annecy, France. The largest, or
bourdon bell, weighs 7 tons. The bells are well matched and produce rich, resonant tones.” The bells
are struck on the hour and sound on the quarter hour. The bells are set to ring automatically but can
be played manually as well.
To learn more about Senator Robert A. Taft, you may wish to find this book:
Robert A. Taft has been neglected by some historians and political theorists and vilified by others. Vigorously and impartially written, this book analyzes the ideas and influence of a great U.S. senator of the twentieth century. Here readers will find a close and lively examination of Taft’s convictions on freedom, justice, labor policy, social reform, foreign affairs, and the responsibilities of political parties.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
“The Surrender” by contemporary artist, Keith Rocco, is based upon research by National Park Service historians and curators. NPS Image“The surrender of Lee,” Appomattox C.H., Va., April 9th, 1865 Courtesy: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2018757100/
The first document text below is of the original draft of the surrender terms given to Lee for review by Grant on the 9th of April, 1865. In this draft Lee added the word “exchanged” after “properly,” which Grant had left out.
Appomattox C.H. Va. Apl. 9th 1865
Gen R.E. Lee
Comd’g C.S.A.
General,
In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th instant, I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of N. Va. on the following terms; to wit:
Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate one copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands.
The arms, artillery, and public property are to be parked and stacked and turned over to the officer appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done officers and man will be allowed to return to their homes not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their parole and the laws in force where they may reside.
This is the final version of a letter written by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Marshall for Lee. This is Lee’s acceptance letter to Grant’s terms of surrender.
Headquarters Army N. Va
April 9th, 1865
Lieut-Gen. U.S. Grant,
Commanding Armies of the U.S.
General:
I have received your letter of this date containing the terms of surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia as proposed by you. As they are substantially the same as those expressed in your letter of the 8th instant, they are accepted. I will proceed to designate the proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect.
Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
R.E. Lee
General
General Order #9 is Lee’s farewell order given to his soldiers.
Hd Quarters Army of Nor: Va.
10, April. 1865.
GENERAL ORDER
No. 9
After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources.
I need not tell the brave survivors of so many hard fought battles, who have remained steadfast to the last,that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them.
But feeling that valor and devotion could accomplish nothing that would compensate for the loss that must have attended the continuance of the contest, I determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen.
By the terms of the agreement officers and men can return to their homes and remain until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you His blessing and protection.
With an increasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous considerations for myself, I bid you all an affectionate farewell.
R.E. LEE
Genl.
The information above is respectfully used from the National Park Service. For further information I recommend visiting the National Park Service website for Appomattox Court House.
For further reading on the final days of the war and the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, by Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia, I recommend the following books:
In Appomattox, Varon deftly captures the events swirling around that well remembered-but not well understood-moment when the Civil War ended. She expertly depicts the final battles in Virginia, when Grant’s troops surrounded Lee’s half-starved army, the meeting of the generals at the McLean House, and the shocked reaction as news of the surrender spread like an electric charge throughout the nation. But as Varon shows, the ink had hardly dried before both sides launched a bitter debate over the meaning of the war and the nation’s future. For Grant, and for most in the North, the Union victory was one of right over wrong, a vindication of free society; for many African Americans, the surrender marked the dawn of freedom itself. Lee, in contrast, believed that the Union victory was one of might over right: the vast impersonal Northern war machine had worn down a valorous and unbowed South. Lee was committed to peace, but committed, too, to the restoration of the South’s political power within the Union and the perpetuation of white supremacy. These two competing visions of the war’s end paved the way not only for Southern resistance to reconstruction but also our ongoing debates on the Civil War, 150 years later.
In this final volume of the Army of the Potomac Trilogy, Catton, America’s foremost Civil War historian, takes the reader through the battles of the Wilderness, the Bloody Angle, Cold Harbor, the Crater, and on through the horrible months to one moment at Appomattox. Grant, Meade, Sheridan, and Lee vividly come to life in all their failings and triumphs.
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On the evening of April 7, 1970 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion actor John Wayne was awarded his only Oscar. The presenter was Barbara Streisand. He won for his performance in the film True Grit.
Below are the few brief remarks he made at the podium that evening.
Wow! If I’d have known that I would have put that patch on thirty-five years earlier. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m no stranger to this podium. I’ve come up here and picked up these beautiful golden men before, but always for friends. One night I picked up two: one for Admiral John Ford, one for our beloved Gary Cooper. I was very clever and witty that night, the envy of even Bob Hope, but tonight I don’t feel very clever or very witty. I feel very grateful, very humble, and all thanks to many, many people. I want to thank the members of the Academy. To all you people who are watching on television, thank you for taking such a warm interest in our glorious industry. Good night.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
One of the newer series being published by Arcadia Publishing imprint America Through Time is
“Abandoned.” According to the Arcadia website, “America through Time is a local and regional interest series that showcases the history and heritage of communities around the country. Using modern color photographs juxtaposed with old images, these titles capture a strong sense of the past while demonstrating the force of change through the passage of years.” The “Abandoned” series appears to use only modern color images.
As the reader might expect, the book is image heavy with little text, making this a quick read. Author Thomas Kenning starts out asking a fair question; “What is it about forts that make them so appealing?” (page 8) He puts forth the ideas of protection and security only to swiftly undercut those ideas with theidea, “as long as the waves don’t rise too high and this concrete, laid on a drifting dune, doesn’t crack beneath our feet…” (page 10)
This idea of change is put forth throughout the book. Whether it be the long trend of changing
ownership of the lands around Mobile Bay to the inevitability of climate change and the repercussions
for Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, change is something not always under the control of man. Whether
humankind is able to step up to the challenge does not receive a rousing endorsement however, “The
immediate benefits of doing nothing, of continuing our carefree business as usual, look far greater in our
lizard brains than the abstract consequences, which will be suffered most seriously decades down the
line—not by us, but by our kids.” (page 95)
The aim of this book is not to educate the reader on the Battle of Mobile Bay or fort construction, or
ways that man can fight climate change and rising seas. Rather, the success of this title is in the
photography. The book is full of stunning, and sometimes dramatic, color photos showing these
amazing structural marvels and the surrounding environment in their current state. The captions are
often quite informative and should not be skipped over.
The book is not without issues however. A map would have proved quite helpful, as would a glossary.
Multiple times, I found myself having to look up a definition for a term with which I was unfamiliar.
These are formatting issues however and publisher decisions most likely dictated that there was not
space available for such. A stronger editorial pen however was needed as lines on pages 15 and 17 are
repeated almost verbatim.
Titles dealing in more depth with the Battle of Mobile Bay include:
Thank you to Arcadia Publishing for providing a review copy of this title.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
This damaged headstone is located at Oaklynn Cemetery in Volusia County, FL.
I know cemetery wandering and sometimes research are popular hobbies. The state of Florida has an interesting document available through the Department of Historical Resources. The title is Historic African American and African Caribbean Cemeteries: A Selected Bibliography compiled by Sharyn Thompson. Sections include African American, African Caribbean, and Related References. This bibliography contains many different types of sources all the way from books to academic journal articles. Access to some of these sources may be a bit tricky but interlibrary loan programs are your friend. Also, check with your local reference librarian regarding access to databases such asjstor.
On March 30, 1969 President Richard Nixon eulogized former president, and World War II hero, Dwight Eisenhower. The body of the former president lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda before being transported to its final resting place in Abilene, Kansas on April 2. The text of President Nixon’s eulogy is below.
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/66394137 President Richard Nixon Speaking as Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower Lie in State in the Capitol Building Rotunda
Mrs. Eisenhower, Your Excellencies, friends of Dwight David Eisenhower in America and throughout the world:
We gather today in mourning, but also in gratitude.
We mourn Dwight Eisenhower’s death, but we are grateful for his life.
We gather, also, conscious of the fact that in paying tribute to Dwight Eisenhower, we celebrate greatness. When we think of his place in history, we think, inevitably, of the other giants of those days of World War II; and we think of the qualities of greatness and what his were that made his unique among all.
Once, perhaps without intending to do so, he, himself, put his finger on it. It was 1945, shortly after VE-Day, at a ceremony in London’s historic Guildhall. The triumphant Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe was officially given the Freedom of the City of London.
In an eloquent address that day, Dwight Eisenhower said: “I come from the heart of America.”
Perhaps no one sentence could better sum up what Dwight Eisenhower meant to a whole generation of Americans. He did come from the heart of America, not only from its geographical heart, but from its spiritual heart.
He exemplified what millions of parents hoped that their sons would be: strong and courageous and honest and compassionate. And with his own great qualities of heart, he personified the best in America.
It is, I think, a special tribute to Dwight Eisenhower that despite all of his honors, despite all of his great deeds and his triumphs, we find ourselves today thinking, first, not of his deeds but of his character. It was the character of the man, not what he did, but what he was that so captured the trust and faith and affection of his own people and of the people of the world.
Dwight Eisenhower touched something fundamental in America which only a man of immense force of mind and spirit could have brought so vibrantly alive. He was a product of America’s soil and of its ideals, driven by a compulsion to do right and to do well; a man of deep faith who believed in God and trusted in His will; a man who truly loved his country and for whom words like “freedom” and “democracy” were not cliches, but they were living truths.
I know Mrs. Eisenhower would permit me to share with you the last words he spoke to her on the day he died. He said: “I have always loved my wife. I have always loved my children. I have always loved my grandchildren. And I have always loved my country.” That was Dwight Eisenhower.
He was a man who gave enormously of himself. His way of relaxing from the intense pressures of office or command was to do something else intensely, whether as a fierce competitor on the golf course or executing one of those hauntingly beautiful paintings that he did with such meticulous care. But even more than this, he gave enormously of himself to people. People loved Dwight Eisenhower. But the other side of this coin was that he loved people.
He had the great leader’s capacity to bring out the best in people. He had the great humanist’s capacity to inspire people, to cheer them, to give them lift.
I remember, for example, just a few months ago when I asked all of the members of the Cabinet to go out and call on him. And each of them returned with wonder and admiration and said: “You know, I went out there to cheer him up and instead I found he cheered me up.”
His great love of people was rooted in his faith. He had a deep faith in the goodness of God and in the essential goodness of man as a creature of God.
This feeling toward people had another side. In the political world, strong passions are the norm and all too often these turn toward personal vindictiveness. People often disagreed with Dwight Eisenhower, but almost nobody ever hated him. And this, I think, was because he, himself, was a man who did not know how to hate.
Oh, he could be aroused by a cause, but he could not hate a person. He could disagree strongly, even passionately, but never personally.
When people disagreed with him, he never thought of them as enemies. He simply thought: “Well, they don’t agree with me.”
I remember time after time, when critics of one sort or another were misrepresenting him or reviling him, he would sit back in his chair and with that wonderful half-smile and half-frown, he would say: “I am puzzled by those fellows.” And he was genuinely puzzled by frenzy and by hate. Because he was incapable of it himself, he could never quite understand it in others.
The last time I saw him that was what he talked about. He was puzzled by the hatreds he had seen in our times. And he said the thing the world needs most today is understanding, an ability to see the other person’s point of view and not to hate him because he disagrees. That was Dwight Eisenhower.
And yet, of course, he was more than all that. He had a side more evident to those of us who worked with him than to the rest of the world. He was a strong man. He was shrewd. He was decisive. Time and again I have seen him make decisions that probably made the difference between war and peace for America and the world.
That was always when he was at his best. No matter how heated the arguments were, he was always then the coolest man in the room.
Dwight Eisenhower was that rarest of men, an authentic hero.
Wars bring the names of many men into the headlines and of those some few become national or even international heroes. But as the years then pass, their fame goes down.
But not so with Dwight Eisenhower. As the years passed, his stature grew: Commander of the mightiest expeditionary force ever assembled, receiver of the surrender of the German Armies in World War II, president of Columbia University, Supreme Commander of NATO, 34th President of the United States. The honors, the offices were there in abundance. Every trust that the American people had it in their power to bestow, he was given.
And, yet, he always retained a saving humility. His was the humility not of fear but of confidence. He walked with the great of the world, and he knew that the great are human. His was the humility of man before God and before the truth. His was the humility of a man too proud to be arrogant.
The pursuit of peace was uppermost in his mind when he ran for the Presidency. And it was uppermost in his conduct of that office. And it is a tribute to his skill and determination that not since the 1930’s has the Nation enjoyed so long a period of peace, both at home and abroad, as the one that began in 1953 and continued through his Presidency.
As Commander of the mightiest allied force ever assembled, he was the right man at the right place at the right time. And as President, once again he was the right man at the right place at the right time.
He restored calm to a divided nation. He gave Americans a new measure of self-respect. He invested his office with dignity and respect and trust. He made Americans proud of their President, proud of their country, proud of themselves. And if we in America were proud of Dwight Eisenhower, it was partly because he made us proud of America.
He came from the heart of America. And he gave expression to the heart of America, and he touched the hearts of the world.
Many leaders are known and respected outside their own countries. Very few are loved outside their own countries. Dwight Eisenhower was one of those few. He was probably loved by more people in more parts of the world than any President America has ever had.
He captured the deepest feelings of free men everywhere. The principles he believed in, the ideals he stood for, these were bigger than his own country.
Perhaps he himself put it best again in that Guildhall speech in 1945. He said then: “Kinship among nations is not determined in such measurements as proximity, size and age. Rather, we should turn to those inner things–call them what you will–I mean those intangibles that are the real treasures free men possess.
“To preserve his freedom of worship, his equality before law, his liberty to speak and act as he sees fit, subject only to provisions that he trespass not upon similar rights of others–a Londoner will fight. So will a citizen of Abilene.
“When we consider these things, then the Valley of the Thames draws closer to the farms of Kansas and the plains of Texas.”
Some men are considered great because they lead great armies or they lead powerful nations: For 8 years now, Dwight Eisenhower has neither commanded an army nor led a nation. And, yet, he remained through his final days the world’s most admired and respected man–truly, the first citizen of the world.
As we marvel at this, it leads us once again to ponder the mysteries of greatness. Dwight Eisenhower’s greatness derived not from his office, but from his character, from a unique moral force that transcended national boundaries, even as his own deep concern for humanity transcended national boundaries.
His life reminds us that there is a moral force in this world more powerful than the might of arms or the wealth of nations. This man who led the most powerful armies that the world has ever seen, this man who led the most powerful nation in the world, this essentially good and gentle and kind man– that moral force was his greatness.
For a quarter of a century to the very end of his life Dwight Eisenhower exercised a moral authority without parallel in America and in the world. And America and the world are better because of it.
And so today we render our final salute. It is a fond salute to a man we loved and cherished. It is a grateful salute to a man whose whole extraordinary life was consecrated to service. It is a profoundly respectful salute to a man larger than life who by any standard was one of the giants of our time.
Each of us here will have a special memory of Dwight Eisenhower.
I can see him now standing erect, straight, proud, and tall 16 years ago as he took the oath of office as the 34th President of the United States of America.
We salute Dwight David Eisenhower standing there in our memories, first in war, first in peace, and, wherever freedom is cherished, first in the hearts of his fellow men.
You may read more about the various funeral processions and services that took place in honor of President Eisenhower through this link.
You may view a video of the Eisenhower funeral procession in Washington D. C. through this link.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
Tourists and locals alike love to walk the beautiful tree lined campus of Stetson University. From
beautiful architecture, to a fine art museum, sports fields, and an amazing library, the campus is filled
with opportunities to explore.
The school, founded in 1883 and then known as the DeLand Academy,
opened using a lecture room at First Baptist Church as its first classroom. The next year DeLand Hall
opened. This building cost $4,000 and is now the oldest continuous academic use building in Florida.
John F. Forbes Courtesy: www.florida.memory.com
In 1885 the DeLand Academy was renamed DeLand College and John F. Forbes was named college president. Under Forbes leadership, the college grew from less than 100 students to almost 300. He also oversaw a construction boom as Stetson Hall, Chaudoin Hall, Elizabeth Hall, Flagler Hall and the residence of the president were built.
Early on the school caught the attention of winter resident John B. Stetson. Stetson was a hat maker, following in the footsteps of his father Stephen. Having lived with cowboys on a western trip, Stetson returned to Philadelphia where he designed the “cowboy hat” and started his path to wealth and fame.
Stetson’s affiliation with the school started after Forbes began a conversation with the hat maker after it was learned Stetson had purchased land in the small town. Mr. Stetson was to eventually donate $3,500 toward the construction of what would become known as “Stetson Hall.”
Mr. Stetson continued to grow his influence on the school, being elected to the Board of Trustees in
1887 and President of the Board in 1889. The school was renamed in his honor that same year, John B.
Stetson University. The name was shortened to the familiar Stetson University in 1951.
Mr. Stetson would continue to live part of the year in DeLand at his mansion, now known as the Stetson Mansion, until passing away there in 1906. Stetson is buried in a mausoleum in West Laurel Hill Cemetery, in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. An online memorial to Stetson may be found here. To the best
of my knowledge, there is no full-length biography on Mr. Stetson.
Fast forward about 100 years to a goal of then president Wendy Libby. Dr. Libby wanted to commemorate the university benefactor with a life size sculpture for all to see. This goal began to take shape with the financial support of Troy Templeton and his wife Sissy. World-renowned sculptor Erik Blome was selected to create the showpiece.
Blome is well known for his high profile, larger than life sculptures. Some of his more famous works
include the Chicago Blackhawks 75th anniversary sculpture outside the United Center, the 9/11
monument in Oak Lawn, Illinois, the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue in Milwaukee, and Rosa Parks in both Montgomery, AL and Dallas, TX.
The first aim was to determine what the sculpture would look like. Drawings showing many different possible poses were created before the idea of a seated Stetson, doffing his hat, was agreed upon. Said Blome, “I went with that because it’s a really warm and welcoming kind of thing.” Libby and Templetons agreed.
John B. Stetson tips his hat to passers by on the campus of Stetson University.
In creating sculptures such as this, the subject is often created in a larger than life size. The goal Blome said is to make the subject “feel bigger and more powerful and more interesting” because often times “they sometimes look too diminutive.” The problem was nobody knew how tall Mr. Stetson was. Sue Ryan, the Betty Drees Johnson Dean of Library and Learning Technologies, along with Blome began to unravel the mystery. Using a group photo that included the hat maker, along with the height of several descendants, they estimated Mr. Stetson to have been six feet tall.
Ultimately, the John B. Stetson sculpture was created at 130 percent of actual height meaning if Stetson were standing, he would be roughly seven and a half feet tall. The final sculpture, including the bronze bench, weigh in at an impressive 1,600 pounds and were installed along Palm Court, near Elizabeth Hall, with the use of a forklift in August 2019 and a formal dedication was held over Friends and Family Weekend in October 2019.
Today, visitors can share a seat with the university’s namesake, take a selfie or two, and share their encounter with the world’s most famous hat maker.
Have you visited the sculpture and taken a selfie with Stetson? If so, share your image in the comments. We’d love to see it.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.
See some beautiful early images of Sanford, FL in this title from the Images of America Series. From its days as a leading river town, to being the Celery Capital, to being the home to many incredible mid-century modern homes, Sanford has an incredible history.
