1912 Apr 12 The
State
On April 11, the monument and executive committee met at
the Jerome Hotel. It was decided to take
definite steps towards the monument’s completion. Ruckstuhl was present at the meeting and
discussed the design with the group which was accepted. Mayes stated that the monument was expected
to be unveiled in 1913 and had sufficient funds on hand in combination with
pledges to complete the monument.
Ruckstuhl would have the monument ready in 18 months.
The design was described as follows: “A granite column of
the Roman-Tuscan order, fluted, polished, and standing upon a square base, on
three sides of which will be the names of the three partisan generals, and on
the fourth side an inscription in commemoration of these three generals –
Marion, Sumter and Pickens – and and also of the colonial soldiers, and the
insignia of the D.A.R.
“This will
stand upon a small mound of grass surmounted by a curb of granite. Upon the top of the column will be a figure
of Victory, alighting from the skies, holding in her right hand a laurel crown
of immortality, and in her left hand, a palm of glory. The figure will be in bronze.
“The
whole monument will stand about 25 or 28 feet high. Around the back of it will be a semi-circular
seat of granite, upon which the people of the State can sit and meditate upon
the deeds of these great men.”
1912 Apr 28 The State
In her state regent’s report at Continental Congress,
Mayes stated that the whole state is “working for a monument to be erected in
our capital city to our partisan generals, and we hope to report this labor of
love finished at our next congress.”
1912 October 6 The State
On October 9, there would be a meeting in Columbia of the
monument committee. Ruckstuhl would be in Columbia for the unveiling of the women’s monument and would be present at the meeting. During the meeting some architectural
drawings of the shaft and a watercolor showing the finished effect which had already been sent
to Robertson would be shown. On her
return trip home from Saluda, Robertson
showed the designs to members in both Spartanburg and Greenville. All who saw them felt they were most artistic
and fitting.
1912 October 7 The State
Robertson is referred to as the state heraldic
artist of the Daughters of the American Revolution in this brief article. It again mentions that she was the guest of
Mayes and met with the members in the area to show them the blue prints on
water color of the monument. This was
printed in the Anderson Mail and reprinted in The State.
1912 October 10 The State
The central committee met with Ruckstuhl as planned. The plans met with the hearty approval. The plans would be on display in the supreme
court room in the State House at 11 o’clock for members of the Columbia and
William Capers chapters to view. The
monument would now be two feet higher than originally planned (27 feet). Ruckstuhl considered it to be one of the
finest of its kind.
He described it as follows: “It will be a Roman Doric
column to symbolize the Roman character and courage of those heroic generals
and their soldiers who worked without pay for the love of cause and
country. It will be of red granite,
polished all over and surmounted by a beautiful figure of Victory, alighting
from the skies and holding in her right hand a palm of glory, and in her left
hand a wreath of immortality.
“On the
die of the column will be three bronze medallions of Marion, Sumter, and
Pickens, encircled by laurel wreaths, and in the front there will be a
dedication to the three generals and their soldiers in raised bronze antique
letters and a bronze insignia of the D.A.R.
“Around
the column will be a Roman bronze railing surrounded by a floor of yellow pebbles
embedded in cement, with a border of black pebbles. There will be three Roman seats cut out of
granite, and the whole will be surrounded by a semi-circular hedge.”
The monument was proposed to be on the east side of the
capitol facing Trinity church. Ruckstuhl
was expected to make the model in New York and make the mold at his Paris
studio. It should be ready for unveiling
in the early part of November.
1912 Oct 12 The Daily Record
Ruckstuhl left for New York on October 11. When explaining his water color painting of
the monument, he said, “You will see by this that you are going to have the
finest small monument of its kind in the United States if carried out as I
suggest in my drawings.
“The stone
will be red Missouri granite, all polished with a yellowish cap and base for
the column. This will be surmounted by a
bronze figure of Victory holding in her hands.
“The
column will be 27 1-2 feet high. On
three sides of the base will be medallions in bronze of the three generals,
Marion, Sumter and Pickens. On the
fourth will be the insignia of the D.A.R. and the inscription.
“The site
I have chosen is in the state house grounds on the edge of the sidewalk
opposite Trinity church, and is a very fine one. The monument proper will be on three steps of
Winnsboro granite, surrounded by a paving of yellow pebble cement with border
of black pebble. There will be three
seats of granite on the semi-circular pavement for the three generals.”
The
accessories were extra from the price of the monument proper. Since the SCDAR would present the monument to
the State making it the property of South Carolina on state grounds it was suggested that the state should fund the bronze railing to protect it
and the other accessories. The SCDAR
would make that appeal. Again, the
monument was projected to be unveiled in November of 1913.
1912 Oct 13 The State
For the first time, the picture of the monument was
published! With that picture was a detailed account of the monument was prepared for publication
by Robertson. The first cut of the
monument was made from the architect’s drawings. She went into detail concerning the monument
which has been described earlier. The
committee thanks Ruckstuhl for his design which has had beauty and value added
to it since the contract was
issued. He has virtually paid for
the medallions of the generals. The
contract with Ruckstuhl is for the monument only; therefore, the pacing,
coping, seats, and bronze railing were extra and would have to be contracted
with other parties.
She goes on to say that since the SCDAR will present the
monument to the state and the monument would then become the state’s property
that it would be highly proper and fitting that the State should help in
funding the embellishments and protect its own property. The SCDAR would make an appeal to the
legislature and feel that they would not disappoint in assisting in this noble
work. For those wishing to see the
actual architect’s painting, it would be on display in the window of The State
company’s book store for several days. (Wouldn't it be wonderful to have his original watercolor as part of our archives!)
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