upA 1938 postcard of the memorial The Start Westward Memorial, officially known as the Memorial to the "Start Westward of the United States", also known as the National Start Westward Memorial of The United States or Start Westward Monument, is a 1938 sculpture designed by

Gutzon Borglum John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Georg ...

and located in

Muskingum Park The word Muskingum derives from a similarly sounding Delaware ( Native American) word, which some claim to translate as 'Eye of the Elk.' Muskingum may refer to: * Muskingum (village), an 18-century Native American community * Muskingum University * ...

Marietta Marietta may refer to: Places in the United States *Marietta, Jacksonville, Florida *Marietta, Georgia, the largest US city named Marietta *Marietta, Illinois *Marietta, Indiana *Marietta, Kansas *Marietta, Minnesota *Marietta, Mississippi *Mar ...

, Ohio, United States. Borglum agreed to take on the commission at the request of

George White George White may refer to: Politicians * George White (died 1584) (c. 1530–1584), MP for Liverpool * George White (Liberal politician) (1840–1912), British Liberal member of parliament, 1900–1912 * George E. White (politician) (1848–1935), ...

, his friend and former

Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. It commemorates the

westward expansion of the United States The United States of America was created on July 4, 1776, with the U.S. Declaration of Independence of thirteen British colonies in North America. In the Lee Resolution two days prior, the colonies resolved that they were free and independent ...

, and the

sesquicentennial An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...

of the establishment of Marietta in 1788. It stands on purpose-designed esplanade designed by Borglum and the architect John Schooley. As the memorial has weathered badly, there are plans to recreate it in bronze, and move the original to a new indoor visitor center.

Design and construction

Borglum visited Marietta in October 1936. He was asked by the former state governor, his friend

, to design a sculpture to commemorate the

Westward expansion of the United States The United States of America was created on July 4, 1776, with the U.S. Declaration of Independence of thirteen British colonies in North America. In the Lee Resolution two days prior, the colonies resolved that they were free and independent ...

, from its original thirteen states, the settlement of the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

and the

(150th anniversary) of the establishment of Marietta in 1788. His appointment, by the Federal Commission for the Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Ordinance of 1787, was first announced on the front page of the ''The Marietta Daily Times'' on November 18, 1936. Borglum designed the memorial at his studio in San Antonio, Texas in late 1936 and 1937, working in

plaster of Paris Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

. From this full-scale rendering, a small clay

maquette A ''maquette'' (French word for scale model, sometimes referred to by the Italian names ''plastico'' or ''modello'') is a scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture. An equivalent term is ''bozzetto'', from the Italian word for "sketc ...

was made, and given to stonemasons engaged using

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

funding as part of the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

. They sculpted the design from an block of sandstone from a quarry near the old lock number 18 on the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

at a workshop at Briggs Station. With its weight reduced to , the partially completed carving was moved ten miles (on a circuitous route to avoid a railroad bridge at Mile Run) on May 7, 1938 to

(then known as East Muskingum Park), Marietta, on the east bank of the

Muskingum River The Muskingum River (Shawnee: ') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country o ...

, where work was completed. The chosen position is where

Arthur St. Clair Arthur St. Clair ( – August 31, 1818) was a Scottish-American soldier and politician. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. During ...

was inaugurated as first governor of the Northwest Territory. The sculpture depicts three standing men on a rock, with two further men and a woman behind them, alongside a boat, to represent the first landing of pioneers. The figures wear eighteenth-century clothing. With John Schooley, State Architect of Ohio, who worked ''pro bono'', Borglum also designed the esplanade on which the statue sits. It includes anding stage on the riverbank. Borglum also sculpted four eagles, as a gift to the city, to top pylons, or obelisks, located at entrances to the park, on Front Street.

Dedication

The memorial was dedicated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on 8 July 1938. He traveled to Marietta by train from Washington D.C. Borglum refused to attend the ceremony, being unhappy with the reproduction of his work, as he believed the stone to be of inferior quality.

Postage stamp

The sculpture featured on a 3¢ United States postage stamp, issued on July 15, 1938.

Protection and restoration

Since its creation, the sculpture has weathered badly. In April 1962 the head of the center standing pioneer, which broke in 1961, was replaced with one carved by Fred Mitchem and a silicone coating was applied to the work. In August 1975 the head on the figure nearest the river had to be reattached. On the 50th anniversary of the memorial's dedication, flagpoles, with the flags of the six states formed from the Northwest Territory, and the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

, lighting and commemorative plaques were installed. In readiness for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, there have been moves to restore the memorial and the city of Marietta has commissioned a study in how best to do so. In 2020 the memorial was covered by a temporary canopy, to give some protection from the elements. In August 2021 Marietta City Council approved a $7 million proposal by the Start Westward Memorial Society to replicate the memorial in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

—in accordance with Borglum's original intention—and to move the original stone sculpture to an indoor Start Westward National Memorial Visitors Center, with a target completion date of Marietta's 250th anniversary in 2038.

Ownership

The ownership and responsibility for the care of the memorial is being discussed, at of 2022, between Marietta City Council and the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

References

External links

Start Westward Memorial Society
{{Gutzon Borglum Statues in Ohio Buildings and structures in Marietta, Ohio Sculptures by Gutzon Borglum 1938 sculptures