A statue of

Charles Linn Charles Linn born Carl Erik Engelbert Sjödahl (June 13, 1814 – August 7, 1882) was a sailor, wholesaler, banker, and industrialist. He was a captain in the Confederate Navy and an important figure in Alabama's early economy. Early life Carl ...

was previously installed in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

's Linn Park, in the United States. The statue was erected in 2012 and toppled in 2020.

Description

The

bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...

depicts

, and rests on a granite-clad base. The statue is based on a painting displayed in the Linn-Henley Research Library (but shows Linn bearded, whereas the painting does not) and weighs approximately 800 pounds. Linn's hand rests on a pillar, representing the establishment of the National Bank of Birmingham. The memorial also has plaques about Linn and identifying major donors.

History

The statue was commissioned from sculptor Branko Medenica by the Alabama-Mississippi Chapter of the

National Multiple Sclerosis Society The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in New York City as the Association for Advancement of Research on Multiple Sclerosis on March 11, 1946 by Sylvia Lawry. Ms. Lawry was a lawyer looking fo ...

in honor of their "Legacy of Leadership" campaign chairman, Arthur Henley, a descendant of Linn. The statue was announced in 2012, and dedicated on "World MS Day" on May 29, 2013. Medenica attended the dedication. Linn was honored for his contribution to the early development of Birmingham, a city founded several years after the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states t ...

. His National Bank of Birmingham, which survives as the Regions Financial Corporation, was a signal institution in the young city. During the war, Linn sent his wife and younger children to Dresden and moved with his oldest son, Charles Washington Linn, to

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

, where they set themselves up as blockade runners under contract to the Confederate Quartermaster Bureau. The venture failed and the Linns were captured as prisoners of war. After their parole, Linn took a position with a New Orleans wholesaler before founding his bank in the newly-created city of Birmingham. On May 31, 2020, during the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internat ...

, Linn Park filled with protesters eager to destroy the nearby Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Because of his association with the Confederacy, Linn's statue was also defaced and eventually toppled. Medenica, who had incorporated a tribute of his own to his sister-in-law who died of MS, said he understood why the statue was toppled but lamented the loss of his personal commemoration: "They didn't know. I think it was like mass hysteria gone out of control. You know so it sad. It's sad." The artist has said he would be willing to restore the sculpture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lin, Charles, Statue of 2013 establishments in Alabama 2013 sculptures 2020 disestablishments in Alabama Monuments and memorials in the United States removed during the George Floyd protests Bronze sculptures in the United States Destroyed sculptures Monuments and memorials in Alabama Multiple sclerosis Outdoor sculptures in Alabama Demolished buildings and structures in Alabama Removed Confederate States of America monuments and memorials Sculptures of men in Alabama Statues in Alabama Vandalized works of art in Alabama Statues removed in 2020

Description

History

See also

References