''These Are My Jewels'' (also known as ''Ohio's Jewels: Grant, Sheridan, Stanton, Garfield, Hayes, Chase, and Sherman'', or simply ''Ohio's Jewels'') is an 1893–1894 monument by

Levi Scofield Levi Tucker Scofield (originally Schofield) (November 9, 1842– February 25, 1917) was a prominent architect and sculptor from Cleveland, Ohio. He served as a Captain in the 103rd OVI in the American Civil War and designed many public buildin ...

, installed outside the

Ohio Statehouse The Ohio Statehouse is the List of state and territorial capitols in the United States, state capitol building and seat of government for the U.S. state of Ohio. The Greek Revival building is located on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, United States.

Description

The monument features life-size bronze statues of seven men —

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...

Philip Sheridan General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

, and

Edwin Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize t ...

— as well as a bronze statue of the Roman Cornelia. The sculptural group stands at the northwest corner of the statehouse grounds (

Capitol Square Capitol Square is a public square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The square includes the Ohio Statehouse, its Capitol Grounds, as well as the buildings and features surrounding the square. The Capitol Grounds are surrounded on the north and west ...

). It honors military and political leaders from Ohio who significantly contributed to the Union during the

American 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 th ...

. The monument's name is from an ancient Roman anecdote about the wealthy Cornelia. When asked by her well-dressed friends where her jewelry was, Cornelia left and returned with her sons, saying "These are my jewels!". Cornelia personifies Ohio, presenting its best leaders during the time of crisis. The monument was designed by

, known for his Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument on the

Public Square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

History

The sculptural group was conceived by General

Roeliff Brinkerhoff Roeliff Brinkerhoff (June 28, 1828 – June 4, 1911) was a lawyer, editor and owner of the ''Mansfield Herald'', and later a bank president. He was a quartermaster and supply officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, rising to ...

, one of the founders of the current-day

Ohio History Connection Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connec ...

. Brinkerhoff wanted a monument for the Ohio Pavilion in the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordi ...

, the 1893 Chicago world's fair. It was moved to Columbus at the fair's end. The statue originally displayed six Ohioans, though Ohio governor and later president

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

led efforts to add on a statue of Rutherford B. Hayes, his former commanding officer. The act led the monument to depict three of the eventual eight U.S. presidents from Ohio. The monument was dedicated in 1894, and rededicated on June 10, 1965 and November 5, 1992. The artwork was surveyed by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

's "

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Herit ...

" program in 1993.

References

External links

* * {{Rutherford B. Hayes 1894 establishments in Ohio 1894 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Ohio Cultural depictions of Rutherford B. Hayes Cultural depictions of Ulysses S. Grant Monuments and memorials in Ohio Ohio Statehouse Outdoor sculptures in Columbus, Ohio Sculptures of men in Ohio Sculptures of women in Ohio Statues in Columbus, Ohio Statues of James A. Garfield Statues of presidents of the United States Union (American Civil War) monuments and memorials in Ohio Statues of Ulysses S. Grant