Saturday, June 25, 2011

Jefferson Davis Monument

It is a real comfort to know that the memory of Jefferson Davis continues in a powerful way in many places. One, of course, is our beloved First White House of the Confederacy here in Montgomery.

Another is the Jefferson Davis Monument in Fairview, Kentucky which marks the site of his birthplace. At 351 feet tall, it is the largest unreinforced concrete obelisk in the world, and the fifth tallest monument in the  world. The top four are St. Louis's Gateway Arch, San Jacinto Texas, Washington Monument and the Perry's Victory and Peace Memorial at Put in Bay, Ohio. (That one is only 12" larger than the Davis obelisk - boo, hiss, we wuz robbed!).

The idea for the monument was hatched in 1907 at a reunion of the Orphan's Brigade of the Confederate Army. Construction was begun in 1917 and it was completed in 1924 at a cost of $ 200,00. The Monument (like the First White House) has undergone major renovation and reopened to visitors in May, 2004.

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