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Lincoln Memorial at Waterfront Park

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Lincoln Memorial at Waterfront Park is a statue of Abraham Lincoln, depicted as he would have looked before he became President of the United States. The sculpture of him is bareheaded, seated on a rock with an open law book in one hand and the other in an outstretched, welcoming gesture.[1] The statue is located at Waterfront Park in Louisville, Kentucky.[2] The Lincoln Memorial in Louisville is part of the Lincoln Heritage Trail.[3] The statue and its accompanying bas-relief historical panels were created by American sculptor Edward Norton Hamilton, Jr. Landscape design for the Louisville Waterfront Park was by Hargreaves Associates. The 2006 Kentucky General Assembly authorized $2 million for the memorial, which was supplemented by private donations.[4]

The Abraham Lincoln sculpture

In 2009 Ed Hamilton completed work on his sculpture of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. The sculpture was dedicated as part of a two-year bicentennial celebration of Lincoln's birth to show the influence of Lincoln's early impressions of slavery witnessed in Louisville's slave markets. The sculpture and bas relief tableaux reflect Lincoln's abhorrence of the institution of slavery and the role of his presidency and the City of Louisville in the conflict of the Civil War, the war which preserved the Union and abolished slavery.[5]

The bas-reliefs and their narrative

The interpretative bas reliefs of the history of slavery created by Edward Hamilton are part of the Lincoln Memorial at Waterfront Park. The narrative panels were unveiled by Hamilton at the same 2009 dedication ceremony as the Lincoln Memorial sculpture.[6][7] The reliefs, placed side-by-side along a path to the statue, contain text and depict various times of Lincoln's life. The first panel describes Lincoln's childhood, and the second shows how slavery and the Civil War divided Lincoln's own family. The third panel's theme is Lincoln's growing political and social awareness, and the fourth and final relief shows seven slaves shackled together, with text quoting how Lincoln grew to hate slavery after witnessing slaves loaded onto a boat in Louisville. Words from Lincoln are written in the granite of the amphitheater, including "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master."[8]

The sculptor Edward Norton Hamilton, Jr.

Ed Hamilton was apprenticed to Louisville sculptor Barney Bright, well known for his work on the Louisville Clock. In May through December of 2002 the Speed Art Museum in Louisville mounted an exhibition of Ed Hamilton's sculpture called From the Other Side and published an illustrated exhibition catalog to accompany the show.[9] Edward Hamilton also designed and created the African American Civil War Monument in Washington, D.C.[10] and a Lincoln statue at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.[11]

The Waterfront Park

Louisville waterfront park

The Lincoln Memorial sculpture is located within the Waterfront Park, a city park by the Ohio River. Waterfront Park is part of the Louisville Riverwalk and the Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail.

On the Bridge (9270309620)

Landscaping of the Louisville Waterfront Park included planting of trees which Lincoln favored.[12] The dedication of the park was celebrated June 3, 2009 with a public sunset event featuring a 50-piece orchestra performing works by American composer Aaron Copland and Louisville native William Mapother narrating Copland's Lincoln Portrait.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Lincoln Memorial Gets Donation". The Advocate-Messenger (Danville, Kentucky). May 12, 2008. p. 6. Lincoln will be depicted at about the age of 40, without the beard and stovepipe hat. He is seated on a rock-like monolith, with an open book in his right hand and his left hand extended in a welcoming gesture. Hamilton said his intent is to show Lincoln as approachable. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  2. ^ "Moments" (PDF). Kentucky.gov. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  3. ^ Taylor, Howard. "Lincoln Heritage Trail Map". learningabe.info. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  4. ^ "Lincoln Memorial Gets Donation". Danville, Kentucky: The Advocate-Messenger. May 12, 2008. p. 6. The $200,000 pledge was made recently by the family of the late Louisville business man Harry Frazier ....
  5. ^ "Lincoln Memorial - louisvillewaterfront.com". Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Bas Relief Details of Panels from the Louisville Waterfront Park Lincoln Memorial". edhamiltonworks.com. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Lincoln Memorial - louisvillewaterfront.com". Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Plans for statue honoring Lincoln on schedule". Kentucky New Era. Google News. March 12, 2008. p. 63. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  9. ^ "Bas Relief Details of Panels from the Louisville Waterfront Park Lincoln Memorial". edhamiltonworks.com. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Distinguished Speaker--Dr. Frank Smith, Jr., founding director of the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation, Washington, D.C.". Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: The Gettysburg Times. November 17, 2009. p. 1. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  11. ^ "Lincoln Heritage Trail". No. Main edition. Louisville, Kentucky: The Courier-Journal. December 27, 2015. p. A20. Danville:Centre College Lincoln Statue, also by Ed Hamilton {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  12. ^ Shafer, Sheldon S. (January 14, 2009). "History takes root at waterfront site of Lincoln sculpture: Memorial will honor president". Newspapers.com. No. Indiana edition. Courier-Journal. p. B5. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Special Edition - The Lincoln Memorial". Lincoln Magazine online. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  • Kentucky UnBridled [1]
  • KET (Kentucky Educational Television) Interview with Rick Bell, author of 392 page book "Louisville's Waterfront Park: A Riverfront Renaissance." (YouTube) November 2014}}

Category:Articles created via the Article Wizard Category:Statues of Abraham Lincoln Category:Parks in Louisville, Kentucky

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