Stonewall Jackson Statue

Statue of Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, bronze on granite pedestal. 1921

The "Stonewall" Jackson Statue was once the focal point of Court Square Park. Sculpted by Charles Keck, a member of the National Sculpture Society known for his portraits of famous people; his most famous works include the Booker T. Washington statue in Tuskegee and the statue of World War II chaplain Father Duffy. The "Stonewall" Jackson monument was given to the citizens of the City as a gift in 1921 by Paul Goodloe McIntire - a stockbroker, investor, and philanthropist born in Charlottesville. Amid racial justice protests, the statue was removed by the City on July 10, 2021.

About the Sculpture

Charles Keck (1875-1951). Unveiled: October 19, 1921. This dynamic equestrian figure, of the romantic school, by the 1950's ranked among the world’s “great action” sculptures. It is known that the artist, at its inception, came to Albemarle to study Virginia-bred horses and the Virginia seat in the saddle. A local horse-fancier demonstrated these points. The beautiful pedestal is enfolded in the superb wing-sweep of two symbolic forms - Faith and Valor.

Subject: Thomas Jonathan Jackson

Jackson was Virginian by birth, graduate of West Point, distinguished in the Mexican War—resigned from the regular army, 1851, and became a Presbyterian elder and a professor of natural philosophy and artillery tactics at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. Ten years later, at the outbreak of the War-between-the-States, he entered the Confederate army and rose to a rank second in authority only to Robert E. Lee. His military genius was fully recognized abroad, and his campaigns have long been studied in England’s military schools. General Jackson was killed, 1863, at the battle of Chancellorsville through the blunder of his own men. His age was thirty-nine.

Installation at park (1921)

On October 19, 1921, Charles Keck’s equestrian statue of Gen. Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson was unveiled in front of a crowd of more than 5,000 people.

An interesting figure at the Reunion was Rev. William Mack Lee, General Robert E. Lee's cook and body servant of the Civil War.

21st century statue vandalism

12/18/2019: Two people were arrested for vandalizing the statue of Stonewall Jackson in Court Square Park. The Charlottesville Police Department said the suspects used a rock hammer to damage the letters and a foot on the base of the statue. Both of Charlottesville, the 31 and 44 year-old were facing charges of felony vandalism and misdemeanor trespassing. The Police said both the statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson in downtown Charlottesville had been repeatedly spray-painted and chiseled over the past couple of years.

Removal from park (2021)

City's removal cost

On June 7, 2021, Charlottesville City Council (2020-2021) voted unanimously to remove the statue, as well as the statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Fifty-five citizens spoke at the hearing and all but about five urged the city to remove the statues. The council’s resolution allows a 30-day period to accept proposals from the public for what to do with the statues: destroy them or move them elsewhere.

According to a (2016) report prepared by city staff, removing the statues of Gens. Robert E. Lee Statue and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is estimated to cost $330,000 and $370,000, respectively.

Specifications

Base

"The bottom base is of Milford (Mass.) pink granite and the upper section of old rose Westerly granite from Rhode Island. The monument is simply inscribed, bearing few but significant decorations-a pair of pendant swords, a wreath of immortelles and figures of Valor and Faith.” On two faces of the pedestal the name, Thomas Jonathan Jackson, and the years of birth and death are inscribed (1824-1863.) At the top of the pedestal, which is 19 feet long, 12 feet long and 13 high, are inscribed the names of the some of the battles in which Jackson won is fame – Manassas and Chancellorsville – and the Valley campaign.

Milford pink granite

From 1870 to 1940, the town of Milford became famous for the "pink" variety of this stone, prized as a building material. According to local legend, the granite was "discovered" in the early 1870s. At its peak, over 1,000 men labored in dozens of quarries in Milford and nearby Hopkinton. A sample of Milford Pink is on display at the Smithsonian Institution.

Examples of use

• Massachusetts

Flour and Grain Exchange Building, Boston (1892)

Boston Public Library under construction, 1889

Boston Public Library, McKim Building, Boston (1895)

Flour and Grain Exchange Building, Boston (1892)

Memorial Hall, Milford (1884)

Town Hall, Hopedale (1886)

Worcester City Hall, Worcester (1898)

• New York City

American Museum of Natural History (1869)

Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn (1895)[8]

General Post Office Building (1912)

Pennsylvania Station (1910)

University Club of New York (1899)

Washington, D.C.

Eccles Building (1937)[10]

First Division Monument (1924)[10]

ero Milestone (1923)[11]

• Other

Allegheny County Courthouse, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1888)

Pennsylvania Station, Baltimore, Maryland (1911)

Singapore Changi Airport, Changi, Singapore (2002)

Estimated value

Gifts to the City		Original Value	Value in 2019 dollars	City Assessment (2019)
Jackson Park: Given to the City for a public park (1919)	Park	$10,900.00	$172,631.10	$1,282,900.00
Stonewall Jackson Statue (1921)	Monument	$20,000.00	$293,224.00

Source: James Collier Marshall to Albemarle Historical Society, April 30, 1958. Other gifts are mentioned in House Joint Resolution No. 158 Commemorating the life of Paul G. McIntire on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Context: Virginia has the second-most Confederate memorials of any state, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. (It has 110 to Georgia’s 114). Many of the statues were erected in the late 1800s and early 1900s during a time of heightened public interest in Civil War commemoration.

Stonewall Jackson Statue in Jackson Park. July 2012