66-790: The Start Westward Memorial , officially known as the Memorial to the "Start Westward of the United States" , also known as the National Start Westward Memorial of The United States or Start Westward Monument , is a 1938 sculpture designed by Gutzon Borglum and located in Muskingum Park in Marietta , Ohio, United States. Borglum agreed to take on the commission at the request of George White , his friend and former Governor of Ohio . It commemorates
132-510: A Thomas Paine memorial for Paris and a Woodrow Wilson memorial for Poznań , Poland (1931). In his absence, work at Mount Rushmore was overseen by Bill Tallman and later his son, Lincoln Borglum . During the Rushmore project, father and son were residents of Beeville, Texas. When he died in Chicago, following complications of surgery, his son finished another season at Rushmore, but left
198-773: A "salute to the union", is fired on Independence Day at noon by any capable military base. New York City has the largest fireworks display in the country sponsored by Macy's , with more than 22 tons of pyrotechnics exploded in 2009. It generally holds displays in the East River. Other major displays are in Seattle on Lake Union ; in San Diego over Mission Bay ; in Boston on the Charles River ; in Philadelphia over
264-522: A critic wrote that "as a sculptor Gutzon Borglum was no longer a rumor, he was a fact." (Smith:see References) President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered an address on May 3, 1934, dedicating a statue of William Jennings Bryan created by Borglum. This Bryan statue by Borglum originally stood in Washington, D.C. but was later displaced by highway construction and moved by an Act of Congress in 1961 to Salem, Illinois , Bryan's birthplace. In 1925,
330-595: A machine shop and graduated from Creighton Preparatory School . In New York City, he sculpted saints and apostles for the new Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 1901; in 1906 he had a group sculpture accepted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art — the first sculpture by a living American the museum had ever purchased—and made his presence further felt with some portraits. He also won the Logan Medal of
396-579: A medical degree." Upon his graduation from the Missouri Medical College in 1874, Dr. Borglum moved the family to Fremont, Nebraska, where he established a medical practice. Gutzon Borglum remained in Fremont until 1882, when his father enrolled him in St. Mary's College, Kansas . After a brief stint at Saint Mary's College, Gutzon Borglum moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where he apprenticed in
462-423: A picnic or barbecue; many take advantage of the day off and, in some years, a long weekend to gather with family members or friends. Parades are often attended in many towns and cities, some being hours-long, with many floats and participants. Parades are often held in the mid-late morning (before get-togethers), with longer spectacles sometimes extending into the early afternoon. Fireworks displays typically occur in
528-520: A point that in March 1925 Borglum smashed his clay and plaster models. He left Georgia permanently, his tenure with the organization over. None of his work remains, as it was all blasted off the mountain's face for the work of Borglum's replacement Henry Augustus Lukeman . In his abortive attempt, however, Borglum had developed the necessary techniques for sculpting on a gigantic scale that made Mount Rushmore possible. His Mount Rushmore project, 1927–1941,
594-553: A quarry near the old lock number 18 on the Ohio River at a workshop at Briggs Station. With its weight reduced to 25 short tons (23 t), the partially completed carving was moved ten miles (on a circuitous route to avoid a railroad bridge at Mile Run) on May 7, 1938 to Muskingum Park (then known as East Muskingum Park), Marietta, on the east bank of the Muskingum River , where work was completed. The chosen position
660-582: A signatory of the Declaration of Independence, James Monroe , another Founding Father who was elected president, also died on July 4, 1831, making him the third President who died on the anniversary of independence. The only U.S. president to have been born on Independence Day was Calvin Coolidge , who was born on July 4, 1872. Independence Day is a national holiday marked by patriotic displays. Per 5 U.S.C. § 6103 , Independence Day
726-550: A six-ton block of marble, was exhibited in Theodore Roosevelt 's White House and can be found in the United States Capitol Crypt in Washington, D.C. A "patriot," believing that the "monuments we have built are not our own," he looked to create art that was "American, drawn from American sources, memorializing American achievement," according to a 1908 interview. Borglum was highly suited to
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#1732801935585792-520: A study in how best to do so. In 2020 the memorial was covered by a temporary canopy, to give some protection from the elements. In August 2021 Marietta City Council approved a $ 7 million proposal by the Start Westward Memorial Society to replicate the memorial in bronze —in accordance with Borglum's original intention—and to move the original stone sculpture to an indoor Start Westward National Memorial Visitors Center, with
858-590: A target completion date of Marietta's 250th anniversary in 2038. The ownership and responsibility for the care of the memorial is being discussed, at of 2022, between Marietta City Council and the National Park Service . Gutzon Borglum John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore . He is also associated with various other public works of art across
924-498: Is a federal holiday, so all non-essential federal institutions (such as the postal service and federal courts ) are closed on that day. While the legal holiday remains on July 4, if that date happens to be on a Saturday or Sunday, then federal government employees will instead take the day off on the adjacent Friday or Monday, respectively. Other non-essential that are non-government related may also be closed that day. Families often celebrate Independence Day by hosting or attending
990-666: Is now in the Boston Public Library. Another Borglum design is the North Carolina Monument on Seminary Ridge at the Gettysburg Battlefield in south-central Pennsylvania . The cast bronze sculpture depicts a wounded Confederate officer encouraging his men to push forward during Pickett's Charge . Borglum had also made arrangements for an airplane to fly over the monument during the dedication ceremony on July 3, 1929. During
1056-403: Is typically one of the busiest United States travel periods of the year, as many people use what is often a three-day holiday weekend for extended vacation trips. The Philippines celebrates July 4 as its Republic Day to commemorate the day in 1946 when it ceased to be a U.S. territory and the United States officially recognized Philippine Independence . July 4 was intentionally chosen by
1122-485: Is where Arthur St. Clair was inaugurated as first governor of the Northwest Territory. The sculpture depicts three standing men on a rock, with two further men and a woman behind them, alongside a boat, to represent the first landing of pioneers. The figures wear eighteenth-century clothing. With John Schooley , State Architect of Ohio, who worked pro bono , Borglum also designed the esplanade on which
1188-755: The 1912 United States presidential election Borglum was a very active campaign organizer and member of the Bull Moose Party . While it has been claimed that Borglum was a member of the Ku Klux Klan , an article in the Smithsonian Magazine denies that there is proof that he officially joined the KKK. That said, he became "deeply involved in Klan politics", attending Klan rallies and serving on Klan committees. In 1925, having only completed
1254-464: The COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellations of shows. Some local or regional firework sales are limited or prohibited because of dry weather or other specific concerns. On these occasions the public may be prohibited from purchasing or discharging fireworks, but professional displays (such as those at sports events) may still take place. A salute of one gun for each state in the United States, called
1320-590: The Declaration of Independence , a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by the Committee of Five , which asked Thomas Jefferson to author its first draft. While Jefferson consulted extensively with the other four members of the Committee of Five, he largely wrote the Declaration of Independence in isolation over 17 days between June 11, 1776, and June 28, 1776, from the second floor he
1386-886: The Fourth of July , is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America . The Founding Father delegates of the Second Continental Congress declared that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the monarch of Britain , King George III , and were now united, free, and independent states. The Congress voted to approve independence by passing
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#17328019355851452-480: The Lee Resolution on July 2 and adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks , parades , barbecues , carnivals , fairs , picnics , concerts , baseball games , family reunions , political speeches , and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of
1518-879: The Philadelphia Museum of Art ; in San Francisco over the San Francisco Bay ; and on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. During the annual Windsor–Detroit International Freedom Festival , Detroit, Michigan , hosts one of the largest fireworks displays in North America, over the Detroit River , to celebrate Independence Day in conjunction with Windsor, Ontario 's celebration of Canada Day . The first week of July
1584-582: The United Daughters of the Confederacy with a project for sculpting a 20-foot (6 m) high bust of General Robert E. Lee on the mountain's 800-foot (240 m) rockface. Borglum accepted, but told the committee, "Ladies, a twenty-foot head of Lee on that mountainside would look like a postage stamp on a barn door." Borglum's ideas eventually evolved into a high relief frieze of Lee, Jefferson Davis , and Stonewall Jackson riding around
1650-462: The War of 1812 . Firework shows are held in many states, and many fireworks are sold for personal use or as an alternative to a public show. Safety concerns have led some states to ban fireworks or limit the sizes and types allowed. In addition, local and regional conditions may dictate whether the sale or use of fireworks in an area will be allowed; for example, the global supply chain crisis following
1716-460: The westward expansion of the United States , and the sesquicentennial of the establishment of Marietta in 1788. It stands on purpose-designed esplanade designed by Borglum and the architect John Schooley . As the memorial has weathered badly, there are plans to recreate it in bronze, and move the original to a new indoor visitor center. Borglum visited Marietta in October 1936. He was asked by
1782-585: The 1920s was the residence of a number of artists. He subsequently planned the redevelopment of the Corpus Christi waterfront; the plan failed, although a model for a statue of Christ intended for it was later modified by his son and erected on a mountaintop in South Dakota. While living and working in Texas, Borglum took an interest in local beautification. He promoted change and modernity, although he
1848-486: The Arts . His reputation soon surpassed that of his younger brother Solon Borglum , already an established sculptor. In 1889, Borglum married his painting instructor, Elizabeth Jaynes Putnam, who was 18 years his senior. After divorcing his first wife, Borglum married Mary Montgomery Williams, on May 20, 1909, with whom he had three children, including a son, Lincoln , and a daughter, Mary Ellis (Mel) Borglum Vhay. Borglum
1914-409: The Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed. By remarkable coincidence, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the only two signatories of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as presidents of the United States , both died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. Although not
1980-486: The English city of Gloucester , its cathedral rang bells in 2019 and 2020 for the anthem " The Star-Spangled Banner " every July 4 for its links to the anthem , commemorating its status as the birthplace of John Stafford Smith , who composed the tune on which the anthem is based. (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to
2046-723: The Founders of Newark (1916). No other U.S. city holds as many public displays by Borglum. In 1912, the Nathaniel Wheeler Memorial Fountain was dedicated in Bridgeport, Connecticut . Memorial to Robert Louis Stevenson at Baker Cottage, Saranac Lake, New York . Unveiled in 1915. In 1916, he overhauled the design of the torch for the Statue of Liberty in New York City. In 1918, he
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2112-638: The Gem of the Ocean "; " God Bless America "; " America the Beautiful "; " My Country, 'Tis of Thee "; " This Land Is Your Land "; " Stars and Stripes Forever "; " Yankee Doodle "; " God Bless the U.S.A. " and " Dixie " (in southern states); " Lift Every Voice and Sing "; and occasionally (but has nominally fallen out of favor), " Hail Columbia ". Some of the lyrics recall images of the Revolutionary War or
2178-573: The LDS church and moved to Omaha, Nebraska where polygamy was both illegal and taboo. Jens Borglum had worked mainly as a woodcarver before his decision to attend the Saint Louis Homeopathic Medical College in St. Louis , Missouri. At this point "Jens and Christina divorced, the family left the LDS church, and Jens, Ida, their children, and Christina's two sons, Gutzon and Solon, moved to St. Louis, where Jens earned
2244-591: The U.S., including Stone Mountain in Georgia, statues of Union General Philip Sheridan in Washington D.C. and in Chicago , as well as a bust of Abraham Lincoln exhibited in the White House by Theodore Roosevelt and now held in the United States Capitol crypt in Washington, D.C. The son of Danish immigrants , John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum was born in 1867 in St. Charles , in what
2310-692: The United States because it corresponds to its Independence Day, and this day was observed in the Philippines as Independence Day until 1962. In 1964, the name of the July 4 holiday was changed to Republic Day. Rebild National Park in Denmark is said to hold the largest July 4 celebrations outside of the United States. While not an Independence Day celebration by any means, the city of Trois-Rivières , Quebec , Canada celebrates its founding every July 4, having been founded on July 4, 1634. Trois-Rivières
2376-631: The United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States. During the American Revolution , the legal separation of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain in 1776 actually occurred on July 2, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States independent from Great Britain's rule. After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to
2442-566: The celebration. The highest ever were in Salem, Massachusetts , with pyramids composed of as many as forty tiers of barrels. These made some of the tallest bonfires ever recorded. The custom flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries and is still practiced in some New England and northeastern towns. Independence Day fireworks are often accompanied by patriotic songs, such as " The Star-Spangled Banner " (the American national anthem ); " Columbia,
2508-641: The competitive environment surrounding the contracts for public buildings and monuments, and his public sculptures are found all around the United States. In 1908, Borglum won a competition for an equestrian statue of the Civil War General Philip Sheridan to be placed in Sheridan Circle in Washington, D.C. A second version of General Philip Sheridan was erected in Chicago , Illinois , in 1923. Winning this competition
2574-747: The evening, at such places as parks, harbors, off of boats, sporting venues, fairgrounds, public shorelines, or town squares. Decorations (e.g., streamers, balloons, and clothing) are generally colored red, white, and blue, the colors of the American flag , and many homes and businesses will decorate their properties with miniature American flags. The night before the Fourth was once the focal point of celebrations, marked by raucous gatherings, often incorporating bonfires as their highlight. In New England , towns competed to build towering pyramids, assembled from barrels and casks. They were lit at nightfall to usher in
2640-403: The first cut. At Stone Mountain he developed sympathetic connections with the reorganized Ku Klux Klan, who were major financial backers of the monument. Lee's head was unveiled on Lee's birthday January 19, 1924, to a large crowd, but soon thereafter Borglum was increasingly at odds with the officials of the organization. His domineering, perfectionist, authoritarian manner brought tensions to such
2706-730: The former state governor, his friend George White , to design a sculpture to commemorate the Westward expansion of the United States , from its original thirteen states, the settlement of the Northwest Territory and the sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of the establishment of Marietta in 1788. His appointment, by the Federal Commission for the Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Ordinance of 1787,
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2772-563: The head of Robert E. Lee, Borglum was dismissed from the Stone Mountain project, with some holding that it came about due to infighting within the KKK, with Borglum involved in the strife. Later, he stated "I am not a member of the Kloncilium, nor a knight of the KKK," but Howard Shaff and Audrey Karl Shaff claim that "that was for public consumption." The museum at Mount Rushmore displays a letter to Borglum from D. C. Stephenson ,
2838-573: The infamous Klan Grand Dragon who later was convicted of the rape and murder of Madge Oberholtzer . The 8x10 foot portrait contains the inscription "To my good friend Gutzon Borglum, with the greatest respect." Correspondence from Borglum to Stephenson during the 1920s detailed a deep racist conviction in Nordic moral superiority and strict immigration policies. A fascination with gigantic scale and themes of heroic nationalism suited his extroverted personality. His head of Abraham Lincoln , carved from
2904-405: The largest ever attempted. Many difficulties slowed progress, some because of the sheer scale involved. After finishing the detailed model of the carving, Borglum was unable to trace the figures onto the massive area on which he was working, until he developed a gigantic magic lantern to project the image onto the side of the mountain. Carving officially began on June 23, 1923, with Borglum making
2970-605: The monument largely in the state of completion it had reached under his father's direction. In 1909, the sculpture Rabboni was created as a grave site for the Ffoulke Family in Washington, D.C. at Rock Creek Cemetery . Four public works by Borglum are in Newark, New Jersey : Seated Lincoln (1911), Indian and the Puritan (1916), Wars of America (1926), and a stele with bas-relief, First Landing Party of
3036-409: The most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to
3102-486: The mountain, followed by a legion of artillery troops. Borglum agreed to include a Ku Klux Klan altar in his plans for the memorial to acknowledge a request of Helen Plane in 1915, who wrote to him: "I feel it is due to the KKK that saved us from Negro domination and carpetbag rule , that it be immortalized on Stone Mountain". After a delay caused by World War I , Borglum and the newly chartered Stone Mountain Confederate Monumental Association set to work on this monument,
3168-427: The north end what is now the Henry Mall Historic District at the University of Wisconsin-Madison . His statue of Collis P. Huntington was completed in 1924 and stands at the entrance of the CSX Huntington headquarters building located in the 900 block of Seventh Avenue Huntington, West Virginia . His statue of Harvey W. Scott was completed in 1933 and stood at the peak of Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon until it
3234-593: The other, from this time forward forever more. Adams's prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress. Historians have long disputed whether members of Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day. Most historians have concluded that
3300-413: The river had to be reattached. On the 50th anniversary of the memorial's dedication, flagpoles, with the flags of the six states formed from the Northwest Territory, and the national flag , lighting and commemorative plaques were installed. In readiness for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States , there have been moves to restore the memorial and the city of Marietta has commissioned
3366-428: The sculptor moved to Texas to work on the monument to trail drivers commissioned by the Trail Drivers Association. He completed the model in 1925, but due to lack of funds it was not cast until 1940, and then was only a fourth its originally planned size. It stands in front of the Texas Pioneer and Trail Drivers Memorial Hall next to the Witte Museum in San Antonio . Borglum lived at the historic Menger Hotel , which in
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#17328019355853432-476: The sculpture's unveiling, the plane scattered roses across the field as a salute to those North Carolinians who had fought and died at Gettysburg. In 1939 when German troops marched into Poland, they destroyed Borglum's statue of Woodrow Wilson located in Poznań . Borglum died in 1941 of a heart attack and is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Independence Day (United States) Independence Day , known colloquially as
3498-439: The statue sits. It includes anding stage on the riverbank. Borglum also sculpted four eagles, as a gift to the city, to top pylons, or obelisks, located at entrances to the park, on Front Street. The memorial was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 8 July 1938. He traveled to Marietta by train from Washington D.C. Borglum refused to attend the ceremony, being unhappy with the reproduction of his work, as he believed
3564-403: The stone to be of inferior quality. The sculpture featured on a 3¢ United States postage stamp , issued on July 15, 1938. Since its creation, the sculpture has weathered badly. In April 1962 the head of the center standing pioneer, which broke in 1961, was replaced with one carved by Fred Mitchem and a silicone coating was applied to the work. In August 1975 the head on the figure nearest
3630-405: Was a personal triumph for him because he won out over sculptor J.Q.A. Ward , a much older and more established artist and one whom Borglum had clashed with earlier in regard to the National Sculpture Society . At the unveiling of the Sheridan statue, one observer, President Theodore Roosevelt (whom Borglum was later to include in the Mount Rushmore portrait group), declared that it was "first rate";
3696-544: Was active in the committee that organized the New York Armory Show of 1913, the birthplace of modernism in American art. By the time the show was ready to open, however, Borglum had resigned from the committee, feeling that the emphasis on avant-garde works had co-opted the original premise of the show and made traditional artists like himself look provincial. He moved into an estate in Stamford, Connecticut in 1914 and lived there for 10 years. He sheltered Czechoslovak Legion members on his land at Stamford in 1917. Borglum
3762-507: Was also the site of the final battle of the American Revolutionary War that was fought on Quebec soil in June 1776, the Battle of Trois-Rivières , which was also a part of the Continental Army's failed American Invasion of Quebec . Following a defeat at the hands of the British, the Continental Army retreated to Fort Saint-Jean in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu , Quebec, and then to Fort Ticonderoga in Ticonderoga , New York, before permanently ceasing their invasion of Quebec in July 1776. In
3828-460: Was an active member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons (the Freemasons ), raised in Howard Lodge #35, New York City, on June 10, 1904, and serving as its Worshipful Master 1910–11. In 1915, he was appointed Grand Representative of the Grand Lodge of Denmark near the Grand Lodge of New York. He received his Scottish Rite Degrees in the New York City Consistory on October 25, 1907. He was friends with Theodore Roosevelt for many years and during
3894-454: Was assistant sculptor to Gutzon Borglum in the early years of carving; he began working with Borglum shortly after the inception of the monument and was with Borglum for a total of seven years. When Houser left Gutzon to devote his talents to his own work, Gutzon's son, Lincoln, took over as Assistant-Sculptor to his father. Borglum alternated exhausting on-site supervising with world tours, raising money, polishing his personal legend, sculpting
3960-411: Was berated by academicians. Borglum was initially involved in the carving of Stone Mountain in Georgia . Borglum's nativist stances made him seem an ideologically sympathetic choice to carve a memorial to heroes of the Confederate States of America , planned for Stone Mountain , Georgia. In 1915, coinciding with the Klan-glorifying, highly successful The Birth of a Nation , he was approached by
4026-465: Was first announced on the front page of The Marietta Daily Times on November 18, 1936. Borglum designed the memorial at his studio in San Antonio, Texas in late 1936 and 1937, working in plaster of Paris . From this full-scale rendering, a small clay maquette was made, and given to stonemasons engaged using Works Progress Administration funding as part of the New Deal . They sculpted the design from an 80-short-ton (73 t) block of sandstone from
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#17328019355854092-428: Was one of the drafters of the Czechoslovak declaration of independence . One of Borglum's more unusual pieces is the Aviator completed in 1919 as a memorial for James Rogers McConnell , who was killed in World War I while flying for the Lafayette Escadrille . It is located on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia . In 1922, he crafted the William Dempster Hoard Sculpture in
4158-476: Was renting in a three-story private home at 700 Market Street in Philadelphia , now known as the Declaration House, and within walking distance of Independence Hall . Congress debated and revised the wording of the Declaration, removing Jefferson's vigorous denunciation of King George III for importing the slave trade , finally approving it two days later on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail : The second day of July 1776, will be
4224-477: Was the brainchild of South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson . His first attempt with the face of Thomas Jefferson had to be redone when it was determined that there was not enough stone to complete it. Dynamite was used to remove large areas of rock from under Washington's brow. The initial pair of presidents, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, was soon joined by Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt . Ivan Houser, father of John Sherrill Houser ,
4290-417: Was then thought to be in Utah but was later determined to be in Idaho Territory . Borglum was a child of Mormon polygamy . His father, Jens Møller Haugaard Børglum (1839–1909), came from the village of Børglum in northwestern Denmark. He had two wives when he lived in Idaho: Gutzon's mother, Christina Mikkelsen Børglum (1847–1871), and her sister Ida, who was Jens's first wife. Jens Borglum decided to leave
4356-400: Was toppled by protestors in 2020. Borglum sculpted the Memorial to the "Start Westward of the United States" , which is located in Muskingum Park , Marietta, Ohio (1938). The work was featured on a 1938 3¢ US postage stamp. He built the statue of Daniel Butterfield at Sakura Park in Manhattan (1918). He created a memorial to Sacco and Vanzetti (1928), a plaster cast of which
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