Statue of Stevens T. Mason

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Coordinates: 42°19′59″N 83°2′58″W / 42.33306°N 83.04944°W / 42.33306; -83.04944
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Stevens T. Mason
H. Van Buren Magonigle (architect)
FabricatorRoman Bronze Works (statue)
Lloyd Bros. (pedestal)
TypeStatue
MaterialBronze
Barre granite
Length60 inches (1.5 m)
Width60 inches (1.5 m)
Height16 feet (4.9 m)
Beginning date1907
Completion date1908
Dedicated dateMay 30, 1908
Dedicated toStevens T. Mason

Stevens T. Mason, also known as the Stevens T. Mason Monument, is a

H. Van Buren Magonigle in honor of Stevens T. Mason, who had served as the first governor of Michigan in the mid-1800s and is notable for being the youngest person to ever serve as the governor of a U.S. state. Mason's remains are interred underneath the monument, which is located in Capitol Park, the site of the former state capitol building. The monument was dedicated on Memorial Day
1908.

History

Background

U.S. President Andrew Jackson appointed him secretary of the Michigan Territory,[1] and three years later, he became the acting governor of the territory.[2] In these positions, Mason pushed for statehood and, upon Michigan's admittance to the union in 1837, he became the state's first governor.[1] Taking office at the age of 24, he is still the youngest person to ever hold a governorship in the United States, and as a result he is sometimes referred to as the "Boy Governor".[1] Mason would serve as governor until 1839.[2] Following his time in office, he moved to New York City to practice law, where he died of pneumonia in 1843.[2] Although initially buried in a cemetery in the city, his remains were relocated to Detroit in 1905.[2] He was buried in Capitol Park, which had been the location of the state capitol building before the capital was moved to Lansing, Michigan.[3] The reburial ceremony was attended by about 2,000 spectators.[4]

Creation

Around the time of Mason's reburial, efforts were underway for the creation of a monument in Detroit in his honor. In 1906, the

H. Van Buren Magonigle, also of New York City, was selected as the architect for the project, overseeing the design of the pedestal and surrounding stonework.[12] Casting for the statue was done by the Roman Bronze Works.[13] In May 1908, The Monumental News reported that the pedestal was being erected by the Lloyd Bros. of Toledo, Ohio and that the monument was expected to be dedicated in June of that year.[14]

Dedication

A black and white photograph of a statue in Detroit
The monument with original platform and exedra, c. 1916

The monument was dedicated on May 30, 1908,

facsimiles of the statue.[20]

Later history

In 1955, the park underwent a renovation that saw Mason's casket unearthed, with his remains kept in temporary storage in a

balustrade that had once formed part of the monument were removed, leaving only the pedestal and statue.[22] In 1993, the statue was surveyed as part of the Save Outdoor Sculpture! project.[13]

In June 2010, the city began a refurbishing project for Capitol Park, with plans to relocate the monument and Mason's remains from near a traffic intersection to a more centralized part of the park.[2] As part of the project, the statue was temporarily removed for restoration work.[2] During the relocation process, it was discovered that Mason had been buried a short distance from the monument instead of directly under the pedestal as had been previously thought.[2][23] Mason was reinterred in October 2010.[23] On October 27, 2011, Mason's 200th birthday, the Michigan Historical Commission dedicated a historical marker near the monument.[24] In September 2017, the Downtown Detroit Partnership released plans created in conjunction with a Toronto-based architectural firm for a redevelopment of Capitol Park. As part of the project, the statue's pedestal would be removed, and the statue would be placed at ground-level.[25]

Design

The monument consists of a bronze statue of Masons standing atop a pedestal made of Barre granite.[13] The statue stands approximately 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, with a square base of side measurements of 30 inches (0.76 m).[13] Mason is dressed in clothing from the 1830s and holds a book in his right hand, while his left hand is placed on his hip.[13] A 1908 review in The Monumental News states that the statue is "a graceful, well-modeled portrait of the governor as he appeared in his younger days".[12] The base of the statue is inscribed with foundry marks (Roman Bronze Works, N.Y.).[13] The pedestal also stands approximately 8 feet (2.4 m) tall and has side measurements of 60 inches (1.5 m).[13] On the front of the pedestal are two fasces and the inscription "STEVENS T. MASON/FIRST/GOVERNOR/OF MICHIGAN".[13] The back of the pedestal bears the following inscription: "THE TRIBUTE OF/MICHIGAN/TO THE MEMORY OF HER/FIRST GOVERNOR/WHOSE ASHES LIE BENEATH/CALLED TO THE DUTIES OF/MANHOOD WHILE YET A BOY/HE SO ACQUITTED HIMSELF/AS TO STAMP HIS NAME/INDELIBLY ON THE HISTORY/OF THE/COMMONWEALTH".[13]

Original design

When originally dedicated, the monument stood on a semicircular platform surrounded by an

Belle Isle.[27][22] However, these sections of the monument were removed at some point during the 1900s.[22]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ One source states that Emily was 91 years old at the time of the dedication.[18] However, another source states that she was 91 years old at the time of Mason's reinterment in Capitol Park in 1905.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Haddad 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Associated Press 2019a.
  3. ^ Keep & Burton 1916, pp. 104–105.
  4. ^ Hemans 1920, p. 516.
  5. ^ United States Congressional Serial Set 1906, p. 1.
  6. ^ Sagendorph 1947, pp. 422–423.
  7. ^ Hemans 1920, p. 517.
  8. ^ Weddon 1994b, p. 8.
  9. ^ Michigan Legislature 1907, pp. 506, 511, 519.
  10. ^ a b c Hunt 1907, p. 34.
  11. ^ Hemans 1920, pp. 515–516.
  12. ^ a b c d e The Monumental News 1908d, p. 573.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Smithsonian Institution Research Information System.
  14. ^ The Monumental News 1908a, p. 388.
  15. ^ The Monumental News 1908c, p. 411.
  16. ^ Keep & Burton 1916, p. 105.
  17. ^ Hemans 1920, pp. 517–518.
  18. ^ a b c Hemans 1920, p. 518.
  19. ^ a b Weddon 1994a, p. 8.
  20. ^ The Monumental News 1908b, p. 477.
  21. ^ a b Weddon 1994a, p. 11.
  22. ^ a b c d Nawrocki 1999, p. 44.
  23. ^ a b Runyan & Mondry 2019.
  24. ^ Associated Press 2019b.
  25. ^ Runyan 2017.
  26. ^ Sagendorph 1947, p. 423.
  27. ^ The Monumental News 1908f, p. 790.

Sources

Further reading

External links

Media related to Statue of Stevens T. Mason by Albert Weinert, Detroit at Wikimedia Commons

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