James Oglethorpe Monument

That is James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia. When we look at monuments like this, it is easy to see just the triumph, the military commander holding his sword. But the real reason this man sailed across the Atlantic to build a new world is rooted in absolute heartbreak. Back in England, Oglethorpe had a dear friend named Robert Castell. Castell was an architect who fell into financial ruin and was thrown into a debtor's prison, a harsh jail specifically for people who owed money. Because Castell could not afford to pay the jailers extortionate fees for better treatment, he was forced into a cell with inmates suffering from smallpox. Castell caught the disease and died in 1729. This devastating loss shattered Oglethorpe. It pushed him to investigate the horrific conditions of British jails and ultimately sparked a bold vision. He wanted to create a philanthropic utopia, a fresh start for the worthy poor. That vision became Savannah, established in 1733. To honor that legacy, local patriotic groups banded together in the early nineteen hundreds to build a grand monument. They raised thirty eight thousand dollars, which is over a million dollars today. They hired sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect Henry Bacon. Take a look at the image on your app to see the incredible detail of French's nine foot bronze figure. Notice how Oglethorpe holds his sword. It is unsheathed but pointing downward, a deliberate choice showing him as a resolute protector facing south toward the Spanish threat, rather than an active attacker. French loved this piece so much he called it his life's finest work, and he and Bacon would later go on to design the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Placing Oglethorpe here required a major physical shift in the city's landscape. In nineteen ten, two busts of Confederate generals were evicted from this square and relocated to Forsyth Park. The city was quite literally reshaping its identity, physically moving monuments of a fractured, tragic war to make room for a man whose utopian dream started it all. Over a century later, the towering monument has developed a rich patina, while the canopy of live oaks in the square has grown dramatically around it. The dedication ceremony in nineteen ten was a massive spectacle. Thousands gathered as the flags of Georgia and England were pulled away. The organizers even relocated the annual Thanksgiving football rivalry game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers to a nearby field just to capitalize on the enormous crowds. You might think unveiling a monument to Georgia's founder would bring the home team good luck, but the Bulldogs suffered a crushing twenty six to zero defeat.