''Francis Asbury'', also known as the Francis Asbury Memorial, is a public equestrian statue, by American artist

Henry Augustus Lukeman Henry Augustus Lukeman (January 28, 1872 – April 3, 1935) was an American sculptor, specializing in historical monuments. Noted among his works are the World War I monument in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, the Kit Carson Monument in Trinidad, Col ...

, located at 16th Street and Mt. Pleasant Street,

Northwest, Washington, D.C. Northwest (NW or N.W.) is the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located north of the National Mall and west of North Capitol Street. It is the largest of the four quadrants of the city (NW, NE, S ...

, in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. It was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Heri ...

survey in 1994.

Description

This

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

sculpture features

Francis Asbury Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was a British-American Methodist minister who became one of the first two bishop (Methodist), bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. During his 45 years in the col ...

seated upon his horse wearing a cape and hat. In his proper right hand he holds a

bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

. The horse is bending its head down to lick its left leg. The sculpture sits on a

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

base (approx. 100 in. x 140 in. x 200 in.). On the proper left side of the sculpture, near the base, it is signed "Augustus Lukeman Sc 1921." The sculpture is inscribed on the front of the base: FRANCIS ASBURY
1745-1816
PIONEER
METHODIST BISHOP
IN AMERICA On the left side of the base it is inscribed: HIS CONTINUOUS JOURNEY THROUGH CITIES
VILLAGES AND SETTLEMENTS FROM 1771 TO 1816
GREATLY PROMOTED PATRIOTISM EDUCATION MORALITY
AND RELIGION IN THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC
Act of Congress On the right side of the base it is inscribed: IF YOU SEEK FOR THE RESULTS OF HIS LABOR
YOU WILL FIND THEM
IN OUR CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION And on the back of the base it is inscribed: THE PROPHET
OF THE LONG ROAD

Design and dedication event

During the leap year of 1919, President Woodrow Wilson and the 66th Congress of the United States gave approval to the site and location for the Francis Asbury Statue. This formal event which occurred on February 29, 1919 allowed for the newly formed Francis Asbury Memorial Foundation to begin its work to raise monies for the Francis Asbury Statue. For design of the statue, The Francis Asbury Memorial Foundation chose Mr. Evarts Tracy. The distinguished designer from the New York architectural firm,

Tracy and Swartwout Tracy and Swartwout was a prominent New York City architectural firm headed by Evarts Tracy and Egerton Swartwout. History Evarts Tracy (1868–1922) was the son of first cousins Jeremiah Evarts Tracy and Martha Sherman Greene. His paternal grand ...

, was not only a talented architect and designer, he was the great-great grandson of

Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an early American politician, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign all four great state papers of the United States: the Continental Association, ...

, a signer of the American Declaration of Independence. In addition to his design architectural design experience, Mr. Evarts Tracy was commissioned years earlier to design camouflage techniques for the troops on the front line of World War I. The design of the Francis Asbury Statue by Mr. Evarts Tracy began in the year 1919. Upon completion of the design, the Francis Asbury Memorial Foundation chose the Roman Bronze Works of New York to build the equestrian memorial. In 1921, the Roman Bronze Works in turn commissioned the independent artist, Henry Augustus Lukeman to sculpt the Asbury Statue. On October 15, 1924 at 2:30 pm, a dedication ceremony for the Francis Asbury Statue took place with several thousand people in attendance, including dignitaries from Washington D.C. In one of the photos taken of the ceremony, President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

stands at the podium, ready to give his speech containing a famous phrase about Francis Asbury, “He is entitled to rank as one of the builders of our nation.” Another photo from the day of the dedication displays the patriotic manner in which the statue was veiled before the ceremony. Two large American flags flank either side of the statue. “The shot taken from the crowd level is a stunning depiction of Francis Asbury and the flags of his adopted country. A country in which he spent nearly his entire life leading the people of the frontier to Jesus Christ.”

Information

The sculpture was founded by

Roman Bronze Works Roman Bronze Works, now operated as Roman Bronze Studios, is a bronze foundry in New York City. Established in 1897 by Riccardo Bertelli, it was the first American foundry to specialize in the lost-wax casting method, and was the country's pre-emin ...

in New York City. The piece was erected by the Francis Asbury Memorial Foundation and was approved by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

on February 29, 1919. It was dedicated on October 15, 1924 and cost $50,000.

Condition

This sculpture was surveyed in 1994 for its condition and was described as "well maintained."

Gallery

File:Francis Asbury Proper Right.jpg, Proper right File:Francis Lukeman Front.jpg, Front

References

External links

*
13 historic photos of Washington D.C. which features a photograph of the dedication of the statue

The Asbury Triptych Series
Website contains numerous articles about Francis Asbury and also articles on the Francis Asbury Statue {{Public art in Washington, D.C., state=expanded Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Asbury 1924 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C. Rock Creek Park