Ohio History Journal

OHIO'S MADONNA OF THE TRAIL

 

BY MRS. LIDA KECK-WIGGINS

 

Ohio's Pioneer Mother Statue,--" the Madonna of

the Trail," is located three miles west of Springfield on

the grounds of the State Masonic Home. The statue

is a warm pink in color and is moulded of Missouri

granite as the main aggregate in the poured mass of

"algonite" stone. The foundation upon which it stands

is two feet above ground, and the monument is 18 feet

tall. The design is of a pioneer mother, clad in garb

suitable for the frontier life. She wears a feminine-

looking bonnet, and on her left arm is an infant. Her

right holds a musket. To her skirts clings a small boy.

Her feet tread upon cacti. The expression of the face

is one in which are skillfully mingled everlasting mother-

love and courage born of the necessities of the frontier.

The Ohio statue, emplaced on July 4, 1928, was the

first of twelve to be dedicated along the National High-

way. The figure was designed by Mrs. John Trigg

Moss of Kansas City, Missouri, National Chairman,

National Old Trails Road Committee of the Daughters

of the American Revolution. The statues were made by

Mr. H. Leimbach, sculptor of St. Louis. The beautiful

parking about the Ohio statue was done by Arthur

Leedle, architectural consultant. The ground, donated

by the State Masonic body, is high and was somewhat

barren, but by adroit treatment of the soil, the placing

Vol. XLI--11.       (161)

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162       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications of a serpentine wall of West Virginia brick in a half- circle about the statue, and the softening of the base- lines with carefully selected shrubbery, a noble effect has been attained of which Ohio may well be proud. A

stairway of the brick leads down to the highway. Mrs. O. H. Anderson, Chairman Old Trails Road Committee, had this work in charge for the Lagonda Chapter, D. A. R. The twelve statues are identical, and have been placed as follows: First at Springfield, Ohio, July

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Ohio's Madonna of the Trail   163

4, 1928; second, Wheeling, West Virginia, July 7, 1928;

third, Council Grove, Kansas, September 7, 1928;

fourth, Lexington, Missouri; fifth, Lamar, Colorado,

September 24, 1928; sixth, Albuquerque, New Mexico,

September 27, 1928; seventh, Springerville, Arizona,

September 29, 1928; eighth, Vandalia, Illinois, October

26, 1928; ninth, Richmond, Indiana, October 28, 1928;

tenth, Washington, Pennsylvania, December 8, 1929;

eleventh, Uplands, California, February 1, 1929; and

twelfth, Bethesda, Maryland, April 19, 1929.

The history of "how the statues came to be" is of

intense interest to all Americans. Memorialized by the

National Society Daughters of the American Revolu-

tion, Congress appropriated a sum to build a National

highway over the Old Trails, made by the wagon-wheels

of the pioneers from Maryland to California. The Na-

tional Society D. A. R. promised, on its part, to mark

appropriately this trail. The intention, at the outset,

was to use money collected from all the states, to bear

the expense of placing thousands of markers. Eventu-

ally, after the road was finished, (at the expense of the

Government up to a point just outside Springfield, Ohio,

from which place the states bore the expense) it was

found that automobile associations, towns and individ-

uals had very satisfactorily marked the trail. Hence

the D. A. R. was forced to think out some individual

way to spend $12,000 collected for the purpose. To

Mrs. John Trigg Moss, the National Chairman Old

Trails Road Committee, fell this task. She designed

the figure which later was unanimously accepted by the

National society.

A committee composed of members of the D. A. R.

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164      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

and of the National Old Trails Road Committee, which

Society proffered its services in working out the great

plan, visited all the towns along the Trail, and decided

which of these cities offered the most important Revo-

lutionary War or other historic data. To the city so

qualifying went the state statue. Springfield won for

Ohio. The site selected (a knoll on the Ohio Masonic

Home grounds) was considered the logical place because

it marks approximately the spot where the National

Pike, as constructed by the National Government, ended,

and also is in reasonably close proximity to the legendary

site of the birth of the great Indian warrior, Tecumseh.

This location, also, is near the battlefield of Piqua where

the power of the Shawnees was effectually checked by

General George Rogers Clark in August, 1780. The

statute erected here is, incidentally, but three miles from

the site of the George Rogers Clark monument, erected

a few years ago by the State of Ohio on the Piqua bat-

tlefield. The importance of this battle to the National

Society D. A. R. is that it was the most important one

of the American Revolution, fought on Ohio soil.

Each of the statues cost $1,000 to build, but the

expenses of the transportation, setting-up, and erecting

were borne by the cities where the monuments were

placed.

The program for the Ohio Madonna was in charge

of A. D. Hosterman. Mrs. C. C. Cory, Regent of La-

gonda Chapter, led in the salute to the flag. Music

followed. Reverend J. Bradley Marward, a prominent

Lutheran clergyman, pronounced the invocation. This

was followed by the raising of the flag near the statue

by William C. Shultis, Commander of the American

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Ohio's Madonna of the Trail      165

Legion, officiating. General J. Warren Keifer, only

living Civil War general and ex-Speaker of the House

of Representatives, then unveiled the statue, followed

immediately by the playing of "The Star-Spangled Ban-

ner" by the boys of the Ohio Masonic Home band. Mrs.

John Trigg Moss delivered the dedicatory address and

presented the statue to Ohio. John B. McGrew re-

sponded for the Ohio Masonic body, and Mrs. Frank

W. Hartford, retiring regent Lagonda Chapter D. A.

R. for the local D. A. R. Mrs. Walter L. Tobey, then

state vice-regent, now regent, Ohio D. A. R., and Mrs.

Lowell F. Hobart, organizing secretary general D. A.

R., spoke, as did also Judge Harry S. Truman of Inde-

pendence, Kansas, president of the National Old Trails

Road Association. Mrs. Lida Keck Wiggins of La-

gonda Chapter read an original poem entitled "The

Madonna of the Trail." This was followed by the for-

mal address, delivered by Judge D. D. Woodmansee, of

Cincinnati.

Before reading her poem Mrs. Wiggins requested

that Miss Carrie M. Zimmerman (historian of Lagonda

Chapter, whose briefs concerning the suitability of

Springfield to receive the Madonna, effected that result),

come to the platform. Miss Zimmerman did so, and

the entire concourse applauded heartily.

Miss Zimmerman gave credit to Dr. B. F. Prince,

member of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical

Society, W. W. Keifer, attorney, and director of the

Clark County Historical Society, and Mr. A. L. Slager,

secretary of the Clark County Historical Society, who

counseled her in preparing her data.

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166      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications On the sides of the Ohio Madonna statue are chis- eled these inscriptions: "The National Road--completed by the Federal Government to this point in 1839. From this point westward built by the States through which it passes." "Three miles southwest of here General George Rogers Clark, commanding Kentucky Frontiersmen, vanquished the Shawnee confederacy August 8, 1780, resulting in Opening the Northwest Territory."

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