Gutzon Borglum with assistant Charley Johnson creating the full scale plaster of paris rendering.
The National Memorial
Gutzon Borglum, most widely known for sculpting the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, visited Marietta in October 1936 and agreed to sculpt this Memorial as a favor to his friend Former Ohio Governor George White.
“This place [Marietta] was the stepping stone, the first footprint of the nation as she started on her westward march.”
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City of Marietta, State of Ohio granted the United States of America the necessary permission and authority for erection of said Memorial and Pylons
Borglum designed this memorial at his San Antonio, Texas studio in 1937. He first sketched his ideas, then created a full scale plaster of paris rendering. After his concept was complete he worked with State Architect of Ohio, John Schooley, to create an architectural rendering of the esplanade. Borglum then created the smaller clay model he shipped to Marietta for the stone carvers to scale from and carve the sandstone sculpture.
One of three initial sketches by Gutzon Borglum generously donated to the Start Westward Memorial Society by his grandchildren Robin Borglum Kennedy and Jim Borglum.
View All Three Sketches
Gutzon Borglum’s clay model used by stone carvers to scale the sandstone memorial.
Architectural Rendering by Gutzon Borglum and John Schooley for “Memorial to the Start Westward of the United States.”
Construction
The memorial was sculpted from local sandstone to stimulate employment of local workers with New Deal WPA funding.
(Read Borglum’s letter of instruction)
December 13, 1937: Gutzon Borglum (second from right) viewing the 80-Ton block of sandstone from which the six heroic figures were carved.
View Sandstone Report
Carving of the memorial began at the quarry near where old Ohio River Lock #18 was located then trucked to Muskingum Park.
(View the list of WPA workers)
May 7, 1938: Partially carved sandstone block now weighing 25-tons loaded onto a trailer at the quarry in preparation of transporting it to Muskingum Park.
May 1938: Stone carvers used Gutzon Borglum’s clay maquette to scale the sandstone memorial.
Ohio State Architect John Schooley made an on-site decision (contrary to the wishes of Executive Director E.W. Hawes and others) for the three pioneers to face toward the street so the boat faces the river bank.
June 1, 1938: John Schooley (center) supervising rotation of standing group of pioneers to face eastward toward Front Street.
During the Great Depression the City of Marietta invested New Deal money to preserve its history.
Dedication Ceremony
President Franklin D. Roosevelt traveled by train from Washington DC, arriving in Marietta at 9:00 AM, July 8, 1938.
Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr., Attorney General Homer S. Cummings, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, President Roosevelt, and Mrs. Homer S. Cummings.
The Memorial to the Start Westward of the United States was dedicated by the President at 10:00 AM, July 8, 1938.
Roosevelt concluded his speech by saying, “I hereby dedicate this great monument commemorating one hundred and fifty years of Americanism.”
(FDR Dedication Newsreel) (Read his speech)
Completed memorial in its original condition.
Completed esplanade in its original condition.
Restoration Record
September 1938 - Gutzon Borglum returns to Marietta to complete his project.
April 1962 - Fred Mitchem: Replaced center standing pioneer’s head while S. Durward Hoag: Supervised cleaning entire sculpture and applying silicone coating
April 1962: Fred Mitchem (far right) supervising attachment of the center standing pioneer’s replacement head he carved from matching sandstone.
March 1964 - 45.2 ft. Flood Level
March 1964 - David Baker’s photo from his canoe
September 1973 - Tom Vadakin: Cleaned an asphalt material from the sculpture
August 1975 - Leo Wagner: Reattached the head on the figure nearest the river
May 1987 - Marietta Kiwanis Club: Installed flags and lighting
May 1987: Kiwanis Club’s final adjustment of the lighting system they installed for the bicentennial along with flags of the six northwest Territory States.
June 1988 - Marietta Kiwanis Club: Steven Wisenbaugh, Conservator, Harrison, OH removed graffiti, filled cracks with color matched mortar and sealed the entire sculpture.
June 1998 - City of Marietta: Robert Lodge and two additional McKay Lodge Laboratory employees preformed cosmetic work and strongly urged the only way to assure the preservation of the sandstone was by protecting it from water under a cover (ideally a pavilion).
June 1998: Robert Lodge applying cosmetic sandstone repairs on the base of the Memorial
May 2003 - Marietta Kiwanis Club: Proposed permanent protective cover
May 2003: Nancy Hoy (far left) and Allan Norris explaining to an unknown Marietta resident the Kiwanis Club’s proposed covering.
June 2020: Temporary cover installed by the City of Marietta using $50,000 Block Grant Funding.
October 2020 - City of Marietta: Lorraine Schnabel Conservation L.L.C., Trenton, HJ, performed an on-site assessment June 15-17 and offered three sandstone conservation options:
Option 1 - No Action
Option 2 - Conservation In-Place
Option 3 - Relocate Indoors
March 2021- City of Marietta: Replaced lighting.
March 2021: Lighting installed by the City of Marietta.
June 2021 - McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory: Conservation Proposal
The Start Westward Memorial Monument…$770,508
The Start Westward Memorial Pylons….$306,420
$1,076,928
June 2022- Start Westward Memorial Society: New Plaque Installed.
June 2022: A new plaque, after the prior one went missing, was created by Brad Smith at Sewah Studios and installed on the river landing.
September 2022 - Borglum’s Grand Children visit Marietta.
September 16, 2022: Robin Borglum Kennedy speaking at Public Meeting
September 2023 - After Consultation with the National Parks Service Historical Preservation Center, the Start Westward Memorial Society directors voted to pursue the conservation in-place option.