Virginia Women's Monument

The Virginia Women's Monument is a state memorial in Richmond, Virginia commemorating the contributions of Virginia women to the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States of America.[1] Located on the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol, the monument is officially titled Voices from the Garden: The Virginia Women's Monument and features life-sized bronze statues of seven Virginia women placed in a small granite plaza.[2]

Virginia Women's Monument
Location in Virginia
Virginia Women's Monument (the United States)
Coordinates37°32′22″N 77°26′4″W
Location1000 Bank St, Richmond, VA 23219
MaterialGranite, bronze, glass
Opening dateOctober 14, 2019
Dedicated toContributions of women throughout Virginia history
Official website

The monument was first proposed in 2009[3] and established by joint resolution of the Virginia General Assembly in 2010.[1] An 18-member commission, along with input from the Library of Virginia and professors of women's history, selected the women to be honored with statues sculpted by StudioEIS in Brooklyn, New York. The granite plaza and Wall of Honor were opened in October 2018 and the monument was officially unveiled with the first seven completed statues on October 14, 2019.[4]

The women currently featured include Cockacoeske, chieftain of the Pamunkey tribe; Anne Burras Laydon, Jamestown colonist; Mary Draper Ingles, famed frontierswoman and American pioneer; Elizabeth Keckley, seamstress and confidant of Mary Todd Lincoln; Laura Copenhaver, entrepreneur; Virginia Randolph, prominent educator; and Adele Goodman Clark, suffragist and activist.[4]

History

Proposal

The idea for the monument first came in 2009 from Richmond native Em Bowles Locker Alsop — a writer and former actress who had once been considered for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.[3][5] Alsop lobbied her state senator, Walter Stosch, who subsequently introduced Senate Joint Resolution No. 11 in the 2010 session of the Virginia General Assembly.[6] The joint resolution, which created the Virginia Women's Monument Commission, was passed unanimously in both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia.[7] In 2015, Alsop died at the age of 98, three years before the monument was first opened to the public.[5]

From the text of Senate Joint Resolution No. 11:

WHEREAS, throughout the ages women have been central to the perpetuation of society, and women of every nationality and race have left an indelible mark through their countless contributions, achievements, and accomplishments that have benefitted mankind; and

WHEREAS, from the founding of the Commonwealth, the genius and creativity of women and their presence and contributions have been evident in every aspect of Virginia history and the life of the people of the Commonwealth; however, they have received little appreciation, recognition, or official acknowledgement...

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That a commemorative commission to honor the contributions of the women of Virginia with a monument on the grounds of Capitol Square be established.[1]

The joint resolution established that the Virginia Women's Monument Commission would be composed of 19 members—the Governor, the Chair of the Senate Committee on Rules, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, representatives from the Senate and House, the Clerk of the House, and eight members of the general public. The resolution also established that the monument would be built with private funds.[7]

Design
Early plan for the Virginia Women's Monument.

When completed, the monument is planned to have a total of 12 statues, chosen from every region of the state and representing the diverse achievements of women throughout the first 400 years of Virginia's history. Standing in the center of the plaza is a granite pedestal topped by a bronze sundial engraved with the names of several Virginia localities.[2] Two benches line the sides of the oval plaza, along with a series of tempered glass panels inscribed with the names of more than 200 additional important women of Virginia history called the Wall of Honor.[8]

Statues

Current monument
Honoree Picture Lived Region Description
Anne Burras Laydon before c. 1594 - after 1625 Jamestown Colonist
Cockacoeske fl. 1656-1686 Middle Peninsula Pamunkey chief
Mary Draper Ingles 1732-1815 New River Valley Frontierswoman
Elizabeth Keckley 1818-1907 Dinwiddie County Seamstress and author
Laura E. Copenhaver 1868-1940 Smyth County Entrepreneur and Lutheran lay leader
Virginia E. Randolph 1870-1958 Henrico County Educator
Adèle Clark 1882-1983 Richmond Suffragist and artist

Wall of Honor

A further 230 women are listed on the Wall of Honor of the Monument; further nominations are currently being solicited.[9]

List of honorees

References
  1. "Senate Joint Resolution No. 11". Virginia's Legislative Information System. Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  2. "About Us: Voices from the Garden". Virginia Women's Monument Commission. Virginia Women's Monument Commission. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. Curran, Colleen (2019-10-14). "'A monumental day': Seven statues unveiled at Virginia Women's Monument on Capitol Square". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  4. "Voices from the Garden: The Virginia Women's Monument is Nation's First Monument Honoring Full Scope of Women's Achievements" (PDF). Virginia Women's Monument Commission. 2019-10-01.
  5. Robertson, Ellen (2015-03-08). "Em Bowles Locker Alsop, one of 20 screen-tested to be Scarlett O'Hara in GWTW, dies at 98". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  6. "Obituary for Em Bowles Locker Alsop at Central Chapel". www.bennettfuneralhomes.com. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  7. "LIS > Bill Tracking > SJ11 > 2010 session". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  8. "Wall of Honor". Virginia Women's Monument Commission. Virginia Women's Monument Commission. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  9. "Virginia Womens Monument Commission". womensmonumentcom.virginia.gov.
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