Jefferson Davis State Historic Site
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The Jefferson Davis Monument State Historic Site is a Kentucky State Park preserving the birthplace of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. It is located in Fairview, Kentucky, on the border of Christian and Todd Counties, nine miles east of Hopkinsville along U.S. Highway 68. The focal point of the site is a 351-foot[1] (107 m) tall concrete obelisk.
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[edit] History of the Monument
Simon Bolivar Buckner, Sr., a Confederate general, first proposed the idea of a monument for Davis during a reunion of the Orphan Brigade of the Confederate Army in 1907. Construction began in 1917 but stopped in 1918 at a height of 175 feet due to building material rationing during World War I. Construction resumed in January 1922 and was finished in 1924 at a cost of $200,000. The base was constructed of limestone quarried from the site. The concrete walls are 8.5 feet thick at the base and taper to 2.5 feet thick at the top.[1] The monument was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as structure #73000849. The obelisk was closed to the public from 1999 until May 2004 for renovations and construction of a new visitor center. An elevator takes visitors to an observation platform at the top.[1]
[edit] Park Details
The Jefferson Davis State Historic Site is one of eleven historic sites in Kentucky which include small parks and are maintained by the Kentucky Department of Parks.[2] The park covers 19 acres and includes open and covered picnic areas, as well as a playground. At the visitors’ center, visitors can watch a video describing Davis’s life and the construction of the monument. The center sells books and memorabilia about Davis, the American Civil War, and the surrounding area, as well as Kentucky handicrafts. The park is open from May 1 until October 31.
[edit] Relative Size
- The monument is the tallest concrete obelisk in the world. (All of the taller obelisks are constructed with blocks of stone.)
- It is the third tallest obelisk in the world (behind the San Jacinto Monument and the Washington Monument). (Because its cross section is octagonal and doesn't have a pyramidal top, the San Jacinto Monument could be considered a column instead of an obelisk.)
- It is the fifth tallest monument in the United States (behind the Gateway Arch, San Jacinto Monument, Washington Monument, and Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial). (The Crazy Horse Memorial, with a planned height of 563 feet, will become the second tallest monument upon completion.)
- Elsewhere in the world, the Great Pyramid of Giza, Khafre's Pyramid, and Ushiku Daibutsu are taller monuments.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c (1987) "Historical Places: Jefferson Davis Monument", Encyclopedia of Kentucky. New York, New York: Somerset Publishers. ISBN 0403099811.
- ^ Bailey, Bill (1995). Kentucky State Parks. Saginaw, Michigan: Glovebox Guidebooks of America. ISBN 1881139131.
