From the Cape Fear Civil War Round Table.
The designer of the Lincoln Memorial (1914-1922) in Washington, DC, architect Henry Bacon, grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was born in Illinois, but at an early age, his father was assigned to navigational improvements along the Cape Fear River.
One of his projects was what is now called "The Rocks" which were built to close off New Inlet, the favorite run for blockade runners during the Civil War. I have often fished and gone crabbing along it as well as chase sand fiddlers into their burrows here. My parents walked the whole thing out to the island at least once.
As an adult, Bacon was based out of New York City, but always kept his ties with Wilmington.
He designed the Confederate Memorial on Third and Dock streets and the 1901 Donald McRae home on Third.
After his death in 1924, he was buried in Wilmington's Oakdale Cemetery.
He was born in Watseka, Illinois on Nov. 26, 1866 and graduated from the University of Illinois. I have driven through this town near the Indiana border several times.
The seated Lincoln statue in the Memorial, however, was created by Daniel Chester French.
Quite a Life. --Old B-Runner
No comments:
Post a Comment