Andrew Jackson - Jacksonville, FL
N 30° 19.533 W 081° 39.588
17R E 436571 N 3355044
This equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, for whom the City of Jacksonville was named, depicts Jackson as he appeared following the Battle of New Orleans (fought, unfortunately, two weeks after the treaty to end the War of 1812 was signed).
Waymark Code: WM2ZAP
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 01/14/2008
Views: 51
The statue is now located in the center of the Laura Street roundabout in front of the main entrance to The Landing in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, USA. On July 12, 2010, it was moved from a location a block away.
On October 1, 1968, the government of the City of Jacksonville and the government of Duval County were replaced with a new government called the Consolidated City of Jacksonville. On that same day, Jacksonville's new City Council passed an ordinance declaring the official seal of the former government of the City of Jacksonville to be the official seal of the new consolidated city. The seal features an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, the man for whom Jacksonville was named. The statue depicted stands in Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C. (just across the street from the White House) and a duplicate now stands in downtown Jacksonville and is the focus of this waymark.
Prior to the statue being moved, there was text on the front of the statue that read: "Andrew Jackson, After Whom Jacksonville Was Named, 1822." Text on the back of the statue read: "Andrew Jackson, First Governor of Florida Under the United States Flag, 1821." As of October 9, 2010, new text has not yet been added to the statue's new base at its new location.
From the Smithsonian Art Inventory website about this sculpture:
"Statue is a replica of the equestrian Andrew Jackson created by Clark Mills from 1847-1853 and located in Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. General Andrew Jackson mounted on a rearing horse, portrayed as though reviewing his troops prior to battle. Figure wears military dress, including long-tailed jacket with epaulets, knee-high boots, and sword on proper left side. Proper right arm raised above head with general's hat in proper right hand; proper left hand grasps reins. Riding gauntlets worn on both hands. Horse raises both front legs and strains towards the proper left; Jackson's face is turned in the same direction."
From the Smithsonian Art Inventory website about the version of the statue in Washington, D.C.:
"An equestrian portrait of Andrew Jackson just before the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. As his horse rears, Jackson controls the horse's reins with his proper left hand and tips his hat to his troops with his proper right hand. The sculpture rests on rectangular base that is surrounded by four cannons and an iron fence."