Spirit of the American Doughboy - Pikeville, KY
Posted by: 
uccacher
N 37° 28.742 W 082° 31.033
17S E 365852 N 4149095
Doughboy statued located outside of the Pike County Courthouse in Pikeville, KY.
Waymark Code: WMF7T6
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 09/06/2012
Views: 10
Located on the campus of the Pike County Courthouse in Pikeville, KY, this Viquesney statue is in excellent condition and has the original barbed wire still in place. It features plaques on all four sides honoring those who gave their all in their country's service during WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
Attempts to learn the initial dedication date of this Doughboy haven’t been successful. The Smithsonian record states an installation year of 1920, but that's not possible, since the first Viquesney Doughboy wasn't completed and manufactured until 1921. Also, the copyright mark bears the name Spencer, Indiana rather than Americus, Georgia. Copyrights listing Spencer didn't appear until 1926 or 1927, after Viquesney reacquired the rights to his Doughboy company from his former business partner in Americus, Walter Rylander.
A search of files of old newspapers through 1929 by Pikeville Librarian, Christy Fleming, didn’t find an article that mentioned its dedication so its likely it was originally dedicated in the range of 1930-1933. The plaza where it is located did not exist then, at least in its current form, so it has been relocated at some date, even though it was probably always somewhere in Courthouse Square.
Where is this statue located?: Courthouse Property
Which branch of the Military does this statue depict?: Army
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