Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site - Irwinville GA - WPA Projects on Waymarking.com

From Wikipedia

"Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site (also known as the Jefferson Davis Capture Site) is a 12.668-acre (5.127 ha) state historic site located in Irwin County, Georgia that marks the spot where Confederate States President Jefferson Davis was captured by United States Cavalry on Wednesday, May 10, 1865. The historic site features a granite monument with a bronze bust of Jefferson Davis that is located at the place of capture. The memorial museum, built in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration, features Civil War era weapons, uniforms, artifacts and an exhibit about the president's 1865 flight from Richmond, Virginia to Irwin County, Georgia.

Jefferson Davis Capture Site
The site was owned by Judge James Bagley Clements (1869-1936), who deeded four acres to the State of Georgia in 1920, "for the purposes of creating a state park." His father had bought the land after the war to ensure that "no Yankee would ever own it." Clements wrote a history of Irwin County, which included a chapter on the Davis capture and site.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy erected a monument on the exact spot where Davis was captured. It consists of a granite stele set upon a stepped granite base, the stele features relief panels and inscriptions, and atop it is a bronze bust of Davis modeled by Atlanta sculptor Laurence Tompkins. The relief on the front depicts a captured Davis flanked by two Union soldiers; the relief on the back depicts a battle scene; the reliefs on the sides depict the Confederate flag. The monument was dedicated on June 3, 1936.

The Works Progress Administration built the memorial's Civil War Museum, completed in 1939. Additional parcels of land were added, bringing the size of the park to nearly 13 acres by 1952.

The site ceased to be a Georgia state park in the mid-1970s, and was deeded to Irwin County in 1976. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The monument is now surrounded by a square bed of gravel and enclosed by a low iron fence."

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Project type: Park structure/building (other than lodge) Date built or created: 1939 Location: Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site - Irwinville GA City: Irwinville Condition: Pristine condition Website for additional information: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   01/28/2022 Don.Morfe visited it