Bust of Charles Eitzen - Hermann, Missouri - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Charles D. Eitzen (1819-1896) was a successful businessman and philanthropist who was one of the founders of Hermann. He located at Hermann in 1837, about the time that the first plat of the town was made. He started as a clerk in general store and soon bought out the owner. He became in became involved in the lumber business and also an agent for the Meremac Iron Company. He had business interest in Missouri River steamboats and he placed into service the first ferry boat between Hermann and the north side of the Missouri River. He later became a large investor in banks in St Louis and the Lacede Gas Company in St. Louis.

During the Civil War, he was a Union volunteer, serving as a Captain of Infantry. He was a member of the Town Board of Trustees for 25 years and much of that time he served as Mayor of Hermann, and also President of the Board of Education. He gave back to his community financially also including providing $50,000 in his will for the construction of the Gasconade County Courthouse in Hermann which is used to this day.

The bust was donated by his widow, Jane Eitzen, and was originally installed in Eitzen Park. The bust was moved to its present location in City Park when the high school (now middle school) was built on the site of the park. The bust was created by sculptor Robert Porter Bringhurst in 1896 and dedicated July 4, 1897. The bust is mounted on a tall pedestal inscribed:

Front:

Tribute To The
Memory Of
Charles D. Eitzen
Whose Life Was
A Record Of
Generous Deeds,
And
Public Usefulness

Back:

TITLE: Bust of Charles Eitzen ARTIST(S): Robert Porter Bringhurst, DATE: Installed ca. Dec. 1896. Dedicated July 4, 1897. MEDIUM: Bust: bronze; Base: Connecticut sandstone and concrete. CONTROL NUMBER: IAS MO000372 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: City Park Stark Boulevard Hermann, Missouri DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: None noted

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