The Bigelow Sphinx - Watertown, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 22.396 W 071° 08.724
19T E 323361 N 4693450
The Bigelow Sphinx was was commissioned and funded by Dr. Jacob Bigelow to commemorate the end of the American Civil War. It is located in a landscaped circle along Cedar Avenue in Mount Auburn Cemetery.
Waymark Code: WMW01X
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 06/19/2017
Views: 5
The Bigelow Sphinx is considered to be one of the most unusual Civil War monuments. A 6' high by 3' wide by 10' long sculpture of a sphinx with the face of an Anglo-American woman and the body of an African lion sits on a 5' by 5' by 15' base. The sculpture was commissioned by Dr. Jacob Bigelow and created by the famous Irish-American sculptor Martin Milmore. It was erected in Mount Auburn Cemetery in 1872.
On the right side of the base of the Bigelow Sphinx is the Latin inscription:
AMERICA CONSERVATA
AFRICAN LIBERATA
POPULO MAGNO ASURGENTE
HEROUM SANGUINE FUSO
On the left side of the base is the English equivalent:
AMERICAN UNION PRESERVED
AMERICAN SLAVERY DESTROYED
BY THE UPRISING OF A GREAT PEOPLE
BY THE BLOOD OF FALLEN HEROES