Hackworth Monument - Yuma County, AZ
Posted by: 
linkys
N 32° 52.552 W 114° 27.799
11S E 737330 N 3640378
A stone faced paint shed built by government order at the Yuma Test Branch, ca. 1944-1945, by Italian prisoners of war, who were stone masons.
Waymark Code: WM80ZN
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 01/06/2010
Views: 11
This is one of the most interesting Smithsonian Art Inventory sculpture items we have seen. To store paint at the Yuma Test Branch during WWII, an underground concrete structure was built. The above ground portion was faced in stone by Italian prisoners of war in the shape of four castles, the castle being the insignia of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. Three of the castles represented the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers insignia, while the fourth castle was inscribed with the word Italy.
The following paragraph is from the remarks section of the inventory form:
"The paint shed was built by government order at the Yuma Test Branch, ca. 1944-1945, by Italian prisoners of war, who were stone masons. The structure was reportedly erected in honor of Major Hackworth (U.S. Army) and is known by local residents as the Hackworth Monument. IAS files contain inscriptions on adjacent plaques; a letter from the director, George W. Howard, of the University of Arizona (dated April 26, 1974); and an article from the Journal of Arizona History (n.d.). Copies of the correspondence and journal article are on file at the Arizona Historical Society (Yuma, AZ) in ephemera file titled: MILITARY-YUMA PROVING GROUND, YUMA TEST STATION."
Over the last 65 years the structure has suffered deterioration and is in need of maintenance and conservation work to preserve it. The metal door to the underground room has been partially pried up and bent. The castles have suffered deterioration, as has the stone work around them. A slight amount of damage has occurred to the word Italy on the fourth castle, though fortunately its orientation is such that it faces away from the road and away from the prevailing weather.
TITLE: Hackworth Monument, (sculpture)
ARTIST(S): Unknown (Italian), stone cutter
DATE: July 1944-Oct. 1945
MEDIUM: Structure: concrete and stone; Base: concrete
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS AZ000076
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
Imperial Road
Yuma County, Arizona
From Hwy 95, travel west on East Imperial Dam Road past the Yuma Proving Grounds. The sculpture is on the right side of the road just before the California border (sign reads Imperial County Line)
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
Stone work is deteriorating and conservation is needed.
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