John Ross -- Chattanooga TN
N 35° 02.973 W 085° 18.436
16S E 654379 N 3879848
A bust of Principal Cherokee Chief John Ross, who founded Ross's Landing, the city that would become Chattanooga, and who was removed from TN on the Trail of Tears, at the Hamilton County Courthouse, is listed on the SIRIS Database
Waymark Code: WMWRTC
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 10/08/2017
Views: 1
John Ross, the Principal Chief of the Cherokees, founder of Ross's Landing which would become the City of Chattanooga, and whp was removed from there on the Trail of Tears, is memorialized with a bronze head-and-shoulders bust on a pedestal of gray Tennessee granite at the Hamilton County Courthouse.
Ross appears to be 40-50 years old, his hair is work in a style popular in the 1830s-40s. He is wearing a high-collared shirt and bow tie, with vertical pleats down the front. He has what looks like a scarf around his neck and over all he is wearing an open overcoat. Ross looks out with a steady gaze. It seems he is looking over the removal of his people onto the Trail of Tears. His face is sad but resolute, the face of a man who knows he has lost the battle and must now manage the aftermath.
The bust is obviously larger than life size, maybe 1.5 times life size.
These words are carved on the grey granite plinth:
[E side]
JOHN ROSS
Principal Chief
of the
Cherokee Nation
1828-1866
[N side]
JOHN ROSS
Established
Ross's Landing 1815
Which became
Chattanooga 1838
[W side]
Erected by
The John Ross Statue Committee
[list of names and organizations]
Belle Kinney, Sculptor
[S side]
JOHN ROSS
October 3, 1790
August 1, 1866
Adjutant
Cherokee Regiment
War of 1812
Faithful to his Trust
He spent his life in
The service of his nation
A loyal Cherokee
A great American"
TITLE: John Ross
ARTIST(S): Belle Kinney
DATE: March 30, 1958
MEDIUM: Bronze sculpture on a stone base
CONTROL NUMBER: IAS TN000012
Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link]
PHYSICAL LOCATION:
Hamilton County Courthouse
625 Georgia Ave
Chattanooga TN
DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH:
none
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