Robert Dale Owen Memorial facts for kids

The Robert Dale Owen Memorial is a public artwork found at the south entrance of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. This memorial was given to the state of Indiana and officially opened in 1911. It honors Robert Dale Owen (1807–1877), an important Indiana politician.

The memorial originally featured a bronze portrait bust (a sculpture of a person's head and shoulders) created by Indiana artist Frances M. Goodwin. However, this bust has been missing from the memorial since 1970. What remains is the memorial's stone base, called a pedestal, which includes a special plaque.

What Does the Robert Dale Owen Memorial Look Like?

The original memorial included a 200-pound bronze bust of Robert Dale Owen. This bust, which showed him with a beard, used to sit on top of a stone pedestal. Sadly, the bust is no longer there.

The remaining pedestal faces the south entrance of the Indiana Statehouse. It is made from three large stone blocks and stands about 70 inches (almost 6 feet) tall. The bottom block is 45.5 inches wide, 42.5 inches deep, and 10 inches tall. The middle block is 32 inches wide, 28.5 inches deep, and 10 inches tall. The top block is 24 inches wide, 21.5 inches deep, and 50 inches tall.

A special plaque is placed in the middle of the top block. It measures 20 inches by 24 inches and has an important message. The plaque reads:

1801-1877 / An Appreciation / Erected in the honor of Robert Dale Owen by the Women of Indiana in recognition of his efforts to obtain for them educational privileges and legal rights. / author, statesman, politician, philanthropist / "Write me as one who loved his fellow man."

Where is the Robert Dale Owen Memorial Located?

In 1905, a group called the Robert Dale Owen Memorial Association received permission to place a memorial to Owen inside the Indiana Statehouse. Today, the memorial, which is just the pedestal, is located outside. It stands on the Statehouse grounds, facing the building's southern entrance. The memorial was officially opened in 1911.

Why Was the Robert Dale Owen Memorial Created?

The artist, Frances Goodwin, working on the bust.

In 1905, during a time when women were working hard for their rights, people started raising money for a memorial to Robert Dale Owen. He was known for his efforts in the mid-1800s to help women. He worked to protect women's property rights and give them more freedom in divorce. He also supported women's right to vote.

The memorial was also meant to highlight the ongoing fight for women's suffrage (the right to vote). The Memorial Association hoped to collect $2,000 to $2,500 to pay for the bust and memorial. Frances Goodwin was chosen to create the bust. After her clay model was approved, the final bronze bust was made in Paris.

The state government allowed the memorial to be placed in the Statehouse in 1905. However, the completed artwork was not officially dedicated until 1911. The memorial was given to the State of Indiana on March 8, 1911. It was meant to be a lasting reminder of a man who worked for many years to get fair laws for women's education and property rights. The governor of Indiana and Owen's great-grandniece attended the dedication.

The original memorial had Goodwin's bronze bust of Owen on a stone pedestal with a plaque. On September 19, 1970, the bust was stolen. The memorial you see today is the remaining pedestal, located outside the Statehouse.

Who Created the Robert Dale Owen Memorial Association?

The Federated Women's Club of Indiana formed the Robert Dale Owen Memorial Association on June 30, 1905. Their goal was to encourage women across Indiana to help raise money for the memorial. The Association had ten women from Indiana, led by Julia Conklin.

The group published pamphlets to share information about their efforts. One pamphlet, Robert Dale Owen and What He Did for Women of Indiana, gave a short story of the politician's life. Another pamphlet asked women to donate and explained why the memorial was important. The Association also offered to send members to women's club meetings to talk about Robert Dale Owen.

People helped raise money in different ways. George B. Lockwood sold signed copies of his book, New Harmony Communities, and gave the money to the cause. Julia Conklin did the same with her book, The Young People's History of Indiana. The Women's Club of New Harmony, Indiana, gave the most money, raising $50.

In their last meeting on December 30, 1912, Julia Sharpe presented a report of the group's work. The report included pictures of each member and a photo of Goodwin's bust. The Association gave a copy of the report to the Indiana State Library.

Who Was the Artist, Frances M. Goodwin?

Frances Murphy Goodwin (1855–1929) was born in New Castle, Indiana. She was from one of the city's oldest families. Frances and her sister, Helen, were well known in Indiana art circles.

Goodwin briefly attended The Indiana Art School. She then moved to the Art Institute of Chicago to study painting. There, she discovered her love for sculpting. She studied with famous sculptors like Lorado Taft and Daniel Chester French. Goodwin also traveled in Europe, studying art for over four years. She even opened an art studio in Paris with her sister.

Frances Goodwin passed away in New Castle at age seventy-four. A year later, in 1930, the Henry County Historical Society planned a memorial for her. It was to be a bird fountain, like one she had created at the New Castle Public Library.

What Were Frances Goodwin's Other Artworks?

Frances Goodwin's first major artwork was Education. This sculpture was shown in the Indiana building at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. She received an honorable mention for it. The sculpture was later placed in the Office of the Governor of Indiana.

Goodwin also created a marble statue of Schuyler Colfax for the U.S. Capitol. She made a bronze memorial of Captain Everet Benjamin in New York. Her busts of poet Benjamin S. Parker and Reverend James D. Stanley are displayed in Indiana. Goodwin also sculpted many studies of baby hands, which were very popular.

After living in Paris, she returned to the United States. She won the competition to create the Robert Dale Owen Memorial. Goodwin opened a temporary studio in Indianapolis to make the clay mold. However, she went back to Paris to cast the final bronze bust.

Images for kids

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  The artist, Frances Goodwin, working on the bust.