Statue of Hans Christian Heg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Statue of Hans Christian Heg |
|
|---|---|
The statue in 2013
|
|
| Artist | Paul Fjelde |
| Completion date | 17 October 1926 (erected) |
| Medium |
|
| Subject | Hans Christian Heg |
| Dimensions | 290 cm × 91 cm × 91 cm (9 ft 6 in × 3 ft × 3 ft) |
| Condition | Removed by rioters |
| Location | Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| 43°04′28.8″N 89°22′56.9″W / 43.074667°N 89.382472°W | |
The Hans Christian Heg statue was made by Paul Fjelde. It was created in 1925 and put up in 1926. You can find it at the Wisconsin State Capitol building. This is in Madison, Wisconsin, in the United States.
The statue is made of bronze. It shows Hans Christian Heg. He was a soldier for the Union side in the American Civil War. He was also an abolitionist. This means he worked to end slavery. In June 2020, the statue was pulled down and damaged. It was later found in a lake. The government of Wisconsin plans to fix and put the statue back up.
Two other copies of the statue were also made in 1925. One is in Heg Memorial Park. This park is in Racine County, Wisconsin. It is close to where Heg's family lived. The other copy is in Haugestad, Norway. This is near Heg's family's hometown in Norway.
Contents
Who Was Hans Christian Heg?
Hans Christian Heg lived from 1829 to 1863. He was an American man from Norway. He fought against slavery. He was also a writer, a politician, and a soldier. Heg was born in Haugestad, Norway. His family moved to the United States in 1840. They settled in Muskego Settlement, Wisconsin.
Heg spent two years in California. He was part of the Forty-Niners. These were people who looked for gold. After this, Heg came back to Wisconsin.
Heg is most famous for leading soldiers in the American Civil War. He was a colonel. He commanded the 15th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment. This group fought for the Union. Heg was hurt in the Battle of Chickamauga. He later died from these injuries. A tall pyramid of shells marks the spot where he was hurt. This is at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
What Does the Statue Look Like?
The statue is made of bronze. It is about 9.5 feet (2.9 meters) tall. It stands on a base made of granite. The base is about 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall.
The statue shows Colonel Heg in his Union Army uniform. He wears a long coat with buttons. He also has riding boots. A sword hangs at his left side. Heg has a beard and a mustache. He is not wearing a hat. He holds his Hardee hat in his right hand.
History of the Statue
The statue was made in 1925. It was a gift from the Norwegian Society of America. This group collected money to pay for it. The artist was Paul Fjelde. He was also Norwegian-American.
Paul Fjelde talked about his work. He said he made Colonel Heg look younger. Heg was only 33 when he died. Fjelde wanted to show Heg's youthful spirit. He felt Heg looked older because of the war.
The statue was one of three copies. They were made in a factory in Kristiania, Norway. The statue was shipped from Norway in 1925. It arrived in New York on August 21, 1925. Then it traveled to Madison, arriving on September 3.
The statue weighed 2,000 pounds (907 kg). It was kept inside the Capitol Building. The statue was not put up right away. People needed to raise money for its base. They needed about $2,000.
Two thousand people came to see the statue. It was officially shown on October 17, 1926. This happened at the Wisconsin State Capitol. The statue was put up to remember Heg. He was an important citizen and soldier.
Other Copies of the Statue
A second copy of the statue was put up in 1928. It is in Heg Memorial Park. This park is in Racine County, Wisconsin. It is near where Heg's family lived.
A third copy of the statue was shown in 1925. This one is in Haugestad, Norway. This is near Heg's family's hometown.
Damage to the Statue
The statue in Madison, Wisconsin, was damaged in June 2020. During protests, it was pulled down. Parts of it were broken. It was later found in Lake Monona. This happened even though Heg was a Union soldier. He was also an abolitionist who fought against slavery.
Many people in Wisconsin did not know much about Heg. The statue's base was painted on June 24. Another statue at the Capitol was also pulled down that night. This was the Forward statue. It shows a woman who stands for Wisconsin's motto.
Some people said that taking down the statues helped show problems in Wisconsin. They felt the state was not fair to everyone.
On July 20, 2020, a state board voted to fix the statues. This board is called the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board (SCERB). They voted to repair both the Heg and Forward statues. The state was figuring out how much it would cost. The Wisconsin Historical Society planned to raise money. They wanted to collect $50,000 to help pay for repairs.
At that time, parts of the Heg statue were still missing. These included its head and a boot spur. The state planned to make a new head. They would use a similar Heg statue in Norway, Wisconsin as a guide. In October, the state got a grant of $30,000. This money was from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It would help pay for fixing both statues. The statues were sent to Detroit for repairs. They are expected to be put back up by July 2021.
