This is Theodore Roosevelt Island, which lies in the Potomac River on the Washington-Virginia border. Paul Manship was the sculptor who created the statue. President Lyndon Johnson spoke at the unveiling on 27 October 1967, Theodore’s birthday. Alice Roosevelt Longworth was also in attendance. Based on the image here one might think it rather stark, but the surrounding trees soften the statue’s appearance. Around its edges are four monoliths inscribed with different ideas and subjects Roosevelt considered important. It may appear to be a natural setting but Roosevelt Island was a planned park funded and created by the Roosevelt Memorial Association in the early 1930s. (The statue obviously came several decades later.) The RMA was the same group that built the reconstructed Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in the 1920s, immediately before taking on this new project. Today Roosevelt Island is filled with joggers, hikers, and picknickers enjoying this quiet getaway just across the water from the hustle and bustle. (KM) (Images: Manship’s Roosevelt; one of this monoliths, this one recognizing Theodore’s love of nature; the Potomac from the bridge connecting the island to Roslyn, Virginia)
Posted on: Thu, 15 May 2014 19:47:45 +0000
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