Statue of William Morrill Wadley
William M. Wadley is a public monument in Macon, Georgia, United States. The monument, which consists of a bronze statue atop a granite pedestal, was designed by Robert Cushing and dedicated in 1885 in honor of William Morrill Wadley, a railroad executive for the Central of Georgia Railroad who had died several years earlier. The monument was erected by a committee made up of his former employees and stands near the city's Terminal Station.
History
Background and creation
William Morrill Wadley was born in New Hampshire in 1813. In 1833, he moved to Savannah, Georgia, and found employment with the Central of Georgia Railway. Wadley rose through the ranks of the company and by 1849 had been promoted to superintendent of the railroad. Over the next several decades, he worked in various executive positions for railroads throughout the southern United States, and during the American Civil War he was appointed by superintendent of transportation for the Confederate States of America by Confederate States President Jefferson Davis. After the war, he returned to work at the Central of Georgia Railroad, later becoming president of the company. He held this position until his death in 1882.Following Wadley's death, some employees of the Central of Georgia established a memorial committee for the erection of a public monument in honor of Wadley. In April 1884, the committee commissioned New York City-based sculptor Robert Cushing to design a statue of Wadley. For the head of the statue, Cushing modeled it after a marble bust that he had previously completed of the subject using photographs and a face mask. The work was completed in 1885, with casting done by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company of New York City. In total, the cost of the monument was $20,000. The monument was dedicated on June 18, 1885.
Later history
In 1994, the statue was surveyed as part of te Save Outdoor Sculpture! initiative. At the time, the condition of the monument was considered in need of cleaning. In 2015, a family reunion of about 3 dozen descendants of Wadley's met at the statue and had a group photograph taken in front of it. The following year, the monument was vandalized with Satanic graffiti, including a pentagram and the phrase "Hail Satan".Design
The monument consists of a bronze statue of Wadley atop a pedestal made of granite from Quincy, Massachusetts. The sculpture stands approximately tall and has a square base with side measurements of each, while the pedestal is approximately tall and has a square base with side measurements of each. The pedestal weighs roughly. Wadley is depicted as he appeared around the time of his death, wearing a double-breasted frock coat. To his left is a round column with a map that has lines representing various railroads. Wadley, who has his right leg forwards, has his left hand resting on the map while his right hand holds a wide-brimmed hat. An inscription on the left side of the front of the statue's bronze base bears the name of the sculptor, while the foundry's marks appear on the right side. The pedestal bears the following inscriptions:The monument is located at the intersection of Mulberry Street and Third Street in Macon, Georgia, near the city's Terminal Station, in an area called Third Street Park. It is located near the city's confederate monument, which is also on Mulberry Street.