Raynors HCA 2017-09
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/7/2017
BUCKNER, Simon Bolivar (1823-1914) was an American soldier and politician who fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War and in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He later served as the 30th Governor of Kentucky. Autograph Letter Signed “S.B. Buckner” 1pp., Sept. 7th, 1907, written to “John H. Weller, Comnd Orphan Brigade”. The letter has been taped top/bottem to a typed Buckner biography and a cutout Buckner images has been added. Still, interesting content, in part “I wish to bring before the brigade at Glasgow the question of reconsidering to the National Society the securing and improvement of the birth place of President Davis in Todd County Ky.....” At a 1907 reunion in Glasgow, Ky. of the Confederate Orphans Brigade, it was with this letter that former Confederate General Simon Bolivar Buckner proposed a plan for a Jefferson Davis monument to be erected at his birthplace in Fairview. A group started the Jefferson Davis Home Association and raised money for the monument. By April 1909, the Association paid $7,052 for seven tracts of land containing twenty acres. Within the next eight years $150,000 had been accumulated for a suitable monument. In 1917 work began on the world’s tallest concrete obelisk. The firm of C. G. Gregg of Louisville designed the monument and oversaw its construction. America’s entry into World War I halted work on the obelisk for several years. By the time construction began again, costs had risen dramatically and the project faced an uncertain future. The United Daughters of the Confederacy raised an additional $20,000 toward completion of the monument and the Kentucky General Assembly appropriated $15,000 to install an elevator (originally run by steam) in the 351-foot structure. On June 7, 1924, dedication of the Jefferson Davis State Historic Site took place and it became a part of the Kentucky State Parks system. The monument has a base of 35 feet by 35 feet with 10-foot thick walls at the lower level, tapering to two feet at the top. Construction cost $200.000. The observation windows at the top of monument offer visitors a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside.
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