During this snowy start to our Wisconsin
winter take a walk south from the Lake Park Bistro past the old Nike station to
the equestrian statue standing on a little knoll. Beside a beautiful walk in one of Milwaukee
County Parks, you might be surprised to find a bronze monument of a Civil War General
astride his favorite horse, Gunpowder. You will be surprised because, thanks to
a recent conservation effort by Lake Park Friends, the old bronze monument
looks bright, clean, shiny and magnificent as it faces Lake
Michigan
Who is this distinguished looking gentleman sitting on his
horse? He is Erastus B. Wolcott
(1804-1880), a hero of frontier Milwaukee.
He came from a prominent Eastern family, and after attending two medical
schools he joined the US Army, he received a posting as surgeon at Mackinac Island.
Because of his concern with the Army during its Trail of Tears campaign,
and at the urging of Solomon Juneau, Wolcott left the Army to become Milwaukee’s first
physician in 1839. When Dr. Wolcott and his family arrived here there were only
700 residents. By his death in 1880 Milwaukee had grown and
Wolcott had built a large medical practice; performed ground breaking surgery;
fought a local cholera epidemic; served as Surgeon General of Wisconsin during
the Civil War. Dr. Wolcott also led the drive to establish a Veterans Administration
Medical Center
for our community. Besides his
prominence in the medical field, he helped found Northwestern Mutual Life
Insurance Company, built the first flour mill in West Bend, stood firm on issues such as
anti-slavery and women’s voting rights.
From these descriptions you can see why he can be described as a hero in
our community.
The sculptor of this wonderful monument, Francis H. Packer,
studied at the Cooper Union in New York City and
in Europe.
Returning to America
he worked in the studio of Daniel Chester French, a leading American sculptor
of the 19th century. After Packer established his own studio, he became an
important sculptor of monuments and statues all over the United States.
His skill and determination for fine art is reflected in the conservation work
done this summer on the equestrian monument. When the conservators finished
their work, they commented on the fine detail and strong bronze casting of the
horse and rider. When you examine the
bronze be sure to look for the details on the body of the horse and the image
of Dr. Wolcott. Even the artist’s signature is carefully executed.
The
pedestal with its engraved dedication may seem excessive:
“He
lived a blameless life.
Eminent
in his profession.
A
lover of humanity,
Delighted
to serve his fellow men, city, state and nation”
However, the profuse description makes the viewer realize
Wolcott accomplishments are indeed special and deserve to be memorialized in a Milwaukee County Park.
How do monuments like this one get preserved when Milwaukee County continues to cut parks budgets?
All conservation work is accomplished because of volunteer groups like Lake
Park Fiends. Lake Park Friends raised the funds to preserve the Wolcott
monument over several years, contracted with the conservator, and oversaw the
work done this summer by the Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio,
Inc.
Currently, the Polish Women’s Cultural Club, Polanki, have
engaged a conservator to examine the General Thaddeus Kosciuszko equestrian
monument in Kosciuszko
Park for a possible
conservation project. This is another 100 year old bronze monument in great
need of preservation. Polanki is forming committees to look for funds or
grants.
Unfortunately, volunteer groups like these cannot examine,
maintain and preserve every part of Milwaukee
County’s collection of
monuments and statues. There are dozens
of these outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee County Parks. Every one of them needs regular maintenance;
a few monuments demand major conservation work. It is essential for Milwaukee to retain and
preserve these works. They represent the history and artistic efforts of our
community and nation.
There is NO plan in Milwaukee
to care for these important gems in Milwaukee County Parks. The need for a Milwaukee County
plan for maintenance and preservation of its collection is pressing. The excuse
of no budget just isn’t acceptable any more.
Other urban communities that struggle with budgets have maintenance
plans. Why not Milwaukee?
