Columns

Sandstone columns rising high into the air while other lie prone on the ground on a fall day.

About the Sculpture

The Columns at Pioneers Park arrived in Lincoln in 1916, though they appear as though they could be much older.  The built up grime doesn't come from hundreds of years of age, but instead from soot from coal fireplaces in Washington D.C. where the columns had their first home at the U.S. Treasury Department building. The building and the columns were designed by Robert Mills, the architect of many D.C. buildings and monuments. 30 of these Virginian sandstone columns lined one side of the Treasury Department from around 1839 to 1908. They stood 36 feet tall and weighed over 30 tons. During the Civil War, Union troops occupied the building, and Abraham Lincoln reportedly watched over the troops while standing between the columns. 

In the early 1900s, the columns were in bad condition due to the soft nature of the stone and the built up grime, and in 1908 all 30 columns were carefully removed and replaced. They were moved to a vacant lot where they continued to deteriorate. Cotter T. Bride paid for 4 of them to be moved to Lincoln in 1916 as a gift to his friend William Jennings Bryan. The other 26 columns were blown up shortly after, leaving Lincoln's four as the sole survivors. 

The pillars were originally placed at the "O" street entrance to Antelope Park, but were moved to Parks and Recreation's storage in the 1950s. They would stay there until 1976 when they were moved to their current home at Pioneers Park for a bicentennial celebration. Accompanying the Columns is a plaque cast from metal recovered from the battleship Maine. You can read more about the Columns and their history on this plaque. 

The four sandstone columns at Pioneers Park casting shadows in front of a landscape

The tops of two columns laying in the grass

The Columns at Pioneer's Park, backdropped by blue sky with wisps of cloud.


About the Artist

Robert Mills (Aug. 12, 1781 - Mar. 3, 1855) was one of the first American-born professional architects and had a major influence on the Federal style. He capitalized on his American heritage, but was extremely knowledgeable on architecture from ancient republics. He worked under the Neoclassical style, and worked on over 50 major projects. Mills' best-known works were the Treasury building, the Old Patent Office and the Washington Monument. 

He was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He moved to Washington D.C. to work under James Hoban. While in D.C. he became acquainted with Thomas Jefferson who introduced him to Benjamin Henry Latrobe, another architect who's work showed modern interpretation of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. He became known as the "unofficial federal architect" though all of his work on the nation's capital. 


Additional Information

Pioneers Park

Height: 36 ft.

Additional Articles

 

https://www.1011now.com/2021/01/27/the-story-behind-the-pioneers-park-columns/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pioneers-park-pillars

Location

Pioneers Park, Lincoln 68522  View Map

Google Map
Suitable for: