Carrying out the Objectives of the DAR After 110 Years

! September!2018!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The!Tennessee!DAR!News—Vol!L!No!12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!14!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ______!

Carrying out the Objectives of the DAR after 110 Years

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! Two years ago, the John Sevier-Sarah Hawkins Chapter undertook the task of repairing their combined markers numbering over 30. The Sycamore Shoals Monument, erected in 1909, needed the most repairs. The chapter undertook fundraising efforts to cover these expenses. In Phase One, our chapter along with the Bonny Kate Chapter, which is co-owner of the monument, engaged artist Mary Ruden to repair the “TN marble slabs” on the base of the monument. Phase two involved more extensive work. The John Sevier-Sarah Hawkins Chapter engaged Heather Matherly, the first female licensed masonary contactor in the state of Tennessee, to construct a concrete base around the monument. This would prevent further damage to the slabs from lawn equipment, as well as help stabilize the 13-foot high structure. Rather than having a separate celebration for our 110 years of organization, members decided to rededicate this monument. Carrying out the historical, educational, and patriotic objectives of the DAR serves as a true testament to our founding members!

Monument Restoration by Mary Ruden, Daughter, Artist, and Restorer

Monuments and historical markers allow history to be told through enscripted words and visual elements; sometimes this is the only way people can appreciate these events and their impact on today’s world. Many monuments have bronze plaques explaining when an event took place, and are attached to a stone base. Bronze is an alloy of metals, namely copper, which needs restoration and protection from the elements as it undergoes discoloration from oxidation, and can become damaged if neglected. This is called the “bronze disease”. The hardware attaching the bronze plaques can also corrode and become part of a maintenance regimen. Art restorers are needed to give proper attention and repairs to preserve our history. Few restorers are circulating around the state as it is not a widely known profession and requires classical training and understanding of metals, torch heating to remove the corrosion, welding, and archival maintenance of stone and sculptural materials. I am one of those restorers who has enjoyed working on several monuments in Tennessee.

The Fort Watauga monument is a 14’ tall, 3-sided monument near Sycamore Shoals State Park, located on the corner of West G Street, in Elizabethton, TN, in Carter County. The three sides represent three concepts and the three chapters of the DAR that erected it on September 26, 1909. The three chapters, John Sevier, Bonny Kate, and the no longer active chapter, Sycamore Shoals, and the sword of the Lord and of Gideon are the names carved into the front side, which also has a bronze plaque. It marks the spot where the settlers’ fort was built west of the Alleghenies in 1770. This is also where the treaty of Sycamore Shoals was negotiated in which Transylvania was acquired from the Cherokees in 1775, and where soldiers from the Battle of King’s Mountain assembled before their trip across the mountains to fight Major Patrick Ferguson and his British troops in South Carolina. Many consider the victory at the Battle of King’s Mountain to be a turning point in the American Revolutionary War.

The bronze plaque names the three colonels, William Campbell, Isaac Shelby, and John Sevier and the patriots who fought in the Battle of King’s Mountain, September 25, 1780. The triangular 4’ base of the monument is white Tennessee marble, technically a limestone, that was quarried in and around Knoxville. The monument’s shaft is river rock from the Watauga river, and atop is one large 3-sided river rock which was missing for decades. During the monument’s recent restoration, I consulted with local geologist Robert Benfield who found a rock resembling the missing one on the site. A plaster cast of the rock was made and fitted atop the monument. It was decidedly similar to the missing rock and most likely the original one. With the help of DAR Regent Johnda Burdette of the John Sevier-Sarah Hawkins Chapter in Johnson City, it was later cemented there by the Elizabethton Fire Department with help from their tall ladders. Recently a concrete surround has been poured at the monument’s base. The surrounding land also contains an Indian mound and has a low rock wall around it; the land was given to the DAR by Mrs. J.C. Thomas.

______http://www.tndar.org http://www.tndar.org/members Closed FB Group: Tennessee DAR Members Public FB Page: tnsocietydar ! ! September!2018!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The!Tennessee!DAR!News—Vol!L!No!12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ______! This monument also needed restoration of its bronze plaque and its marble base which was cracked, allowing moisture to seep in. A tiny camera on a flexible rod with an LED light was used to examine into the cracks and see the condition of the inside. No known written records were available to document its construction, therefore this tool was helpful. The marble was discolored and mildewed; it was brought back to its original color and the cracks were repaired. Modern construction usually designs weep holes for drainage, but this antique monument did not have an engineered system that could be observed. It is a beautiful example of a very important historical event and has stood the test of time since 1909.

The original dedication of the monument took place on July 14, 1910, and about 3,000 attendees from several states planned their journey; special trains were commissioned. Reverend Osborne of Johnson City opened the ceremony with a prayer. Descendants of the three generals unveiled it; U.S. Senator and former governor Robert L. Taylor was orator; a one thousand voice choir sang “ America” to men dressed as Over Mountain Men, DAR ladies, descendants, and attendees. “Dixie” was played by the band at closing. The rededication was held on September 15, 2018, at 1 PM with a reception at Sycamore Shoals State Park immediately following.

Several other markers trace the footsteps of the Battle of King’s Mountain and have been recently restored. The DAR placed a bronze marker for the first night’s encampment where the gun powder was kept dry in a cave overhang, today which is en route to Roan Mountain.

In Washington County, the William Bean marker from 1924 is a bronze plaque mounted on a large stone with a smaller plaque describing its move by the Tennessee Valley Authority 90 feet northwest of the original cabin site. It is in a wooded area near TVA property.

In Sevier County, the Spencer Clack DAR monument has been restored to its original condition in front of the Sevierville courthouse. The clock tower there was rededicated in 2018 and the monument was decorated with patriotic wreaths with the Regent and Past Regent present. It is from 1931 and is in honor of Honorary Lieutenant Spencer Clack, a pioneer settler of Sevier County who named Sevier County for his friend John Sevier. After using the tiny camera to see behind the plaque, new hardware was fitted to replace a missing bolt and all four rosettes. The plaque showed serious deterioration from the elements.

I have restored several plaques for Sycamore Shoals State Park, a National Historical Landmark, and the tall statue there called the Overmountain Man which stands on a stone pedestal by Jon-Mark Estep. I am currently creating a statue of Mary Patton, the gun powder maker who made 500 pounds of powder for the Battle of King’s Mountain. A miniature of it was displayed at the Governor’s Mansion in Nashville in December 2017 for their Christmas display of famous Tennesseans.

About the author: Mary Ruden is an artist and art restorer in Seymour, TN. She has taught Art at the college level for several years and creates large sculpture for Public Art. She has restored many statues and monuments, including the tall Overmountain Man statue at Sycamore Shoals State Park. She has been a DAR member for 18 years. For more information please refer to maryruden.com

______http://www.tndar.org http://www.tndar.org/members Closed FB Group: Tennessee DAR Members Public FB Page: tnsocietydar !