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Beriah Magoffin Monument

Beriah Magoffin Monument stands in Spring Hill Cemetery in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, and commemorates Beriah Magoffin, governor of Kentucky when the Civil War began. Created around 1900, several years after Magoffin’s death in 1885, it is a zinc monument that reflects Lost Cause sentiment common in war memorials of that period. Its bust is draped in a toga, echoing neoclassical sculpture such as Jean-Antoine Houdon’s portrait of George Washington and suggesting Roman heroism. The monument includes two quotations from Magoffin about Kentucky’s neutral position and its relationship to the federal government. Spring Hill Cemetery dates to 1860.

Beriah Magoffin Monument with a bust of a bearded man on a pedestal in a cemetery.
The Beriah Magoffin Monument stands among other gravestones in Spring Hill Cemetery.
September 2007 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Beriah Magoffin Monument showing a stone bust of a bearded man on an ornate pedestal with a circular relief carving.
The Beriah Magoffin Monument features a stone bust set on an ornate pedestal in Spring Hill Cemetery.
September 2007 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Engraved plaque on the Beriah Magoffin monument reading \
Close-up of the inscription on the Beriah Magoffin monument gravestone.
September 2007 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Beriah Magoffin monument plaque with raised lettering and shell-like carvings at the top and bottom
The Beriah Magoffin Monument plaque features raised lettering on a light-colored stone surface with decorative shell-like carvings.
September 2007 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleBeriah Magoffin Monument
Typemonument
SubjectBeriah Magoffin

Historical context

Commemorative themetribute to the Lost Cause
Historical contextTypical of war monuments built around 1900
Historical contextBeriah Magoffin was sympathetic to secession and sought to keep Kentucky neutral at the start of the American Civil War until pro-Union forces compelled him to resign as governor

Creator

Builderunknown

Discovery and provenance

Honoree's death date1885
Dedication datecirca 1900

Materials

Materialcast zinc

Physical characteristics

StyleNeoclassical conventions
Portrait formportrait bust draped in a toga
Stylistic comparisonJean-Antoine Houdon's sculptural portrait of George Washington

Iconography and meaning

Intended symbolismA parallel with a heroic Roman was intended by the monument's maker
Inscribed quotationsFive quotations by Magoffin are inscribed to reflect his position on Kentucky's role in the conflict: "What attitude shall Kentucky occupy in this deplorable conflict. Looking to the Constitution of the United States, the nature of our institutions and the causes of this war, I think Kentucky has a right to assume a neutral position."; "Let her be a peacemaker and when opportunity offers, as a mediator, present terms of peace and of settlement, alike honorable to both the contending parties."; "While opposed to the policy of the government and the measures used to preserve the Constitution, we would not exchange the government of our fathers for any experiment on Earth."; "We differ only as to the best means of preserving the Union."; "May God yet preserve and bless and guide us by His wisdom in this dread hour."

Location and ownership

LocationSpring Hill Cemetery, Harrodsburg, Kentucky, United States
Cemetery established1860