John Hunt Morgan Memorial

The story

The John Hunt Morgan Memorial in Lexington, Kentucky, is a monument created during the Jim Crow era, as a tribute to Confederate General John Hunt Morgan, who was from Lexington and is buried in Lexington Cemetery. The monument was originally situated on the Courthouse Lawn at the junction of North Upper and East Main Street, but was moved to Lexington Cemetery in 2018. With the help of the state government of Kentucky, the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected the monument on October 18, 1911, on what was then the courthouse lawn. The bronze statue was cast in Brooklyn, New York, at a cost of $15,000. The state of Kentucky contributed $7,500 of the cost because the UDC was unable to raise all of the funds promised. The ceremony included a parade of 400 veterans. The pedestal was of granite. The monument was dedicated by Morgan's brother-in-law Basil W. Duke, master of ceremonies, and keynote speaker Dr. Guy Carleton Lee, a third cousin of Robert E. Lee. Also in attendance were John Castleman, and Morgan's brothers Charlton and Dick. At the ceremony, the Rev. Edward O. Guerrant, who had served with General Morgan, gave the prayer of dedication, saying:

Great God, our Heavenly Father, we worship Thee, because Thou art God alone, the Ruler of all kings and the Judge of all men. We adore Thee as the God of our fathers, the Founder of our country, and the Savior of Thy people in all generations. We recognize Thy hand in every event of our lives, and thank Thee for this day and all it means to us. Thy hand led Thine ancient people through the sea and the wilderness to the promised land. Thy hand has led us through the storm of battle and the baptism of blood until this auspicious day. We thank Thee for Thy guidance to the blessings of a reunited country and the preservation of our liberties, and the burial of our animosities. We humbly pray for Thy blessing upon the hands that built this monument, the love that inspired it, the principles that sanctified it, and the reunited people who honor it this day. May it stand for generations to teach the love of country to our children, devotion to country to all people, the heroism of men who contended for right, as God gave them to see the right. We pray Thy richest blessings on our reunited country, the asylum of all nations, the glory of the past and the hope of the future. May we prove ourselves worthy of such a country, such a Government and such a God, we humbly ask in the name of Thy blessed Son, our Savior.

Amen. Of the monuments of the American Civil War in Kentucky, it is the only one with a soldier on horseback.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Dates from 1911.

Wikidata Q6240450, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

How to reach it

Named places within 25 miles

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of John Hunt Morgan Memorial. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

When to go

Light through the year

Local time (America/New_York).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Lexington Bluegrass AP, 6 mi away.

Where this comes from

• National Register of Historic Places — Morgan, John Hunt, Memorial, reference 97000704, listed 07/17/97.

OpenStreetMap element node/9510567303