Gilpin observer., 1901-07-11
A STATUES HISTORY.
INTERESTING FACTS CONCERN
ING THE PENN MONUMENT.
Metal Shoes Repaired-statue Was blown
Down-The Memorial Once In . junk
shop-Now on the Hospital Green In
Phiindelphia.

An interesting history attaches to
the statue of William Penn, founder
OF Pennsylvania. which still stands
Where 1t was placed in the grounds
OF the old hospital at Eighth and Pine
streets. The minutes of the Pennsyl-
vania hospital tell the story of its
coming. gift of John Penn. In No
Vember, 1902, John Penn, through his
attorney, offered a portrait of William
Penn to the managers of the hospital.
requesting to know where it would be
placed. reply was duly sent to John
rem, but the picture was never pre-
sented. On Sept. "a, 1904, the minutes
record "A statue in lead of William
rem is arrived in the ship Pigon from
LONDON, No letter accompanied the
statue which was accepted in lieu of
the portrait which John Penn had at
first purposed giving to the hospital.
In quaker language beginning with the
familiar greeting Esteemed friend"
and couched in friendly "thees" and
thous, the president, Josiah Hewes,
wrote to Penn. thanking him for his
gift and telling him Immediately after
Its arrival some young men OF our
city who are friends to your family"
requested the liberty of raising graf
uitously for this purpose a pedestal of
the white marble of Pennsylvania, ito
De liked at the green south front of
the hospital. with suitable inscriptions
to record the birth of William Penn,
the memorable era when he founded
the Province of Pennsylvania and the
time OF his death" Penn is represent
ed In colonial costume. He holds in his
hand scroll engraved with Charter
OF privileges to Pennsylvania, MDCC.,"
etc. The statue stands on slab of
marble marked: Presented by John
Penn, A. d. 1904" This surmounts the
pedestal, which is engraved as follows:
In front the well-known coat-of-arms
with Penn's roundels. Over it is en-
graved William Penn. Born 1914
Died 171S." On the east side we read:
Pennsylvania Granted by Charles II.
to William Penn, 1861" On the north:
THE Proprietary Arrived 1852, Made
a Just and Amicable Arrangement
with the Natives for the purchase of
Their Lands and Went Back to Eng
land 1854" The west side reads: Re
turned to Pennsylvania 1899 and Fin
ally Withdrew to His Parental Estate
17O1." The history of the substitution
of statue for picture was not explained
until 1916, when a letter of Benjamin
Franklin, written in 1855, threw light
on the transaction, says the Philadel-
phia Record. In this epistle Franklin
describes a visit to his friend Lord
Despencer, and seeing the statue of
William Penn holding the scroll.
Franklin admired it so much he then
wished copy made to stand in the
state house grounds in Philadelphia.
The letter, with copy of the scroll de-
scription. is now among the archives of
the Pennsylvania hospital. Lord De-
spencer's successor took no interest in
William Penn. The statue was sent to
junk shop to be sold for old metal.
Here John Penn found it and pur-
chased it for presentation to the Penn
sylvania hospital. We may now see
the statue facing Pine street. on the
hospital green. Penn still holds the
charter, in perpetual remembrance of
that famous treaty, never sworn to
and never broken" 1t is curious to
know that in course of time one of the
statues shoes wore out, In 1850, dur
ing severe storm. the statue of Penn
blew down. 1t was found that the sup
port of one foot was corroded and the
metal had decayed away. A new sole
and high heel were supplied to Penn,
and his statue was then securely re-
placed on the pedestal. where it now
stands today.