THE INDEPENDENT MAN OF RHODE ISLAND
What started out as a photographic project of the removal of the Independent Man from its' perch atop the State House became more than just that. I’ve spent a number of days in Providence watching and photographing the restoration project of the State House.I contacted just about everyone in the State House trying to find out the date that the Independent Man would be brought down. Suffice to say there were many moving parts to the answer to my questions and no one seemed to know anything definitively. Finally, this past Friday it was shared (shhhh!) that this week Monday or Tuesday would be the day! I’m smiling as I write this because it was yesterday that it was finally confirmed.
At 5AM this morning, thinking I was going to be the first one to arrive at the State House, I was surprised to find the network news had arrived before me. Cameras were being set up. News anchors were practicing their presentations. The Department of Transportation was there to manage a very tall Christmas tree on a truck being backed into the parking lot down below the State House. The RI State Police were there and we all were observed. The workers were doing all of their last minute items. The crane hook was positioned above the Independent Man and then we waited. 7AM was the designated time and as we got closer you could feel the excitement build. At 6:30AM the news anchors gave their updates and then the final countdown began. Over in five minutes time the Independent Man is now safely on the ground and will be on display in the Rotunda for the next month. Governor McKee arrived and spoke with many. Tomorrow a ceremony will happen at 9:30AM to announce that the public can view the Independent Man. I look forward to seeing the Independent Man up close at some point. What a project this was! Many things were learned. 50 years ago the Independent Man was brought down for the first time. I’m glad that I was there for a part of the history of the second time.
Journey On.
From the Rhode Island College Library:
The “Independent Man” was first proposed to be a statue of Roger Williams at the annual meeting of the Rhode Island Historical Society in 1895. The statue, to be placed atop the proposed new State House, was designed by George T. Brewster for $3,000, who called the statue “Hope” and changed the design to fit the Renaissance Revival architecture of the building. Though now embraced as a unique symbol of the state, the statue was the subject of heated debate over the aesthetic and subject. However, a statement issued by the Capitol Commissioners declaring that the statue symbolized, "authority, dignity, independence, and power," put the debate to rest and it has been known as "The Independent Man" since. Since 1900, it has only moved once, in 1975, for repair and a new coat of gold leaf.
