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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Confederate Memorial carving on Stone Mountain


This is the Confederate Memorial carved on the side of Stone Mountain, which is east of Atlanta. Stone Mountain is solid granite. The carving, height-wise, equal to a ten story building, and width-wise, longer than a football field.

Another postcard I have with the same picture says the carving was over a half-century in the making. If I remember correctly there was a lapse of many years between carvers. I don’t know if it was a contractual problem or a creative problem.

Not too many years ago, 20 or so., the KKK held an annual meeting at or on Stone Mountain with a good old fashion cross burning and made what announcements they had to make, like who they endorsed that was running for office, and what public person they condemned. But those were days gone by.

Now n a summer nights, weather permitting, people come and bring their picnics, beer, and blankets on a big lawn, that is also bigger than a football field. It is high on the further side and degrades itself in height until it gets almost to the foot of the mountain.

When it gets good and dark, with the help of laser wizardry Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, and Stone Wall Jackson and their horses come alive and gallop off the side of the mountain with Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, and/or Elvis singing southern patriotic songs.

The laser does some other fancy illustration tricks to music. Then they have the fireworks over the mountain after that the lights are out and time to walk to your cars. Then the Rebel Yells.

Yahooo!!!

10 comments:

  1. Would love to see this. Lee is one of my very favorite Virginians, and thee have been a couple of really great ones. Stonewall is admirable too. Jeff Davis not very much.

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  2. Si,
    I agree with you. I think Stonewall and Lee felt compassion for their fellow human beings and looked on them as individuals - heck, Lee even felt compassion for the horses (I don't know about Stonewall).
    On the other hand, Jefferson Davis, from what I read about him strikes me as a self-centered, greedy, hot-tempered individual that could care less for the masses.... of course, I could be wrong.

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  3. Anonymous6:42 AM

    Eddie,
    Sound's like presidential material to me!

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  4. LLS,
    You have a good point - in fact, it may even be the unwritten qualifications.

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  5. Si & LLS,

    Sometimes I get Jefferson Davis and Andrew Jackson confused mixed up. There is a reason for that - they are peas in a pod.

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  6. Anonymous1:29 PM

    i love stone mountain! i especially love riding up and hiking down.

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  7. Boid,
    I'm glad you made it back home from taking care of your mother safely.

    I love riding up Stone Mountain, and riding down Stone Mountain (inclining),
    and
    around Stone Mountain (choo chooing).

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  8. Anonymous11:42 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  9. The first carving was by Gutzon Borglum in 1923 before he went on to carve Mount Rushmore.

    When I went to Stone Mountain as a child in the early 1940s, there was just a small gift shop, as I recall. When was the amusement park constructed?

    Odd that Stone Mountain has been seldom used as a movie location. You can see it briefly in Fled (1996), otherwise a very boring and forgettable action chase film.

    Bhob @ Potrzebie.

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  10. Bhob,
    I didn't know about FLED and/or Stone Mountain in it.

    I can see where it might be quiet a funny scene, if they are fighting on the carved part as in NORTH BY NORTHWEST - if they landed on the horse with Robert E. Lee or the others.
    The amusement part has been there at least since 1966. We used to go there a lot back then, especially when people came from out of town. They have a huge water amusement park which as a steamboat, canoing,
    and by the water is the Coco Cola Chimes, a huge pipe organ that the CC company blew the dust off that they dug up from somewhere and carried to the NY World's Fair. Also, they have horseback riding, concerts, bike riding, picnics, train ridges, and so on. Pretty good place to spend a day and evening. My sons still go there at least once each year.

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