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Wouldn’t you like to see a Grandma Gatewood statue?
Fifty years after her death, there is a push to bring Grandma Gatewood back to the trail.
Let me explain.
Bridgette Mongeon is a hiker and the artist chosen to create bronze statues of Grandma Gatewood. One sculpture is going to the cemetery where she is buried in Ohio at Ohio Valley Memory Gardens, Green Township, Gallia County. Mongeon said she wants to get the second statue as close to the AT as possible.
Grandma Gatewood on the Appalachian Trail.
Grandma Gatewood’s grave in Ohio.
Fundraising
The fundraising committee is really working hard to spread the word on the Grandma Gatewood project. They are trying to raise $200,000 for the two bronze sculptures of Grandma Gatewood. This includes sculpting, casting, shipping, installation and plaques in two locations.
This is not an insurmountable cost — especially for the thru-hiking community. From personal experience, I have found we are the most generous people on the planet. The GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/f/grandma-gatewood-tribute-statue/donate?attribution_id=undefined&utm_campaign=unknown&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=website_widget needs individuals and corporate sponsors to donate. My guess is, if every person who knows who Grandma Gatewood is gives $10, the fund would have more than enough to cover the cost.
Highway marker in Ohio
Why is Grandma Gatewood important?
If you are a hiker and you don’t know who Grandma Gatewood is, let me give you a short synopsis: Gatewood was a farm wife and mother of 11 children who endured much trauma in an abusive marriage. Once her kids were grown and she had kicked her husband out, she found the fortitude, endurance and will to be the first woman to thru-hike the AT—at 67 years of age! Hers is truly is an inspiring story. She went on to hike more trails and became quite famous. Yet, there is no statue commemorating her achievements.
Exhibit at the Museum of the AT, at the halfway point in PA.
Why should she have a statue?
According to a survey done by La Crosse Art Professor Sierra Rooney, Only 6 % of statues in the U.S. are of real women. In addition, statues of allegorical figures of women — those that represent ideas like liberty and peace, but are not real women — are more prevalent than real, named representations. For example, until just recently, the only “female” sculptures in Central Park (NYC) were of Mother Goose, Juliet (with Romeo) and a memorial fountain to Sophie Irene Loeb (American journalist and social welfare advocate) which is adorned with a fictional woman, Alice in Wonderland. This slight of historic women was somewhat addressed in 2020 when the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument, depicting three female activists, was dedicated.
Nice plaque, but a statue would be amazing!
Check out this press release about the project for more information.
Every dollar matters in the fundraising efforts, which is why there is a GoFundMe.
As for the location for a statue along the AT, Mongeon is still working on that. She said there is lots of red tape and approvals to navigate. If you’re someone with connections and have a possible location for that second statue, contact Mongeon directly at [email protected].
Basic mock-up of what the statues might look like.
Are there any statues out there depicting hikers? If there are, let me know in the comments. I’d love to visit those locations and get photos for a future blog.
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