While looking for the main entrance to the Parthenon, I found this monument nearby. I was curious and walked over to check it out.
It is a monument of John W. Thomas. He was the President of the 1897 Centennial Exposition of Tennessee. The monument features him holding a cape in his left hand.
The statue rests on a stone base with four rectangular bronze plaques. One bronze plaque has a seated woman, wearing a long dress, and holding a blueprint or some document. On the other side is another bronze plaque depicting a seated woman holding a statue in one hand.
The plaque's inscription had the following:
John W. Thomas
1830-1906
A Native of Nashville
Forty-eight years in the service
of the Nashville, Chattanooga &
St. Louis Railway;
President for twenty-two years.
President of the
Tennessee Centennial Exposition,
which resulted in securing
to Nashville this park.
A worthy man in all the lines of life,
An efficient man of affairs,
An upright and eminent citizen,
A Christian and a gentleman.
A friend and a brother
This memorial is erected by the employees of the
Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway
-1907-
I marvelled at the punctuation and text layout. I realize that you have limited space on a plaque for text. It almost felt like reading a poem in biographical mode. Short and sweet. Concise. It was great.
Check out this monument when you're at Centennial Park. When it's not a scorching hot day out, it would be the perfect place to sit down, people-watch, and take a break. Learning about Thomas doesn't hurt, either.
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