Grady Atwater
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Letter Leads To Historic Statue
History & Heritage
By Grady Atwater
Anna L. January was an extraordinarily dedicated Osawatomie booster who worked diligently to preserve Osawatomie’s history. She was the primary force behind the production and placement of the John Brown statue in John Brown Memorial Park in 1935.
January was a strong woman who let nothing deter her from working to preserve Osawatomie’s history for future generations. She was an officer in virtually every organization in the community, and on March 15, 1927, she wrote George Fite Waters “as an individual” and asked him if “he could undertake the work” of sculpting the statue. Waters was an American sculptor working in Paris, France, who had studied under Auguste Rodin and was a heavyweight in the art world. January’s persistent letters and effective arguments convinced Waters to produce the artwork.
January presented the idea of producing the statue to the Women’s Relief Corps of the Grand Army of the Republic. At her encouragement, the group began fund-raising for the event by having each member of the organization sell a 20-petal sunflower at a dime per petal, which was a lot of money in a community in the grips of the Great Depression. January herself donated $500.00 to the cause, and with generous gifts, large and small, from the community, the effort to have the John Brown statue created and cast was a success.
The statue was dedicated on May 9, 1935. The dedication ceremony was a grand one, with 5,000 in attendance to hear distinguished speakers such as Governor Alf Landon and Harry H. Woodring, the assistant secretary of war.
However, Osawatomie’s progressive nature was revealed in January’s and the Women’s Relief Corp’s choice of Bishop W.T. Vernon, president of Western University in Quindaro, Kan. Vernon was an African-American, and January braved certain controversy over choosing an African-American speaker to deliver a speech to a predominantly white audience in 1935.
January’s determination to preserve Osawatomie’s history still benefits the community. The statue is one of only two of George Fite Waters public artworks still in existence, and tourists from around the nation and the world have been photographing and having their pictures taken with the statue from the statue’s dedication to the present day. The statue is not only a monument to John Brown, the abolitionists and Free State activists who stood against slavery in Kansas Territory and across the nation, but it is also a monument to January’s dedication to preserving Osawatomie’s rich history and heritage for future generations.
Anna L. January was an Osawatomie heroine whose dedication to preserving the community’s history still benefits the community today, and her contributions to the town demonstrate that one dedicated person can make a positive difference in Osawatomie.
— Grady Atwater is site administrator at John Brown Museum State Historic Site.
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January was a strong woman who let nothing deter her from working to preserve Osawatomie’s history for future generations. She was an officer in virtually every organization in the community, and on March 15, 1927, she wrote George Fite Waters “as an individual” and asked him if “he could undertake the work” of sculpting the statue. Waters was an American sculptor working in Paris, France, who had studied under Auguste Rodin and was a heavyweight in the art world. January’s persistent letters and effective arguments convinced Waters to produce the artwork.
January presented the idea of producing the statue to the Women’s Relief Corps of the Grand Army of the Republic. At her encouragement, the group began fund-raising for the event by having each member of the organization sell a 20-petal sunflower at a dime per petal, which was a lot of money in a community in the grips of the Great Depression. January herself donated $500.00 to the cause, and with generous gifts, large and small, from the community, the effort to have the John Brown statue created and cast was a success.
The statue was dedicated on May 9, 1935. The dedication ceremony was a grand one, with 5,000 in attendance to hear distinguished speakers such as Governor Alf Landon and Harry H. Woodring, the assistant secretary of war.
However, Osawatomie’s progressive nature was revealed in January’s and the Women’s Relief Corp’s choice of Bishop W.T. Vernon, president of Western University in Quindaro, Kan. Vernon was an African-American, and January braved certain controversy over choosing an African-American speaker to deliver a speech to a predominantly white audience in 1935.
January’s determination to preserve Osawatomie’s history still benefits the community. The statue is one of only two of George Fite Waters public artworks still in existence, and tourists from around the nation and the world have been photographing and having their pictures taken with the statue from the statue’s dedication to the present day. The statue is not only a monument to John Brown, the abolitionists and Free State activists who stood against slavery in Kansas Territory and across the nation, but it is also a monument to January’s dedication to preserving Osawatomie’s rich history and heritage for future generations.
Anna L. January was an Osawatomie heroine whose dedication to preserving the community’s history still benefits the community today, and her contributions to the town demonstrate that one dedicated person can make a positive difference in Osawatomie.
— Grady Atwater is site administrator at John Brown Museum State Historic Site.