Thursday, Jul 19, 2007
On July 14th, in the serene Kinderhook Village square, under a blue sky and gentle breeze, a fife and drum crop played lively patriotic tunes as a large crowd of dignitaries and citizens witnessed the unveiling of a new bronze statue of Martin Van Buren, the eighth United States president.
Funds for the statue were raised by the Friends of Lindenwald (Van Buren named his estate “Lindenwald”), which donated the statue to Kinderhook Village. According to the president of the group, Bob Worsfold, it is the first ever monument in the nation to honor President Van Buren, who died in Kinderhook in 1862, and would act to “resurrect his memory.”
The sculptor, Edward Hlavka of Saint George, Utah, currently has his work displayed in Washington D.C., including at the Smithsonian Institute.
Dan Dattilio, superintendent at Martin Van Buren, said that “this is a great accomplishment for the Friends of Lindenwald…and I am happy to see Kinderhook receive the national recognition that has so long been absent and that it so much deserves.”
The idea of placing a monument in the village began with chief curator Patricia West and chief ranger Jim McKay as a way to become more closely connected to the community where Van Buren was born, grew up, and returned after he was president.
Pictured in the photograph: Sitting are Martin Van Buren and two of his fourth generation grandchildren, Natasha and Maxwell Van Buren Olson. Standing are Kinderhook Mayor William Van Alstyne, outgoing President Bob Worsfold, Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Superintendent Dan Dattilio, and Van Buren’s third generation grandson Martin Van Buren Morris.
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