Who’s the man with no shoes in Charlotte’s newest public statue?
Charlotte’s newest public statue stands as a tribute to one of the city’s earliest guardians of vulnerable children.
While other statues on Charlotte’s Trail of History so far show historic figures in their business suits or ceremonial attire, this new statue is different and it’s the first to feature young children.
The statue, by Colorado-based artist Jane DeDecker, is called “On the Banks of Little Sugar Creek.” It’s visible along the trail, a one-mile stretch of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, just outside uptown.
On Friday, supporters of Charlotte’s Trail of History celebrated the unveiling of a large, sculpted work of art depicting Edwin Augustus Osborne. Osborne and the three children with him in the sculpture are shown barefoot.
The art depicts a lighthearted moment that DeDecker says she hopes preserves the “magic of childhood.”
Osborne was the founding superintendent of the Thompson Orphanage, which was started by the Episcopal Church in Charlotte in 1886.
“I hope (Osborne’s statue) will represent the compassion this community has had since way, way back,” said Tony Zeiss, chairman-elect for the nonprofit Trail of History organization, which commissions statues of important people in Charlotte’s history.
For more than 60 years, the orphanage was home to local children whose families were unable to care for them or whose parents had died. Today, Thompson Child and Family Focus has four locations serving children with developmental, behavioral and mental health needs.
Thompson’s legacy is significant to Charlotte’s history and touched many lives, said sculptor DeDecker.
“The superintendents were not just raising children — but strong men and women,” she said. “The simple time spent with children can be life-changing.”
Stories from people who spent their childhood at the Thompson Orphanage, as well as writings from Osborne and other historical records, DeDecker said, inspired the composition of her sculpture.
The artwork depicts Osborne with three children sitting near the water’s edge. One boy in the sculpture is wearing a watch — symbolic of the gold watch that was given to one child each year at the orphanage who was voted “Best Citizen” by their peers.
The Obsorne statue is the ninth to be placed on the Trail of History. It’s located behind St. Mary’s Chapel, with on-site parking available from 3rd Street.
More statues can be seen along the walking and bike path which runs between Central Piedmont Community College (7th Street) and Morehead Street/S. Kings Drive.
The first was a bronze statue, installed in 2010, called the “Spirit of Mecklenburg,” depicting Captain James Jack riding a horse. Jack is credited with delivering to the nation’s leaders in 1775 a declaration of independence from Britain, signed by Mecklenburg County residents.
Other statues already in place include: William Henry Belk, founder of Belk department stores; Thad Tate, black business entrepreneur and founder of the first insurance company in North Carolina to serve African-Americans; and Jane Renwick Smedberg Wilkes, who helped start Charlotte’s first two public hospitals.
Work is underway on two other statues honoring Philip L. Van Every, former Charlotte mayor and CEO of Lance snack food company and also Julius Chambers, a prominent black attorney who fought to integrate local public schools and won numerous landmark cases for racial equality in North Carolina.