On a road trip in May of 2022, we found ourselves in Rapid City, South Dakota. We had visited Mt. Rushmore on a previous visit but had never checked out what they call the City of Presidents. This is a series of life-sized bronze statues located among the city and streets of downtown Rapid City. According to their site, The City of Presidents project began in 2000 to honor the legacy of the American presidency. Each sculpture is privately funded, and the pattern of placement was chosen to maintain an orderly structure and eliminate any sense of favoritism or political gain. The City of Presidents is part of the Rapid City Historic District Tour. This is part 2 of a 5 part series on these amazing statues and includes the US Presidential Statues 1841-1877. I hope you enjoy the series as much as I enjoyed learning a lot of history while doing research.
US Presidential Statues 1841-1877 include former Presidents:
- John Tyler
- James K Polk
- Zachary Taylor
- Millard Fillmore
- Franklin Pierce
- James Buchanan
- Abraham Lincoln
- Andrew Johnson
- Ulysses S. Grant
John Tyler
JoTenth President
Date of Birth – March 29, 1790
Birthplace – Charles City County, Virginia
Education – College of William and Mary (graduated 1807)
Career – Lawyer
Political Party – Democrat, Whig
Nickname – “Accidental President;” “His Accidency”
Date of Inauguration – April 4, 1841
Date Ended – March 4, 1845
Date of Death – January 18, 1862
Burial place – Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia
Quote – “There is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive of the noblest and finest feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlimited power. I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which is most free.”
James K Polk
Eleventh President
Date of Birth – November 2, 1795
Birthplace – Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Education – The University of North Carolina (graduated 1818)
Career – Lawyer
Political Party – Democrat
Nickname – “Young Hickory”
Date of Inauguration – March 4, 1845
Date Ended – March 5, 1849
Date of Death – June 15, 1849
Burial place – State Capitol Grounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Quote – “There are four great measures for my administration – a reduction of tariff, an independent treasury, settlement of the Oregon boundary and acquisition of California.”
Zachary Taylor
Twelfth President
Date of Birth – November 24, 1784
Birthplace – Barboursville, Virginia
Education – College of William and Mary (graduated 1807)
Career -Soldier
Political Party – Whig
Nickname – “Old Rough and Ready”
Date of Inauguration – March 5, 1849
Date Ended – July 9, 1850
Date of Death – July 9, 1850
Burial place – Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, near Louisville, Kentucky
Quote – “A strong reputation is like a good bonfire. When you have one kindled it’s easy to keep the flame burning, even if someone comes along and tries to piss on it. But if you fall asleep and neglect it…You’ll wake up with ashes.”
Millard Fillmore
Thirteenth President
Date of Birth – January 7, 1800
Birthplace – Summerhill, New York
Education – Six months of grade school; read law in 1822
Career – Lawyer
Political Party – Whig
Nickname – “The American Louis Philippe”
Date of Inauguration – July 10, 1850
Date Ended – March 4, 1853
Date of Death – March 8, 1874
Burial place – Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York
Quote – “Nations, like individuals in a state of nature, are equal and independent, possessing certain rights and owing certain duties to each other.”
Franklin Pierce
Fourteenth President
Date of Birth – November 23, 1804
Birthplace – Hillsborough (now Hillsboro), New Hampshire
Education – Bowdoin College (graduated 1824)
Career – Lawyer, Public Official
Political Party – Democrat
Nickname – “Young Hickory of the Granite Hills”
Date of Inauguration – March 4, 1853
Date Ended – March 4, 1857
Date of Death – October 8, 1869
Burial place – Old North Cemetery, Concord, New Hampshire
Quote – “I can express no better hope for my country than that the kind Providence which smiled upon our fathers may enable their children to preserve the blessings they have inherited.”
James Buchanan
Fifteenth President
Date of Birth – April 23, 1791
Birthplace – Cove Gap (near Mercersburg), Pennsylvania
Education – Dickinson College (graduated 1809)
Career – Lawyer
Political Party – Democrat
Nickname – “Old Buck”
Date of Inauguration – March 4, 1857
Date Ended – March 4, 1861
Date of Death – June 1, 1868
Burial place – Woodward Hill Cemetery, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Quote – “Liberty must be allowed to work out its natural results; and these will, ere long, astonish the world.”
Abraham Lincoln
Sixteenth President
Date of Birth – February 12, 1809
Birthplace – Hardin (now Larue) County, Kentucky
Education –
Career – Lawyer
Political Party – Whig; Republican
Nickname – “Honest Abe”; “Illinois Rail-Splitter”
Date of Inauguration – March 4, 1861
Date Ended – April 15, 1865
Date of Death – April 15, 1865
Burial place – Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois
Quote – “If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”
Andrew Johnson
Seventeenth President
Date of Birth – December 29, 1808
Birthplace – Raleigh, North Carolina
Education –
Career – Tailor; Public Official
Political Party – Democrat; Unionist
Nickname – None
Date of Inauguration – April 15, 1865
Date Ended – March 4, 1869
Date of Death – July 31, 1875
Burial place – Greeneville, Tennessee
Quote -“When I die, I desire no better winding sheet than the Stars and Stripes, and no softer pillow than the Constitution of my country.”
Ulysses S. Grant
Eighteenth President
Date of Birth -April 27, 1822
Birthplace – Point Pleasant, Ohio
Education – U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York (graduated 1843)
Career – Soldier
Political Party – Republican
Nickname – “Hero of Appomattox”
Date of Inauguration – March 4, 1869
Date Ended – March 4, 1877
Date of Death – July 23, 1885
Burial place – Grant’s Tomb, New York, New York
Quote – “The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who have helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity.”
US Presidential Statues 1841-1877
We had a great time checking out the US Presidential Statues 1841-1877 while in Rapid City. Here is a link to a map of which presidents are included in the City of Presidents, and on which street corners they can be found. If you are in the area, it is a fun adventure. One thing to note, a server at a restaurant shared that during the winter people will put gloves, hats, scarves, etc on the statues for the homeless people to take and use. I thought that was quite kind of the people of Rapid City. Here are the links to other posts on this series:
US Presidential Statues 1789-1841
US Presidential Statues 1877-1913
US Presidential Statues 1913-1969
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Very Fascinating. I live in Canada, but am always interested in USA, and have lived in Hawaii and in California, and have visited many of the states. Thank you for your in-depth photos and details about the City of Presidents. I have visited Mt. Rushmore, many, many years ago! Diana
Thank you for the message Diana, and greetings to those of you in Canada. Hope you had a nice Canada Day.
This is really cool that you’ve done this. I will definitely come back to your blog when we take our next road trip.
Hi Lisa, thank you for the msg. Hope you enjoy your next road trip wherever it may take you 🙂 Happy travels.