Collins Monument: Lost Statuary (19th C.)

3D Model

Object: The Collins Monument Location: Ohio River Valley

Historical Significance: This towering 19th-century pedestal, bearing the family name “COLLINS,” is a classic example of Victorian-era funerary architecture. Monuments of this scale and expense were almost exclusively designed to serve as a base for a large crowning statue, such as a draped urn, an angel, or a symbolic figure.

Preservation Status & The Lost Statue: This “Digital Twin” documents a severe loss of historical context. While the heavy limestone pedestal has survived, the crowning artwork has been completely sheared off by kinetic impact or decades of freeze-thaw fracturing. Only jagged, unidentifiable stone anchors remain on the top plinth. Without early photographic records, the original identity of the statue is a permanent mystery. This archive preserves the surviving family name and architectural geometry before the remaining stone succumbs to advanced biological weathering.

Digitization: The American Digital Heritage Project