Bigelow Sphinx
Watertown, MA
N 42° 22.396 W 071° 08.724
The Bigelow Sphinx was was commissioned and funded by Dr. Jacob Bigelow to commemorate the end of the American Civil War. It is located in a landscaped circle along Cedar Avenue in Mount Auburn Cemetery.
Long Description:
The Bigelow Sphinx is considered to be one of the most unusual Civil War monuments. A 6' high by 3' wide by 10' long sculpture of a sphinx with the face of an Anglo-American woman and the body of an African lion sits on a 5' by 5' by 15' base. The sculpture was commissioned by Dr. Jacob Bigelow and created by the famous Irish-American sculptor Martin Milmore. It was erected in Mount Auburn Cemetery in 1872.
On the right side of the base of the Bigelow Sphinx is the Latin inscription:
AMERICA CONSERVATA
AFRICAN LIBERATA
POPULO MAGNO ASURGENTE
HEROUM SANGUINE FUSO
AMERICAN UNION PRESERVED
AMERICAN SLAVERY DESTROYED
BY THE UPRISING OF A GREAT PEOPLE
BY THE BLOOD OF FALLEN HEROES
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