It’s a beaut, LOU, it’s a beaut. This holiday season we’re unwrapping a few presents you won’t find under a tree or in a store. From commissioned artworks to museum donations and historical artifacts, check out these four gifts given to Louisville through the years.
Tori Murden McClure’s rowboat | On December 3, 1999, Tori Murden McClure completed an epic 3,300-mile Transatlantic rowboat journey after 81 days at sea. The feat made her the first woman and first American to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 2020, the former Spalding University president loaned the Frazier History Museum her motor-less, sail-less plywood boat the American Pearl, but this December she donated the boat to the museum’s permanent collection on the 25th anniversary of her journey. Bonus: The Frazier also has skis and apparel from McClure’s 1989 South Pole trek.
Hogan’s Fountain | This Cherokee Park landmark was gifted to the city in 1904 by prominent merchants Mr. and Mrs. William J. Hogan, who commissioned the artwork for $7,000 in 1903. The Vermont granite fountain adorned with a bronze sculpture of the Greek god Pan was created by Louisville artist Enid Yandell. Bonus: In May 2023, the Olmsted Parks Conservancy funded a $350,000 restoration of the historic fountain.
Steel beam from the World Trade Center | In 2011, a 116-lb beam recovered from Ground Zero was given to Louisville’s Mercer Transportation from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The memorial gift recognized the Mercer drivers that volunteered their time + equipment in 2009 to haul pieces of the World Trade Center from research storage in Maryland back to New York City to be used in memorials across the US. The twisted and rusted beam is on display at Mercer’s Bill Howard Memorial Park on the corner of 12th and Main Street and serves as a 9/11 memorial.
Lottie the triceratops | The 4,800-lb prehistoric reptile towering above the Kentucky Science Center parking lot (visible from I-64) isn’t just any old dino, it’s Lottie, “Louisville’s own triceratops.” Originally commissioned as one of nine fiberglass dinosaurs by the Sinclair Oil company for the 1964 World’s Fair, Lottie was gifted to Derby City by the fair after a tour across the US. Lottie formerly lived at the Louisville Zoo in the 1970s before finding her forever home at the science center. The 10-ft-tall dino was a fixture in the parking lot throughout the 1980s + 1990s before being moved to storage. In 2022, Lottie got a fresh coat of paint and was put back on display.
These extraordinary gifts not only add character and value to our city but also show how generosity can have a lasting impact. Do you know of another major gift given to our city? Let us know.
