Everyone knows this 1940s cultural icon, but did you know the real life Rosie the Riveter resided just minutes from Louisville and you can take a photo with her statue?
Thanks to the Clarksville Historic Preservation Commission and $80,000 in donations, a statue of Rosie the Riveter — aka Rose Will Monroe — was created by the Weber Group and unveiled last fall.
The colorful statue tells the story of a young Rose who left Kentucky at age 22 as a war widow with her two children to work at B-24 bomber plant in Michigan. Her claim to fame came after actor Walter Pidgeon visited the factory she worked at and chose Rose to appear in his documentary promoting war bonds and named her “Rosie the Riveter.”
Rose moved to Clarksville, IN after World War II where she lived until she died in 1997.
Visit the statue at Clarksville’s Ashland Park — across from Widow’s Walk Ice Cream.
