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Collis P. Huntington, the statue, turns 85
The statue of Collis P. Huntington, located in front of the CSX building on 7th Avenue, Huntington, turns 85 this year.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- This fall marks the 85th anniversary of a unique Huntington monument: The larger-than-life bronze statue of Collis P. Huntington standing atop its inscribed marble base. The statue possesses that weathered-with-age look as it stands watch in front of the CSX office building in the 900 block of 7th Avenue.
From October 1924 to May 1977, this representation of the city's founder, wearing a long coat and clasping the head of a cane, stood on the plaza in front of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's mid-town station and faced 7th Avenue. From his vantage point, Collis Huntington looked out over his bustling namesake as both the city and the railroad grew and changed.
Many Huntingtonians who rode passenger trains during their glory days recall that seeing Collis P. Huntington let them know they were back home. In fact, for most its time in front of the C&O station, the towering bronze became known as the unofficial symbol of the city of Huntington.
The Collis P. Huntington statue is the work of internationally-known sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who is best know as the creator of the colossal heads of the four presidents carved in the face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The statue was dedicated on Oct. 23, 1924, while a crowd of more than 7,000 looked on as it was unveiled and presented to the city and the C&O Railway.
The statue was given by the late Mrs. H.E. (Arabella) Huntington, who was Collis Huntington's second wife and his widow, who herself died just six weeks prior to the dedication.
Aside from the railroad itself, the Tri-State hadn't had any direct contact with Collis Huntington or his family since the C&O was sold in 1884. It came as a mild surprise when, 40 years later, the city was selected as the site for a statue of the railroad king.
The installation of the statue in 1924 seemed appropriate since Huntington definitely was a C&O town. In the early 1920s, there were 2,250 men employed in the sprawling C&O shops on 8th Avenue.
By the late 1930s, total C&O employment in the city exceeded 5,000. In 1939, there were 25 passenger trains arriving and departing daily at the three-story C&O station on 7th Avenue, and about 50 freight trains passed daily east and west through the depot. Hotels and restaurants near the station catered to passengers and crews of C&O trains.
Like the C&O before it, CSX is a major employer in Huntington and its repair shops alone employ hundreds of workers on land originally planned for the purpose by Collis P. Huntington.
In May 1977, the statue was moved to its new home in Heritage Village in downtown to stand near a vintage steam locomotive, a coal tender and a refurbished Pullman car.
Then, in the fall of 1999, the statue was again moved to stand in front of the CSX building on 7th Avenue.
Joseph Platania is a Huntington resident.
