Symbolism Of The Arch

Symbolism Of The Arch. .

"Each arch is composed of 37 ringstones, including the keystone, one for each State of the Union", Source: July 13, 1871, Saint Clairsville Gazette reprinted from the Bellaire Independent., 1 Delaware December 7, 1787 . 2 Pennsylvania December 12, 1787 . 3 New Jersey December 18, 1787 . 4 Georgia January 2, 1788 . 5 Connecticut January 9, 1788 . 6 Massachusetts February 6, 1788 . 7 Maryland April 28, 1788 . 8 South Carolina May 23, 1788 . 9 New Hampshire June 21, 1788 . 10 Virginia June 25, 1788 . 11 New York July 26, 1788 . 12 North Carolina November 21, 1789 . 13 Rhode Island May 29, 1790 . 14 Vermont March 4, 1791 . 15 Kentucky June 1, 1792 . 16 Tennessee June 1, 1796 . 17 Ohio March 1, 1803 . 18 Louisiana April 30, 1812 . 19 Indiana December 11, 1816 . 20 Mississippi December 10, 1817 . 21 Illinois December 3, 1818 . 22 Alabama December 14, 1819 . 23 Maine March 15, 1820 . 24 Missouri August 10, 1821 . 25 Arkansas June 15, 1836 . 26 Michigan January 26, 1837 . 27 Florida March 3, 1845 . 28 Texas December 29, 1845 . 29 Iowa December 28, 1846 . 30 Wisconsin May 29, 1848 . 31 California September 9, 1850 . 32 Minnesota May 11, 1858 . 33 Oregon February 14, 1859 . 34 Kansas January 29, 1861 . 35 West Virginia June 20, 1863 . 36 Nevada October 31, 1864 . 37 Nebraska March 1, 1867

, Thirty-Seven Ringstones , The great American conflict that pitted government against government, state against state, and brother against brother has been known by many names other than "The Civil War". "The War of Rebellion", "The War of Secession", and "The War Between the States" are known synonymously with this great American conflict. Free Blacks and former slaves were known to call this conflict "The Freedom War", while those sympathetic to the preservation of the institution of slavery were known to use more charitable descriptions such as "The War for Southern Independence" or the "War of Northern Aggression" Yet, by whatever name it was called, this conflict tore at our American Nation over which President Lincoln presided. His leadership came from his strength, and will always be remembered as preserving the union of states formed by the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln knew that strength comes from unity despite the differences that make our nation diverse., This same symbolism of strength can be found in the simplicity of a stone arch. The arch itself has advantages over other types of architectural design because it can span distances and support great loads without obstructing a view beyond the arch itself. The arch is a window into the future, and President Lincoln envisioned what the future would be like if secession was permitted to occur. An arch is constructed of finely cut "ring stones" which line the arch. They are tapered so that the bottom of the stone is narrower than the "shoulder" at the top of each stone. Standing together "shoulder to shoulder", they are joined together at the apex with a larger "key stone" which locks them all tightly together, giving the arch its strength in unity. Just as President Abraham Lincoln knew that a Union of States could not remain strong with a secession of some from that union, the arch is only strong because of the support of each ring stone locked in place by the keystone. Failure of any single stone would weaken and cause the arch to fall., After the conclusion of that war, Nebraska became the 37th state of this Union. The importance of this unity of states, by whatever name it might be called, is symbolized in the arches of the Great Stone Viaduct in Bellaire, Ohio. Planned during the last days of the Civil War, and constructed during the years which immediately followed, the first stone of the bridge was placed in the Ohio River piers in 1868, the year following Nebraska's admission to the Union. In 1870, the first arch of the Great Stone Viaduct was erected on Union Street in Bellaire. Completed in 1871, this viaduct consists of 43 separate stone arches; each arch contains 5 ring stones and one keystone, for a total of 37 stones symbolizing each of 37 states preserved by the terrible conflict that had just ended. Those arches continue to carry railroad traffic today on a daily basis because of the strength of those arches. Thanks to President Abraham Lincoln, our Union of States known as the United States of America finds similar strength and vitality today in unity.