The Century Wall at Black River Overlook Park

I wrote a few days ago about Overlook Park’s Civil War trail. In addition to picnic tables and some nice riverside places to rest and think, there are a couple of other nice features in the park that people seem to enjoy: the Princess Pocahontas statue and the Century Wall. In fact, I almost never pass the park without seeing somebody studying the Century Wall. Since US Highways 67 and 62 pass right by the park, I think a lot of folks “just passing through” see the park and stop for a little rest.

Our park’s original Princess Pocahontas statue was carved from wood, stained very dark. I always thought it looked more like Whoopie Goldberg than an Indian princess. It finally rotted away a few years ago and the City replaced it with a beautiful life-sized statue carved from limestone. The princess has hair blowing in the wind and she clutches a stalk of the grain they lived on.

The Century Wall is a collection (on 3 separate brick walls) of the most influential Americans of the 20th Century, etched in stone. It was erected in 2000 as a tribute to the turn of the century. It’s really well done, and has survived two Black River floods already, with the river covering all but the top level of wall.