Statue unveiled at Columbus Tennessee Williams Welcome Center
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A new attraction at Columbus’s Tennessee Williams Welcome Center may have visitors “sittin’ a spell”.
A host of local leaders, along with friends and family of Dixie Butler, were on hand this morning for the unveiling of a life-size statue of Tennessee Williams.
Butler donated the money to commission the likeness of Williams.
The statue features the renowned author sitting on a bench, and tourism officials are hoping it proves to be an inviting spot for visitors to come, sit, and take a few pictures.
Oxford-based sculptor William Beckwith worked with the staff of the Tennessee Williams Home to work in the details that helped bring out the playwright’s personality.
In all, the project has taken close to five years to complete.
“Once Dixie Butler came to me, which was about five years ago and said ‘I want to donate some money, Carl Butler and I do, for the history of Columbus. We want to dedicate, and we want to give the money for a statue of Tennessee Williams,” said Columbus Cultural Heritage Foundation, Nancy Carpenter.
The installation included finding a bench sturdy enough to hold the bronze writer and pouring an additional pad underneath it.
