A statue of former first lady Ellen Axson Wilson was unveiled on Thursday at Rome’s Town Green. The bronze statue, which cost close to $60,000 and was paid for by funds raised from local corporations and donors, was placed at the east end of the Chief John Ross Memorial Bridge.

 

The sculpture was designed by Arizona artist Stephanie Hunter and is sponsored by the Rome Area Council for the Arts.

For those that are unfamiliar with Wilson, she was the first wife of President Woodrow Wilson. Ellen Louise Axson was born in Savannah, was she the daughter of the Reverend Samuel Edward Axson, wjp beame the paster at First Presbyterian Church in Rome. History shows that Ellen was a lady of refined tastes with a fondness for art, music and literature

She died of Bright`s disease on August 6, 1914. She was buried in Rome’s Mrytle Hill Cemetery among her family. She is also the only first lady buried in Georgia.