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Any photos not otherwise credited are from the personal collection of Frank Passic, Albion Historian.
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Morning Star, August 25, 1996, pg. 4 If you are taking a vacation this year to Washington, D.C., you might like to visit the National Statuary Hall, found in the Rotunda of the US Capitol building. On display there are 95 statues contributed by the 50 states which sent statues of their notable citizens. Of special interest to Albionites is a statue of General William Henry Harrison Beadle (1838-1915), who is interred in our own Riverside Cemetery. Beadle attended the University of Michigan from 1857 to 1861 and studied civil engineering. His wife, Ellen S. Chapman was originally from Albion, and that is why he was buried here with his wife. Beadle attained the rank of brevet Brigadier-General during the Civil War before he was discharged in 1866. He returned to the University of Michigan and received a law degree in 1867. In 1869 he was appointed surveyor of the Dakota Territory. Beadle served as Superintendent of Public Instruction, and was also president of the Madison Normal School there in South Dakota. Beadle was known for his defense of "school lands," whereby wise management of the sale of public land would finance the public school system. "He Saved the School Lands," is the inscription found on the statue. Beadle’s ideas and work were adopted by several western states. A new book entitled, "National Statuary Hall, Guidebook for a Walking Tour" by Philip H. Viles, Jr. has just been published, and General Beadle is featured on page 17 of this 116-page work. Copies are $9.95 each plus $1.50 p & h to: Philip Viles, Jr. P.O. Box 700414, Tulsa, OK 74170-0414. The author was in town recently to view the gravesite, and left us with a copy of the book. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of the statue of General W.H.H. Beadle in the National Statuary Hall. It was unveiled in 1938, and was created by H. Daniel Webster. If you visit the U.S. Capitol, be sure and visit Statuary Hall. It is located past the Rotunda and vestibule in the West side, and General Beadle’s statute is located immediately to the right of the entrance [Note: a photo of General Beadle appears in my book, History of Albion, Michigan, page 98]. 
W. H. H. Beadle statue. Next: THE PASSING SCENE All text copyright, 2024 © all rights reserved Frank Passic
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