MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY MONUMENT

Monument and Belmont Avenues

Matthew Fontaine Maury was born in Virginia, served in the United States Navy and became head of the Navy Department’s Depot of Charts and Instruments.

Maury published a number of works on navigation, naval reform, meteorology and astronomy, and established himself as a geographer of note. At the outbreak of the War Between the States he abandoned the advantages of his position and joined the forces of the Confederacy. He was in charge of coast, harbor, and river defenses and invented a harbor defense mine which he titled an “electric torpedo.” Maury made the study of ocean winds and currents his lifework, and has often been called the “Pathfinder of the Seas.” He spent his last days as a professor of meteorology at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington.

Symbolically interpreting the many endeavors in which he was prominent, the monument to Maury has been called “a poem in bronze.” It was executed by F. W. Sievers and unveiled in 1919.

This series, featuring the monuments of Richmond, is a continuation of the 1958 series,

“Historic Richmond.” A reproduction of the above illustration, printed in sepia on antique stock and suitable for framing, is available upon request.

Joseph W. Bliley Funeral Home

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Richmond, Virginia