A few years later, Paul Goodloe McIntire offered to buy the McKee property if the city would permit the street to become part of a park in which to locate his proposed sculpture of Stonewall Jackson.  This sculpture was the second of three pieces he gave to the City of Charlottesville.  On January 19, 1919, the McKee property was deeded to the City of Charlottesville with the understanding that the area would never be used other than for a park and that no other monument except Jackson's would ever be placed on the property.

The houses on McKee Row (Holsinger photo) were demolished and a plan for Jackson Park was developed by architect Walter Blair.  On August 1, 1919, while development of the park was underway, McIntire contracted with sculptor Charles Keck to create the sculpture of Stonewall Jackson.  Keck's work reflected the figurative style and historic bent of the National Sculpture Society during the defunct City Beautiful Movement of the early twentieth century.  The City Beautiful Movement called for well-designed and attractive public spaces as a way of creating unity and beauty within urban centers.

Keck agreed to complete the Jackson sculpture by August 1921, at a total cost of $35,000.  To prepare accurate sketches for the horse, he came to Albemarle County to study Virginia-bred horses and "the Virginia seat in the saddle."  A Charlottesville horseman is reported to have demonstrated the finer points of horsemanship for Keck on McIntire's favorite riding horse.

When the marble pedestal was being erected in Jackson Park, a new controversy developed.  A group of citizens believed that the "Jackson statue should face north, not from sentiment, but on account of the lay of the land and prospective Court Square improvements."  Work was stopped while McIntire was consulted.  Upon receiving McIntire's simple telegraph stating, "I think it best to leave statue facing south," work resumed.

It was McIntire's wish that the local chapters of the Confederate Veterans, Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Daughters of the Confederacy should plan the celebration exercise for the unveiling of the Jackson monument.  The statue was presented to the City of Charlottesville on October 19, 1921, during a Confederate reunion.  The city was brightly decorated and bands played as Colonel Thomas S.  Keller led a parade of some 5,000 persons through the streets, stopping at Midway Plaza where school children formed a living representation of the Confederate flag.  A large crowd then followed the parade to Jackson Park for the unveiling ceremony.  The monument was unveiled by Anna Jackson Preston, the great-great-granddaughter of Stonewall Jackson and the daughter of Julia Jackson Preston of Charlottesville.

At first some local horsemen criticized the sculpture's proportions, stating that the figure of the horse appeared small for the tall figure of Jackson.  However, Jackson is reported to have intensely disliked riding on horseback and when required to do so, chose only small, smooth-gaited animals.  Keck's Little Sorrel is thus accurate in size as well as proportion.  At the time of the art work unveiling in 1921, the Jackson monument was considered by many to be among the finest equestrian sculptures in the nation.  Paul McIntire was more reserved in his judgement.  He is said to have commented that he never could judge the whole work, because he only saw his favorite riding horse, which served as the model for "Little Sorrel."
 

   The park consists of six flower beds that edge the corners and entry ways into the park.  These flower beds contain seasonal planting of spring bulbs, summer annuals, and fall chrysanthemums.  Currently, the bulbs growing in the beds are a Double Early Mix.  Double Early tulips bloom before any of the long stemmed varieties and a little later than Single Early tulips.  The short stems of the Double Early Mix help them stand up to our strong, gusty spring winds.  In addition, their size makes them an excellent choice for planting in beds and around borders.  The seasonal plantings in these beds change from year to year.
 

   Trees of interest include the large pin oaks (Quercus phellos), red oaks (Quercus rubra), and maples (Acer rubrum) that serve as a dividing line between Jackson Park and the Albemarle County Courthouse to the east.  Also of interest is the Yoshino cherry tree (Prunus x yedoensis) given to the City by the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE).  The tree honors survivors of domestic violence and also memorializes those who have died as a result of this abuse.

   If you would like to assist in the maintenance of this and/or other City parks, please check out our Volunteers and Donor programs.