Monument Name
Doc Watson Statue, Boone
Type
Subjects
Creator
City
County
Description
This statue commemorates the Grammy Award-winning artist and Watauga County (Deep Gap) native Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson. It is located at the Northeast corner of North Depot and West King streets in downtown Boone, N.C and depicts Watson sitting on a bench, playing a model of his favorite guitar, a customized Gallagher.
Inscription
Doc Watson / “Just one of the People."
Custodian
City of Boone / Downtown Boone Development Center
Dedication Date
June 24th, 2011
Decade
Geographic Coordinates
36.218750 , -81.683960
Supporting Sources
Public Site
Yes
Materials & Techniques
Cast Bronze
Sponsors
Downtown Boone Development Association (DBDA), The Mast Farm Inn
Monument Cost
$50,000
Monument Dedication and Unveiling
The monument was dedicated on June 6, 2011, following a special dedication concert, during which Doc Watson and fellow musicians performed on the front porch of the Jones House Community Center, located two blocks form the statue itself. The concert was held in collaboration with the Watauga County Arts Council. Concert performers included Clint Howard, David Holt, Charles Welch, and Wayne Henderson, musicians who played with Watson at different times during his career.
Subject Notes
The statue is located at a diagonal to Boone Drug, the town’s oldest drug store, where Watson began busking in his early twenties at the beginning of his musical career.
Location
The statue is located at 642 W King St (at N. Depot St.), Boone, NC 28607. It stands in front of the di Santi Watson Capua & Wilson Law Firm building, and is positioned directly East from the Mast General Store. John Cooper, owner and operator of downtown Boone’s Mast General Store, initiated the memorial project.
Landscape
The memorial sits on one hundred and fifty bricks, purchased by sponsors of the monument, and bearing inscriptions of favorite Doc Watson song lyrics, memories, the name of the sponsor and the year.
Post Dedication Use
Many visitors to Boone take photos with the statue, especially following concerts at the nearby Jones House, a restored cultural center and home to the Watauga Arts Council.
Approval Process
The di Santi and Watson Law Firm granted approval to place the memorial in front of their building. Although John Cooper of Deep Gap, North Carolina, conceived the project, it was initiated in collaboration with the Downtown Boone Development Association. A special committee was formed during its planning, and John Cooper served as the joint Project Chair, along with Mary Baker, Executive Director of the Downtown Boone Development Association.
Materials & Assembly Cost
According to the Downtown Boone Development Association, there is a contingency plan and a public fund held for statue repairs and maintenance.
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