Boll Weevil Monument
4 reviews for Boll Weevil Monument
Something to see if you're around but it's about the least interesting monument I've ever seen.
Yes...they have a statue dedicated to an agricultural pest. This statue depicts a lovely woman holding a large boll weevil triumphantly over her head. She and her buggy friend are located right smack in the middle of a busy intersection in downtown Enterprise, so if you want a closer look, make sure you're paying attention to avoid getting hit by a car.
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Ive seen better statues on people's private property and second everything Zachary said below. Don't go out of your way for this.
This monument stands as a prime example of southern prejudice and backwards thinking. I would be embarrassed to call myself a resident of a town with a monument to an insect. First a little background information... In the early 1920's the boll weevil spread from Mexico, through Texas and eventually into the entire cotton growing region of the south. This event pretty much spelled disaster for their economy since the insect feeds on cotton buds and flowers, and at the time there were no pesticides available. Around this time, George Washington Carver was researching and promoting alternative crops to cotton, and agricultural practices such as crop rotation. He was able to teach sharecroppers how they could grow peanuts and sweet potatoes as a source of their own food and as a means to make a living, thereby rescuing the southern economy. Apparently unwilling to erect a monument to an African American, the town of Enterprise erects a monument to the boll weevil instead. The plaque reads, "In profound appreciation of the Boll Weevil and what it has done as the herald of prosperity, this monument is erected by the citizens of Enterprise ". No surprise that the monument was frequently the target of vandals and practical jokers. One such group managed to damage the statue beyond repair, and a replica stands in its place now. In an effort to curb the practice of flight school students putting women's underwear on, and taking pictures of themselves doing lewd things with the monument, the town had to install security cameras to monitor the statue 24/7. I love the Army...
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
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- Cool (1)