By Nancy Young
Enquirer contributor
HAMILTON - This city will show off its namesake in a big way. A 4,000-pound, 16-foot-tall bronze Alexander Hamilton monument - titled "The American Cape" - will be unveiled Oct. 23.
The $200,000 sculpture was created by Delaware artist Kristen Visbal and commissioned as a collaborative effort of Historic Hamilton Inc. and Hamilton, Ohio, City of Sculpture, Inc.
"When presented with the opportunity to sculpt Alexander Hamilton, I was honored and thrilled to create a historical work with energy and movement; one that would enrich the landscape of America and instill pride in its citizens for one of our most intelligent and accomplished Founding Fathers," Visbal said.
Visbal's other public works include two in Florida parks - a life-size sculpture of gold medalist Bob Hayes running with the Olympic torch and a 10-foot "Sea Express" composition of a boy riding a dolphin on a wave - as well as "Girl Chasing Butterflies," which sits at Merrill Lynch corporate headquarters in Plainsboro, N.J.
"The American Cape" depicts Hamilton as an orator with a full-length cape, which blows up and back and becomes the 13-star American flag of Hamilton's era. Plaques highlighting statistics on Hamilton's life as well as his contributions to the current form of American government are mounted on three pyramidal pillars.
The sculpture was privately funded with contributions from school children, clubs, businesses, firefighters and individuals.
The dedication will include comments by Visbal, Douglas Hamilton (a fifth-great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton), and Stephen Knott, author of Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth.
Hamilton sculpture
The dedication ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at Journal Square in downtown Hamilton. For further information, call (513) 844-8080 or visit 
