13101-13319 North Valley Pike (US Highway 11)
|
Last updated on April 9, 2024
|
Directions from Elk Run Cemetery to site 40:
- In 600 feet turn right onto North St
- In 200 feet take slight left turn onto E Spotswood Ave
- Turn left onto S Stuart Ave
- Continue for 16 miles then turn right onto Third St
- In 6.7 miles turn right onto Lee Hwy (US-11)
- In 2 miles the destination is on the right
Two identical statues stand tall at the north and south ends of US Highway 11, or Lee Jackson Highway, in Rockingham County, Virginia. They are the Rockingham Country Bronze Turkey Statues. These statues reflect the history of Rockingham County as the “Turkey Capital of the World,” where poultry is produced. The statues are mounted on a stone pedestal and sculpted from copper; the statues were installed in 1955. The statues came about through the vision of a 10-year-old African American boy in 1951. As a student at Lucy F. Simms in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Gerald Harris submitted the idea of a turkey statue in a contest. Harris was awarded first place. The success of the statues was accomplished due to Gerald Harris’s bright idea and contributors J. Noorwood Bosserman and Carl A. Roseburg. The bronze turkey was chosen as it is a domestic breed that flourished in the county. The Rockingham County Bronze Turkey Statues are featured in the Roman Bronze Works in New York.
