City updates progress on Discovery Project, statue honoring Rockwall's settlers
Nov. 18—An art project to honor the City of Rockwall's history is getting closer to completion.
The Rockwall City Council approved the Discovery Statue Project, named for the three pioneers who discovered the rock wall for which the city was named, in September 2021.
The council approved funding of $324,800 for a larger-than-life sculpture to be located on the grounds of the Historic Courthouse on the square.
This week the city provided an update on the project. The pieces of the statue are being poured in bronze at Schaefer Art Bronze Casting in Arlington.
The statue depicts the three settlers, Terry Utley Wade, Benjamin Boydstun, and William Clay Stevenson, who dug a well in 1852 and discovered the rock wall.
According to the Rockwall Historical Foundation website, the city was platted and named two years later in 1854 for the rock formation after town founders could not agree on naming the land after one of themselves.
The original artist, Jim Bryant, is donating his time as a consultant overseeing the project. When it's complete, the final Discovery statue will be featured on the southeast corner of the Historic Downtown Courthouse.
Funding for the project comes through the Rockwall Alliance for the Arts and the City of Rockwall.
