There is no doubt that most of the things that Evansville has been successful at has been due to the work of Benjamin Bosse. Mr. Bosse served as mayor of Evansville from 1912 to his death in 1922.
According to wikipedia, " During his term as mayor Bosse oversaw that the horse drawn fire carriages were replaced, the Evansville Police Department moved into a separate Police Station, the paving of most downtown streets were paved with brick, and the city built several new public markets. The city's Public Recreation Department was also formed, resulting in the construction of Evansville’s first public playgrounds, tennis courts and swimming pools. He was also a supporter of Frank Fausch, who founded Evansville's National Football League team, the Evansville Crimson Giants."
Bosse also bought the land for Bosse High School and secured financing for its construction. Rumor also has it, Bosse went door to door to collect funds to keep the University of Evansville intact.
So how should Evansville pay tribute to Benjamin Bosse? The obvious solution is to build a statue. It is affordable, it makes an area look classy, and it will draw people to the area. I believe there is two areas that should be under consideration. 1. The river front 2. The top of the Old Courthouse and/or the old Old National Bank building.
I've been thinking this over for quite some time, and I can't help but think that 3 statues of Evansville's founders (Hugh McGary Jr., James W. Jones, and Col. Robert Morgan Evans) should be erected on the riverfront and one single statue of Benjamin Bosse should be erected on top of the Old Courthouse and/or Old National Bank building just like Philadelphia has done with William Penn on top of their City Hall. Benjamin Bosse had a great vision for this city, and putting a statue of him as the tallest monument in Evansville will help keep that vision going.
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