Benjamin Thomas Epps was an inventor, mechanic, and self-taught aviator. He was the first Georgian to build and fly a motor driven airplane, in 1907.
In Athens at 120 East Washington Street, Ben built his first airplane of his own design. He used a 15-horsepower motorcycle engine to power his elongated winged monoplane. Sitting upright, the structure resting on three bicycle wheels, and using a hill as his runway, nineteen-year-old Ben Epps took flight over a cow pasture near Athens, Georgia. His first flight was about 100 yards long with an altitude of 50 feet.
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The idea for the statue came about while planning for the Centennial for Aviation in Georgia in 2007, 100 years after Ben T. Epps built and flew the first airplane to fly in Georgia. The memorial sub-committee wanted to recognize his achievements by designing and erecting three memorials around Athens, GA. The premise was not to just honor Mr. Epps,but to educate the public on his achievements in aviation, as he had never received much long-standing recognition. These three memorials included a bronze bust, a Georgia Historical Society Plaque, and a life-size statue of him.
Two of these memorials have been achieved. The bust is on display at the Athens Airport which is named in his honor. The plaque is erected in front of the building where Mr. Epps had his shop on Washington street.
Now, all that is needed to fulfill the plan was the life sized statue. The idea for the statue came from a picture of him standing in front of a Curtis JN- 4D “Jenny” in the early 1920’s. The coat and helmet are the type worn by US Airmail pilots starting in 1918. From there we could not decide how his stance should be, since we couldn't very well put a full-size airplane in the sculpture. The statue plans were tempararily put on hold because plans were being prepared for the redevelopment of the area downtown that would be most appropriate for the statue.
The following year, during a family reunion, Billy Epps, a nephew of Ben T. Epps Sr., was asked to make some sketches from the Jenny photo. At that time, it was thought that an earlier, younger, Ben Epps may be more interesting, and the idea was suggested by Bill Evelyn, a committee member, that Epps should be holding a propeller in one hand and a set of rolled up plans in the other. The rolled up plans would be for one of the airplanes that he made and, figuratively, for his plans to promote aviation throughout Georgia and the southeast. Billy Epps went to work with these ideas. The image to the left is the final draft of the plans to base the sculpture on.
On May 26, 2010, at the Athens Chamber of Commerce, Artist Bob Quinn unveiled the statue model he has been working on for the committee to evaluate. He is now in the process of adding the details to the model. Copies of the final model will be available for purchase. If purchased during the next year, part of the profit from the sell will go to the Statue fund to help pay for the full-sized statue going in downtown Athens.
Check back to continue to see the progress of this project.
The LocationThe statue is to be placed on Washington Street across the street from the shop where he built his first airplane, on the same block as City Hall. The cement foundation of an existing bus shelter, pictured at left, will be repurposed as the base for the statue. Below is an artist’s concept of what the finished base might look like. Several bronze plaques will be placed at the base. These plaques will depict his achievements, the aircraft that he built, and a plaque recognizing major contributors.
