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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of Ben T. Epps
A Concept is Born:
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 temporarily 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.
The Progress
The Statue is done and it is beautiful! However our job is not quite done. We still need a little funding to finalize the foundation for the location down town for the statue.
As of September 6th, we have an approved permit from Athens-Clarke county to put it up on our anticipated site, right across the street from Ben Epps' first shop. We are hoping to have a dedication sometime in December. The Mayor of Athens, Mayor Denson, replied "What a great Christmas gift for Athens"
Demolition of the bus stop is scheduled for September 19th.
Final wording for the plaques has is done and the order of the granite base and plaques should be placed by the 23rd of September.
It is exciting to see this dream taking shape before our eyes.
Don't you want to be a part of Athens History? Send in your donation today!
Check back to continue to see the progress of this project.
The Location
The 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.
