Dedication to be Held at Archway Monument for Completion of “We Stayed” Sculpture

Dedication to be Held at Archway Monument for Completion of “We Stayed” Sculpture
COURTESY/Molly and Jack are a team of plow horses being added to the “We Stayed” sculpture to be revealed Friday evening at the Archway Monument in Kearney.
June 8th, 2023 | Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation

KEARNEY, NE – The Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation (NSHSF) has announced that Molly and Jack, plow horses for the “We Stayed” bronze sculpture commissioned by Nebraska philanthropist Rhonda Seacrest, will be dedicated on June 9th at the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Kearney. These horses are the final piece of the sculpture created by Nebraska artist David Biehl, honoring those first non-native Nebraskans who had the courage and resilience to start a life in the state.

“I am very pleased that we added the horses to the sculpture,” said Rhonda Seacrest, a long-time supporter of the NSHSF. “Early Homesteaders could not have survived without a dependable team of horses and the sculpture will now reflect that reality.”

Dr. David L. Biehl DVM is the artist for all seven pieces of this tribute. Biehl is a native Nebraskan and grew up on a farm outside Lexington. The original installation dedicated in 2021 included five separate sculptures depicting the life of Nebraska farm families homesteading in the 1880s. The sculptures portray the hot and windy conditions that homesteaders experienced in Nebraska and depict how each person in the family had to participate in making a new life. The addition of the two horses pulling the plow completes the picture of life on the farm.

“We are grateful to Rhonda Seacrest for commissioning these wonderful pieces of art,” said Leslie Fattig, NSHSF Executive Director. “Hundreds of people have learned more about the life of early settlers by seeing these sculptures and the addition of Molly and Jack make it even more true to life at that time. It is a great celebration of Nebraska history.”

The sculptures will be revealed during a private dedication and reception hosted by the
foundation.

Visitors can see the sculptures at The Archway at Kearney, 3060 E. 1st Street, Kearney, NE 68847.

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