York Statue Atop Mount Tabor Toppled and Partly Shattered

The York bust anonymously installed atop Mount Tabor was toppled and partly shattered early this morning.

Sometime during the night of July 27 or early morning of July 28, the bust was torn from its pedestal. Photos sent to WW this morning show the face’s nose torn off, and much of its forehead shattered. A historical plaque on the pedestal describing York’s role in the Lewis & Clark expedition was also torn apart, the photos show.

When a WW reporter visited the scene at 8 am, the bust had been removed and the site cleaned. A spokesman for Portland Parks & Recreation tells WW that city workers removed the damaged sculpture from the park.

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The bust, made of urethane painted bronze, depicts the only Black member of the Corps of Discovery. In February, a sculptor who hasn’t revealed their identity installed the bust on the pedestal that once held a statue of Harvey Scott, an 1870s editor-in-chief of The Oregonian who opposed women’s suffrage. Protesters toppled the Scott statue last year.

Read more: https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2021/07/28/york-statue-atop-mount-tabor-toppled-and-partly-shattered/
(Williamette Week)

York was William Clark's slave and an integral member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. More information about York can be found at https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/york/#.YQP6CdfPzIU .