Rebild National Park Society, American Eagle and Danish Crest [Plaster]

Rebild National Park Society, American Eagle and Danish Crest [Plaster]

Animal sculpture--20th century

REBILD NATIONAL PARK SOCIETY MEDALLION, 1972
Plaster original

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
Reverse of medallion - Lincoln log cabin
1991.098
Obverse of medallion - American eagle and the Danish crest
1991.097

Rebild National Park is on land purchased by a group of Americans of Danish descent in 1911 and deeded to the Danish government in 1912. The Rebild National Park Society was formed to arrange for and conduct a festival each year on the Fourth of July. Denmark is the only other country which celebrates American Independence Day. Their annual celebration is larger than any one held in the United States. Fredericks had been the Royal Danish Consul for the State of Michigan since 1964. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Rebild National Park Society. In honor of the Society's sixtieth anniversary he donated the designs and models for this medallion as a means of obtaining a continuing source of income for the society. The museum display case on the wall under the Eaton War memorial Eagle once displayed casts of this medallion in bronze, silver and gold as well as the die, mold and plaster cast used to produce them. (The case display was removed in 2002.) On the obverse of the medallion is the Danish coat of arms and the American eagle. Circling these are the following words in Danish: "Dedicated to the Danish and American people to eternal friendship." On the reverse is the Lincoln Log Cabin and a profile of President Lincoln. At the park there is a replica of the Lincoln Log Cabin which houses a museum.

Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998

1970

Use of this image requires permission from the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum

Sculpture

University Center (Mich.)

23" dia

Plaster

1991.098

Main Exhibit Gallery

1989 March, 22 Gift to Museum and SVSU Board of Control

MF, Sculptor copy:
Face: Inscription, "Tilegnet Den Danske Og Amerikanske Befolkning Til Evigt Venskab (Dedicated to the Eternal Friendship of the Danish and American People)," with bas-relief design of American eagle overlapping the Danish coat of arms
Reverse: Inscription, "Rebild National Park Society, Inc. Commemorating American Independence Day," with bas-reliefs of President Lincoln and his log cabin birthplace
The Rebild National Park was purchased by Danish-born Americans to be a site for annual reunions and was deeded to the Danish government in 1912. The medal was produced to recognize the friendship between both countries and as a source of revenue.

Molly Barth copy:
Down below are models for several medallions. These show the obverse and the reverse, or front and back of each one. The Rebild National Park Society Medallion. In Denmark, this is where the Rebild National Park Society is. Well, Denmark is the only country that celebrates our Fourth of July. It's quite a festive time, the Queen of Denmark comes and then the dignitaries from the United States come. And, of course, Mr. Fredericks has been the Danish Counsel, an honorary Danish Counsel, for the state of Michigan since 1964.
Fredericks' father was Danish and his grandmother was Norwegian, so he has strong ties to Scandinavia. It is a festive time when the Queen comes to Rebild for the Fourth of July celebration. Rebild is a natural amphitheater. The hills are covered with heather and they have a replica of the Lincoln log cabin there. On the reverse of the medallion, Fredericks included a portrait of Abraham Lincoln and the Lincoln log cabin. On the obverse of the medallion is the Danish crest and the American Eagle. The Rebild National Park always celebrates the United States' Fourth of July. Some Danes who came to the United States had done very well and they bought property in Denmark and gave it to the Danish government. But they stipulated that they wanted the Danish people and the Americans to celebrate the Fourth of July every year. And they do. As I mentioned, Queen Margretha comes and consuls from the United States, and Fredericks has gone every year. He is an American vice-president for the society.