William Ellery Channing, Touro Park - Newport, RI
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 41° 29.141 W 071° 18.598
19T E 307154 N 4595250
This statue of William Ellery Channing facing the Channing Memorial (Unitarian) Church across the street, was a well-known minister in a Unitarian Church in Boston, who was born in Newport.
Waymark Code: WMB9NP
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 04/23/2011
Views: 14
In Newport, in Touro Park, there is a large bronze statue of William Ellery Channing facing the Channing Memorial Church that was dedicated to him on what would have been his 100th birthday.
The statue was made by Noble W. Clarke in 1892 and dedicated on Jan. 8, 1893. The statue is nearly life-sized and stands on a granite base. The figure is a man in an open robe with his hands outstretched. The man is oriented so that he is facing the Channing Memorial Church, which was dedicated in his hame.
Dr. William Ellery Channing was born in Newport in 1780 and died in Vermont in 1842. He graduated from Harvard University in 1798 He was a minister for the Unitarian Church (now Unitarian-Universalist Church). He became a minister and preached at the present day Arlington Street Unitarian Church in Boston, facing Boston Public Garden. He is well known for his thoughts that helped galvanize Unitarianism and, later, the Transcendentalist movement. He broke from Calvanism thought, which was the dominant theological point at the time; believing that God was a good and loving God, rather than an angry and punishing God. Important sermons included the ordination sermon of Jared Sparks in Baltimore, 1819, and "The Likeness to God" in 1828. He is buried in Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA.
In 1880, on what would have been 100th birthday, there were celebrations all over the world. In Newport, the William Channing Memorial Church was dedicated, with many people in attendance, including Rev. Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Bronson Alcott.
The park is a public space maintained by Newport. Parking is available on streets along the park, though watch for signs.
Additional Source:
Smithsonian Art Inventories
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visit link)
Channing Memorial Church
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visit link)