The 6-foot, 3-inch statue was made possible by the Emma Scott Garden Club, who raised funds for the purchase of the $67,000 piece of history. The statue was covered by a large tarpaulin after its arrival in Elkins from Provo, Utah in June.

During the unveiling ceremony, the cover draping the statue came off as community members, local leader, and visitors from out of town cheered as the statue sparkled in the sunshine during a brief break in cloud cover that hampered most of the event.

“I really feel a little bit at peace,” Linda Shomo, Statue Project leader and former ESGC President, told The Inter-Mountain. “The statue is in the ground, she’s set up, and she is beautiful.

“I’m just thrilled that she is in the field and now the Rosies won’t be forgotten. It’s truly amazing that over 250 people came out for the event despite the rain we had for most of the day. We kept saying that the rain was tears of joy for the Rosies. We got little breaks of sunshine here and there, so the event went well.”

Rainy weather conditions didn’t keep people away from the unveiling of the Rosie the Riveter Statue at All-Veterans Memorial Park in Elkins. 

The statue is situated behind the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument that was erected at the All-Veterans Memorial Park earlier this summer. The Rosie Statue is Phase 1 of a two-part plan the ESGC has in place for the Park. Phase 2 of the project will include construction of a sitting wall next to the statue, new sidewalks for the entire park, lighting, site signs, benches, and a parking lot. The total cost for the second phase is approximately $190,000.

“She (Rosie) is standing there in the field and everybody was saying she looked so lonely,” Shomo said. “I kept telling everyone that we eventually will get the sidewalks and everything up around her, and get some lights on her. We have a Gold Star monument, the Veterans monument, and now the Rosie — that gives us hope that we can finish that field. We have a solid community and we will finish it.”

Three living Rosies from the area, Lorraine Moran, Juanita Morgan, and Marjorie Myles, attended the unveiling ceremony.

Phillips Kolsun served as master of ceremonies, while Pastor Kevin Jones from the Summit Church gave the invocation. Members of American Legion Post 29 presented the colors. The National Anthem was performed by C.J. Bray, and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Dr. Cynthia Kolsun. Dr. Tonya White, Avan Whit, and Aspen White presented roses to the Rosies.

The West Virginia Highlanders bagpipers also performed at the ceremony, and members of the West Virginia Daughters of the American Revolution performed the laying of the wreath.

Guest speakers at the event included: Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco; Randolph County Commissioner Cris Siler; Riley Moore Representative Rhett Dusenbury; Regional Representative Lynn Phillips; Representative to Governor Morrisey, Pam Krushansky; West Virginia State Senator Robbie Morris; 66th District Delegate Jonathan Kyle; Rosies of America Movement’s Anne Montague; MegaCorp’s Dave Kubichek; Grandson of Rosie Leona Phares, Timmy Phares; Elizabeth Zane Chapter of WVDAR Cris Mundy; Honorary State Regent of WVDAR Jane Larke; and Shomo.

“I am truly humbled to be here today,” Marco said. “I want to thank the community and all of the businesses and organizations that donated to this project. Now we can show generations to come just how important Rosies were to our country during times of war.”

The Rosie statue is the first of its kind in the United States that was constructed by a garden club. There are just four other Rosie statues in the entire United States. Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon that represents the women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war. Any woman who received pay for any essential work during war is considered a Rosie.

The Emma Scott Garden Club is currently accepting donations for Phase 2 of the project and has recently established a GoFundMe account. For more information, or to make a donation, contact Shomo at 703-861-9351.