The Carving - Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson was to be the first figure on the left as you face the memorial. As the initial carving proceeded it was discovered that there was insufficient rock for the figure to be completed in that location. The unfinished face was blasted away in 1934 and a new start made to the right of Washington.
Partway through the carving of Jefferson in the new location, a major crack was revealed running through the nose at the right-hand nostril. Borglum reset the head five degrees to the north, set it back four feet, and tilted the head about eighteen inches. Finally the crack just escaped the nostril. It can still be seen cutting down across the right eye, past the nose and upper lip, and through the middle of the chin.
Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the origina... ... read more 
