[1][4] From this full-scale rendering, a small clay maquette was made, and given to stonemasons engaged using Works Progress Administration funding as part of the New Deal.

[5] With John Schooley, State Architect of Ohio, who worked pro bono,[3] Borglum also designed the esplanade on which the statue sits.

[6][7] Borglum also sculpted four eagles, as a gift to the city, to top pylons, or obelisks, located at entrances to the park, on Front Street.

[1][9] He traveled to Marietta by train from Washington D.C.[1] Borglum refused to attend the ceremony, being unhappy with the reproduction of his work, as he believed the stone to be of inferior quality.

[5][11] In April 1962 the head of the center standing pioneer, which broke in 1961, was replaced with one carved by Fred Mitchem and a silicone coating was applied to the work.

[6][12] In readiness for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, there have been moves to restore the memorial[1] and the city of Marietta has commissioned a study in how best to do so.