York statue: Nation's first dedicated in Louisville

America's first statue of York, the only slave on the famed Lewis & Clark expedition, was dedicated earlier this month alongside the Ohio River. Created by sculptor Ed Hamilton (foreground) and funded by the City of Louisville where it stands, the bronze figure joins Charlottesville's mixed-used building York Place as one of the few public commemorations of the enslaved explorer.

"I'm very pleased that York is receiving some of the recognition that he deserves for being part of the Lewis & Clark expedition," says York Place developer Chuck Lewis.

Born in the 1770s on the Clark family plantation in Caroline County, York was one of William Clark's childhood playmates, later his manservent, and won his freedom about 10 years after the expedition ended.

AP PHOTO BY MARY ANN LYONS, THE COURIER-JOURNAL

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