Rice County agrees to accept Henry Mower Rice statue from state for courthouse display

Rice County accepted the transfer of the Henry Mower Rice statue from the state of Minnesota for display inside the Rice County Courthouse after the Legislature authorized the state to remove the statue from the National Statuary Hall collection and transfer it to the county.

Sarah Folstead, administration, said the 2025 session law provided for the state to request removal of a different statue for replacement in Statuary Hall and to transfer the Henry Mower Rice statue to Rice County for display. Folstead reported that the statue itself is slightly more than 7 feet tall and weighs roughly 6,000 pounds; the state will bear the costs of removal, transport and installation. The board voted to accept the statue and the county identified a location inside the courthouse rotunda as suitable for display.

Folstead noted the exact timeline for transfer and installation remains to be determined pending federal approvals and the state's actions to procure a replacement statue for the National Hall collection. The state is responsible for expenditures associated with removal, transport, any pedestal modifications and installation.

What happens next: County staff will coordinate logistics with state officials when federal approvals and replacement statue actions are complete; board acceptance is the first step toward local display planning.

Votes and motions: Motion to accept the statue (Resolution 25-04C0) was moved, seconded and carried on the record.