Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Mary Manley?
Mary was brought up in Charleston, the daughter of the late Paul Handy Moore and his wife, Margaret Crockett Moore. It was Mary’s great-great grandfather, Joseph W. Moore, who donated the land Charleston was built on in 1837 and drew up its original plan which he named after his brother. Mary’s father was a farmer who served in both WWI and WWII, and would become one of the town mayors. Mary is now living in England, where she and her husband, Stuart, began a secondhand/antiquarian bookshop back in 1991. The bookshop, Barter Books, is in a huge old Victorian railway station and draws some 300,000 customers a year. Mary says that while she lives in England, she will never forget her hometown.

Who is funding the project?
Mary has offered $500,000 to finance what she calls “The Charleston Landmark Project” and to develop it with the help of her British Project Manager, Matthew Jarratt, as well as local people in Charleston – all devoted to the same cause. The City Council will create the landscaping and will own and maintain the artwork once complete. The site has been generously donated to the project by Dr. Ron and Diane Petersen – a wonderful gesture which has greatly helped the project.

What is the Landmark project trying to achieve?
Public artworks have been proved to attract visitors, create focal points and are often the centerpiece of vibrant towns and cities. Our ambition is that the Landmark will bring people into Charleston and be a cherished civic feature which residents are proud of. Mary’s vision for the project is that the landmark will be a large, stand-alone “kinetic” object that either moves or transforms in a way that would be fascinating to watch. This movement would be repeated many times throughout the day so that people will be drawn to Charleston to see the artwork in motion and while here notice all that Charleston has to offer – including an increasingly vibrant Main Street!

Where will the Landmark be located?
The landmark will be located in the center of Charleston on Moore Park next to the Post Office on Main Street and East Pecan. It’s the primary commercial route both North/South from the I-57 junction, as well as the intersection with East Marshall Street which is the East/West route from I-57. In short, the landmark would be directly on the route visitors will pass by. Our ambition is that the landmark will be set in a nicely designed public space with seating and botanical planting. The City of Charleston is in Mississippi County, near the Mississippi River in the bootheel of Missouri.

When will it happen?
Following the exhibition of proposals in April/May 2026 the winning proposal will be announced in the summer. We anticipate that it will then take up to two years to build.

International Callout for artists
An international callout for artists in autumn 2025 attracted over 140 applications. Mary has since funded six artists to make proposals for the project, four of whom are based in the USA and two in the UK.

Exhibition of Proposals
An exhibition of the artists’ proposals including models, video and design boards will open on 16th April with the Dogwood Azalea Festival. Mike Meuller has kindly offered the Old Pharmacy building for the exhibition which will be on display for one month. Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite proposals and leave their thoughts in a comments’ book.

Who is on the Steering Group in Charleston?
The Steering Group includes representatives from the City Council, Chamber of Commerce, CHARM and the Historical Society. The Steering Group is Chaired by local farmer and businessman Hudson Byrd.

Find out more about the Charleston Missouri Landmark Project please visit our website
www.charlestonlandmark.com