The bronze statue of pioneers James Robertson and John Donelson was created by Nashville sculptor Puryear Mims in 1962 for placement inside the stockade of the replicated (1930) Fort Nashborough overlooking the Cumberland River. The statuary's symbolism is revealed in Robertson's figure (left) shouldering the civilization-building axe as he shakes the hand of Donelson, who holds a rifle and was captain of The Good Boat Adventure leading the flatboat flotilla over treacherous waterways to join Robertson's 1779 overland party on the Cumberland bluffs on April 24, 1780.

