Bench With Relief Of Elizabeth Backwell MD At Station Six Of The Urban Art Trail In Downtown Asheville, North Carolina. Editorial Image

Pictured is a bench with a bronze relief by James Barnhill of Elizabeth Blackwell MD at Station six of the Urban Art Trail in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. Dr. Blackwell was the first woman awarded a medical degree in 1849. The relief is a small part of a bench with a bower of medicinal herbs created by Joe Miller honoring Asheville resident Elizabeth Blackwell. She contributed to the advancement of care for women and children by establishing the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857, a bold move for that time. She also founded the world's first four year medical college for women. The piece is part of the Asheville Public Art Collection and was installed in 1994.