“Hands In Prayer”

This sculpture is located in Webb City, Missouri. It is a unique creation that’s been on display in Southwest Missouri for 50 years and is officially recognized as a world record holder. The record-keeping organization called, “World Record Academy” recently named The Praying Hands Memorial in Webb City, “The World’s Largest Praying Hands Memorial.”

It was created by local artist J.E. “Jack” Dawson. The hands were sculpted over several years before they were finished in 1974. Dawson built the hands in his backyard and then had them hauled on a flatbed truck to their current spot.

In 2020, a memorial wall was added to the site. When a local reporter asked Dawson why he’d built the hands, he said they were a response to the 1960s, which had been, “a bad time for our country.”