Norfolk honors its World War I veterans and heroes with a triangular monument featuring a replica of the Liberty Bell.
The monument, dedicated on Armistice Day in 1921, stands on Memorial Green at the intersection of North Street (Route 272) and Greenwoods Road (Route 44).
The monument features three archways rising from a triangular base with long benches. A replica of the Liberty Bell hangs in the niche below the intersection of the archways. The monument is topped with a stone design that appears to resemble an eternal flame.
The south face of the monument’s base has a dedication plaque with the years of the World War and an inscription reading, “In honor of those who gave and those who offered their lives for liberty, the people of Norfolk have built this monument and crowned it with the Liberty Bell in the faith that it will ring the knell of war and proclaim the brotherhood of man.”
The northeast face features a plaque honoring the eight residents lost in the World War as well as the names of 30 local veterans.
A plaque on the monument’s northwest face lists 41 names of residents who served in the conflict.
The monument was designed by Alfredo S.G. Taylor, who was also responsible for more than 30 buildings in Norfolk.
Memorial Green also features a number of trees planted in honor of the World War heroes.
Across Greenwoods Road, a monument dedicated in 1976 as part of the U.S. bicentennial celebration honors Norfolk’s American Revolution veterans. The monument stands in a small park that offers views of Buttermilk Falls.
Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Art Inventories Catalog
Tags: Norfolk