The Gales Ferry section of Ledyard honors war veterans with a small park and monument.
Memorial Parklet, at the intersection of Military Highway and Hurlbutt Road, was created in 1920. The park features a granite monument, dedicated in 1956, that features an eagle atop a 7-foot column.
A dedication on the monument’s shaft reads, “Dedicated to the men and women who served their country in all wars.”
The monument’s base is a former millstone.
The park is part of the Gales Ferry Historic District No. 2, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
A wooden Honor Roll stood in the park between 1942 and 1956, when the granite monument was dedicated. A granite marker in front of the monument lists 16 names.
According to the district’s registration form, the monument’s granite shaft originally served as farm equipment. The shaft was one of several pulled by oxen and used to roll over freshly planted fields.
A nearly identical monument in Preston honors that town’s American Revolution veterans.
The Gales Ferry section of Ledyard is named for a ferry that operated across the Thames River starting in 1740.
Tags: Gales Ferry, Ledyard