New York honors a World War I infantry regiment with a memorial grove in Central Park.
The 307th Infantry Memorial Grove, not far from the park’s band shell and the 7th Regiment Civil War monument, honors regimental members killed in the war.
A boulder near the center of the grove is inscribed on its south face with a dedication reading, “To the dead of the 307th Infantry A.E.F., 590 officers and men, 1917-1919
The monument’s north face displays a plaque listing more than 560 names as well as battles in which the regiment fought. The plaque is a replacement for the original.
The grove, dedicated in 1925, also has a number of trees with markers near their bases that list members of specific companies. Not every marker has a tree, perhaps reflecting the difficulty of maintaining a memorial grove more than 85 years after its dedication.
The A.E.F. on the boulder’s inscription refers to the American Expeditionary Forces, U.S. troops who fought with British and French troops against the German military. One of the 307th’s major campaigns was the Meuse-Argonne offensive along the Western Front in 1918.
The grove also has an undated granite marker honoring members of the fraternal organization Knights of Pythias killed in the First World War.
Tags: New York
I don’t know if I’d ever have a chance to see this memorial, so wanted to thank you so much for sharing these photos and helping people to pay their respects from all over the world. My Great-great Uncle Francis L. (sometimes mistakenly showing up in the records as a C.) Monk was killed after injuries received 15 Oct 1918 while serving Co. A, 307th Infantry, 77th Division. Was hoping to see his name here, but it doesn’t appear to be included, I’m guessing since he was from Utah. Regardless, I’m happy to have found this.