Keene, N.H., honors its Civil War veterans with an 1871 monument at the southern end of the town’s Central Square.
The monument features a bronze infantry soldier standing atop a granite base. A dedication plaque on the monument’s front (south) face reads, “Keene will cherish in perpetual honor the memory of her sons who fought for liberty and the integrity of the republic, 1861-1865. The honor of the heroic dead is the inspiration of posterity.”
The monument was created by Martin Milmore, an Irish-born sculptor whose other works include the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument on the Boston Common.
The monument’s foundry was the Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Mass., which was also responsible for monuments in Middletown, Seaside Park in Bridgeport, and New Haven’s East Rock Park.
The Keene monument received an extensive cleaning and restoration during the late 1990s, during which a green patina was removed from the bronze infantryman.
The large cannon near the monument came from the Portsmouth Navy Yard, and was placed in the square in 1899.
The photos in this post were taken on October 16 and 17, just before Keene’s annual Pumpkin Festival. During the event, Main Street was lined with a record-setting (for Keene) 29,762 decorated pumpkins.
(Thanks to Dad for the images.)
Tags: New Hampshire