An allegorical representation of Liberty again graces the 1876 Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Bridgeport’s Seaside Park.
Thanks to the Friends of Seaside Park, a replica of a six-foot marble statue representing Liberty was dedicated on Saturday morning at the monument honoring Bridgeport’s Civil War veterans.
The original marble statue was removed in the late 1960s after deterioration and vandalism had taken their toll.
The replacement, by Vermont sculptor Emily Bedard, was created using white gypsum polymer and fiberglass.
The return of Lady Liberty completes a restoration effort that began in 2006 with the installation of replacement plaques honoring the approximately 180 local residents killed in the war. Several missing decorative elements, such as the flags and drums near the monument’s base, were also replaced.
The monument features a large, granite base with several decorative elements that narrows into a shaft topped by a bronze allegorical figure representing the United States. The monument’s sides feature bronze statues depicting an infantry soldier and a sailor.
The three bronze figures were created by Melzar Mosman, who was also responsible for monuments in Middletown and Danielson, as well as the figures on the monument in New Haven’s East Rock Park.
The monument stands on the former training fields of the 17th Regiment of the Connecticut Volunteer Infantry.
Our original (and now outdated) post describing the monument and the missing Liberty statue appeared last summer.
Tags: Bridgeport