Columbia honors its war veterans and other public servants with memorials in its historic town center.
Columbia’s veterans are honored with memorials in front of its Yeoman’s Hall municipal building on Jonathan Trumbull Highway (Route 87), near the intersection with Middletown Road (Route 66).
The largest memorial is a Honor Roll monument, dedicated in 1956, listing Columbia’s World War II veterans. The monument, with an engraved eagle on its southwest face, lists about 120 names on its southwest and northeast faces.
Next to the World War II memorial is a 1919 Honor Roll monument to the town’s World War I veterans. The monument, featuring a bronze plaque mounted on a boulder, lists 18 names. The plaque also bears a dedication reading, “In honored memory of the men of Columbia who served during the World War.”
Near the war monuments, a memorial honors State Trooper Russell A. Bagshaw, a Columbia native killed in the line of duty in 1991 at the age of 28. Trooper Bagshaw interrupted a burglary at a Windham sporting goods store, and was ambushed in his cruiser.
On the nearby town green, a monument dedicated in 1997 marks the 50th anniversary of the Columbia Volunteer Fire Department.
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