New Haven honors veterans of the Spanish-American and Philippine–American wars with a statue of a Marine.
The Spanish-American War Monument in Edgewood Park was dedicated in 1926 to honor veterans of that war, the 1902 Philippine Insurrection and 1901-2 China Relief Expedition.
The monument depicts a Marine wearing a floppy hat and charging with a rifle. A dedication plaque on the front (northeast) side of the monument’s base was stolen in the 1970s.
The southeast side of the base bears the years 1898-1902 to honor the various conflicts the monument commemorates.
The statue was created by sculptor Michel Martino, whose other works include several statues in New Haven and a Spanish-American War memorial in New Britain.
The monument was restored in 2008 as part of a New Haven initiative to clean and repair its public memorials.
The marine figure, like many memorials to the Spanish-American War, was cast from metal recovered from the USS Maine. Plaques cast from the Maine can be seen in Naugatuck, Meriden, Bridgeport and other Connecticut towns.
Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Art Inventories Catalog
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