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
Tags: New Haven
Ledyard honors its Civil War heroes with a granite obelisk outside one of the town’s libraries.
The monument was erected in 1873 to honor Ledyard residents killed in the conflict. A dedication on the monument’s front (north) face reads, “In honor of the men of Ledyard who fought for the preservation of the Union in the war of 1861-5. Erected July 4, A.D. 1873, by Ledyard Bill.”
The north face also features a raised United States shield and two crossed swords.
The south, east and west faces bear the names of 29 Ledyard residents killed in the Civil War.
The monument was donated by Ledyard Bill, a Ledyard native who prospered in the publishing industry in Kentucky and New York. Bill later served as a legislator in Massachusetts.
Bill’s family was long active in Ledyard, with a brother endowing the Bill Library next to the Civil War monument, and another brother funding the Bill Memorial Library in Groton.
A short walk away from the Civil War monument, a collection of monuments honors Ledyard’s veterans of other wars. A bronze plaque affixed to a boulder honors 32 residents who served in World War I and four who were killed.
Inscriptions on other boulders honor veterans of the American Revolution, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
About a quarter-mile north of these monuments, an undated memorial in front of Town Hall honors all of Ledyard’s war veterans.
Tags: Ledyard
The Gales Ferry section of Ledyard honors war veterans with a small park and monument.
Memorial Parklet, at the intersection of Military Highway and Hurlbutt Road, was created in 1920. The park features a granite monument, dedicated in 1956, that features an eagle atop a 7-foot column.
A dedication on the monument’s shaft reads, “Dedicated to the men and women who served their country in all wars.”
The monument’s base is a former millstone.
The park is part of the Gales Ferry Historic District No. 2, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
A wooden Honor Roll stood in the park between 1942 and 1956, when the granite monument was dedicated. A granite marker in front of the monument lists 16 names.
According to the district’s registration form, the monument’s granite shaft originally served as farm equipment. The shaft was one of several pulled by oxen and used to roll over freshly planted fields.
A nearly identical monument in Preston honors that town’s American Revolution veterans.
The Gales Ferry section of Ledyard is named for a ferry that operated across the Thames River starting in 1740.
Tags: Gales Ferry, Ledyard
Enfield honors its Civil War and World War I veterans with a granite monument topped by a bronze infantryman.
The Soldiers’ Monument, near the corner of Church and North Main streets, was dedicated in 1885 to honor Enfield’s Civil War heroes.
A dedication plaque on the monument’s front (south) face reads, “In memory of the men of Enfield who, on land and sea, periled their lives for Union and liberty, 1861-1865. Erected by the town of Enfield, A.D. 1885.”
A plaque on the east side of the monument lists 10 residents killed in action, 14 who died from wounds, and 15 who died while imprisoned in the Confederate POW camp at Andersonville, Georgia.
The monument’s west side features a plaque listing 29 Enfield residents who died (mostly likely from disease) during their Civil War service.
The monument’s base features four eagles with emblems representing the artillery, infantry, cavalry and navy.
The north face of the monument honors Enfield’s World War I heroes with a bronze plaque dedicated in 1922. The plaque reads, “In memory of those who gave their lives in the great war for world-wide liberty 1917-1919.”
The plaque lists eight residents killed in action and five (including a Red Cross nurse) who died in service.
The monument’s sculptor, David Richards, created a number of public works including monuments in Lawrence, Mass., and Manchester, N.H., as well as the newsboy statue in Great Barrington, Mass.
The infantryman was cast by the M.J. Power Foundry, which was also responsible for the Soldiers’ Monument in Derby.
Tags: Enfield
Suffield honors its Civil War veterans with an 1888 monument near the southern end of the Suffield green.
The Soldiers’ Monument bears a dedication on its front (south) face reading, “Suffield erects this memorial in honor of her citizen soldiers who died serving their country that the Union might be preserved. 1861-65.”
The monument features a granite infantryman holding a rifle at parade rest. In a nice touch, the soldier’s left foot extends beyond the monument’s base.
The monument’s east face lists the names and regimental affiliation of 31 Suffield residents lost in the Civil War. The east face also lists Sharpsburg, a town in Maryland where the 1862 Battle of Antietam was fought.
The north face bears an intricate state of Connecticut seal and honors Fort Wagner in South Carolina.
The west face displays crossed cannon representing the artillery and lists Andersonville, a town of Georgia where a large Confederate prisoner of war camp was built.
The monument was supplied by the Maslen Company of Hartford, and was most likely created by craftsmen in Barre, Vermont.
