Hebron honors its war veterans with several monuments on its Memorial Green.
The green, near the intersections of Route 66 (Main Street) and Route 85 (Church Street), features four memorials to veterans from the Civil War, the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam.
The newest monument on the green, honoring Hebron residents who died while serving in the Civil War, was dedicated on Memorial Day, 2011.
The monument features a granite marker with a dedication on its east face reading, “Hebron Court of Honor. They gave their lives in the Civil War 1861-1865.” The monument also lists 10 residents who died during their wartime service.
A small cannon stands next to the monument, which was donated by the Sons of the American Legion.
Behind the Civil War memorial, an undated monument honors Hebron residents who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The central tablet bears an engraved eagle and an inscription reading, “Dedicated to the men and women from the town of Hebron who served in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.”
The World War II tablet features three columns of names and highlights five residents who died during the war. The Korea and Vietnam tablet also bears three columns of names.
To the north of this monument, a pink granite memorial honors the five Hebron residents who died during World War II. The monument features an engraved Connecticut shield and an inscription reading, “Hebron Court of Honor. They gave their lives in World War II 1941 – 1945.”
Near the south end of the green, a memorial honors Hebron’s World War I veterans. A bronze plaque set into a granite boulder bears the simple inscription, “World War Roll of Honor.”
The monument highlights one resident killed in the war, and lists two columns of Hebron residents who served.
Tags: Hebron
Yale honors students and graduates killed in the country’s wars with memorials in the lobby of Woolsey Hall.
Woolsey Hall’s lobby walls feature large marble slabs, arranged by war, inscribed with the names, military and Yale affiliations, and date and place of death.
The Civil War memorial, flanking the corridor between the hall’s rotunda and its west entrance, was dedicated in 1915. Reflecting the spirit of reconciliation common at the time of dedication, the memorial blends Yale graduates and students who died while serving the Union and Confederate forces.
The floor between the memorial plaques has an inset dedication reading, “To the men of Yale who gave their lives in the Civil War. The university has dedicated this memorial that their high devotion may live in all her son and that the bonds which now unite the land may endure. MCMXV (1915).”
Below the dedication, which is becoming hard to read after years of foot traffic, is evidence of an earlier inscription.
The Civil War tablets list 113 killed defending the Union, and 54 killed serving the Confederate states.
The north wall features allegorical figures representing peace and devotion. Peace is depicted as a woman holding a child and an olive branch, and an inscription above her head reads, “Peace crowns their act of sacrifice.” Devotion is pictured as a toga-draped flag-bearer. An inscription reads, “Devotion gives a sanctity to strife.”
The south wall features allegorical depictions of Memory and Courage. Memory is depicted as a woman holding an hourglass, and an inscription reads, “Memory here guards their ennobled names.” Courage is pictured as a classical warrior, and his inscription reads, “Courage disdains fame and wins it.”
Among the students and graduates honored is Uriah Nelson Parmelee, a Guilford native who left Yale as a junior. He served with a New York regiment and was named a captain in the 1st Connecticut Cavalry before he was killed April 1, 1865, at the Battle of Five Forks in Virginia. Parmelee was killed less than two weeks before Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
The memorial also honors Francis Stebbins Bartow, a law school graduate and Georgia native. A fervent secessionist, Bartow organized an infantry company and was killed during the first Battle of Bull Run/Manassas in 1861. Bartow was the first brigade commander killed in the war.
The memorial was created by sculptor Henry Hering, whose other notable works include the World War plaza and memorial at the American Legion’s headquarters in Indianapolis.
Veterans of other wars are honored with similar tablets along the lobby’s interior hallway. In 1920, for instance, the university added eight tablets honoring 225 graduates and students killed during World War I.
The west lobby also contains plaques honoring graduates killed while serving as missionaries, including several who died during the Boxer Rebellion in China.
Woolsey Hall, at the corner of Grove and College streets, was dedicated in 1901 as part of the celebration of Yale’s bicentennial. The building is also known as Memorial Hall.
Tags: New Haven
Connecticut employees killed or injured in workplace accidents are honored with a memorial in Hartford’s Bushnell Park.
The Workers’ Memorial, in a small plaza along the west side of Trinity Street, was dedicated in 2010. A curved wall features a small bench, and an inscription on a medallion in the plaza bears a quote from Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, a labor organizer: “Mourn for the dead; fight for the living.”
The April 28, 2010, dedication date also marked the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Occupational Safety & Health Act.
Unions have also designated April 28 as Workers Memorial Day, with many holding ceremonies to remember injured or killed workers.
The workers’ memorial, not far from the park’s Israel Putnam monument, was designed by Smith Edwards Architects of Hartford.
Tags: Hartford
The Rowayton section of Norwalk honors local veterans with a Civil War cannon mounted at the intersection of Rowayton and Wilson avenues.
The memorial gun, a 100-pounder Parrott rifle, was dedicated in 1901 to honor local Civil War veterans.
A dedication engraved on the front (north) face of the monument’s base reads, “Memorial gun. Reminding us of the heroic deeds of our soldiers and sailors of the Republic in the War of the Rebellion for the preservation of the Union. Erected 1901. From USS Tallapoosa.”
The monument’s west face bears a plaque honoring local World War I veterans. The bronze plaque lists 15 names, and honors one local resident who died in the conflict.
The east face of the monuments base bears a plaque honoring local World War II veterans. The plaque lists about 176 names, and highlights one resident killed during the war.
The cannon was made in 1864 at the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, New York. It was used on the USS Tallapoosa, a gunship built at the Boston Navy Yard in 1864. The Tallapoosa helped maintain the blockade of Confederate ports during the way, and was used for transport, training and dispatch after the war.
The Tallapoosa sank in 1884 following a collision off Vineyard Haven, Mass., but was raised and rebuilt. The ship was decommissioned and sold in Uruguay in 1892.
The Tallapoosa image below and information is from the Naval Historical Center.
Today we continue our look at the monuments along Bristol’s Memorial Boulevard.
The newest Memorial Boulevard monument was dedicated in 2011 to honor Bristol’s Civil War veterans. Bristol dedicated a brownstone Civil War monument in 1866 in the city’s West Cemetery (one of the earliest in the state), and added a the Memorial Boulevard monument this year because the 54 names on the original monument have become difficult to read with the passage of time.
The 2011 pink granite monument, next to the city’s monument honoring its World War II and Korea heroes, features a large engraved eagle and crossed cannons. A bronze plaque on the monument’s north face lists Bristol residents lost in the Civil War, and describes the history of the West Cemetery memorial.
The base of the monument honors the battles of Fredericksburg, Antietam and Plymouth.
The north side of Memorial Boulevard also includes a monument dedicated to residents who fought during Operation Desert Storm. A boulder has a plaque on its south face with an August 7, 1994 dedication date. The plaque recognizes “the men and women from Bristol and Forestville (a section of Bristol) who served their country with pride during the Persian Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm.”
Not far from the Desert Storm memorial, a monument honors Bristol residents who have served in the Connecticut militia and National Guard. The granite monument is topped with a plaque reading, “in honor of Bristol citizen soldiers who, through service with militia units in the National Guard, have defended and preserved our community, state and nation in our wars and emergencies since Colonial times.”
Near the western end of Memorial Boulevard, a monument honors Bristol’s veterans. A plaque mounted on a granite boulder reads, “in honor and tribute for all veterans past, present and future. Let us visit here for gratitude and remembrance.”
Near the veterans memorial, a copy of the Hiker statue honors Bristol’s World War II heroes. Bristol’s original Hiker statue was dedicated in 1929 to honor the city’s Spanish-American War veterans, and the Memorial Boulevard version was dedicated in 1983.
Bristol’s Memorial Boulevard was dedicated in 1921 to honor the city’s World War I veterans. Over the years, the collection of monuments has grown to honor the service of Bristol’s veterans as well as the sacrifice of its war heroes.
Bristol industrialist Albert F. Rockwell donated land in 1919 for Memorial Boulevard and a nearby high school that is used today as a middle school. Rockwell owned successful ventures in coaster brakes for bicycles, automotive ball bearings and, during World War I, Marlin-Rockwell machine guns.
Tags: Bristol
Bristol honors its war heroes and veterans with a collection of monuments along a tree-lined avenue and park.
Bristol’s Memorial Boulevard was dedicated in 1921 to honor the city’s World War I veterans. Over the years, the collection of monuments has grown to honor the service of Bristol’s veterans as well as the sacrifice of its war heroes.
Bristol’s World War I veterans are honored with a granite column dedicated in 1924. The monument bears a dedication on its west face reading, “The city of Bristol, to honor its residents who served in the World War, here records their names.”
The monument also lists the names of 48 residents killed in the war, and 10 bronze plaques mounted along the monument’s star-shaped base list the names of nearly 1,300 residents who served in the conflict.
Bristol’s World War I heroes were further honored by the planting of 50 oak trees along Memorial Boulevard.
In 1996, a marker was installed at the base of a flagpole near the World War I monument to honor six additional residents killed in the war, but whose names weren’t recorded on the 1924 memorial.
A 1906 German howitzer cannon that was captured by U.S. forces during the war stands near the World War I monument. The cannon, donated to Bristol in 1926, was originally placed in a median in front of the World War memorial, but was moved after being struck at least three times by motorists.
To the east of the World War I memorial, a monument honors Bristol residents lost in World War II and Korea. A dedication on the monument’s north face reads, “To remember and to honor those from Bristol who served God and their country during World War II and Korea.” The monument’s north face also features an elaborate carved eagle.
Bronze plaques on the monument honor 143 residents killed in World War II and 13 residents who died while serving during the Korean War.
Bristol’s Korean War veterans are also honored with a 1995 black granite monument further east on Memorial Boulevard. The monument’s north face features an engraved map of Korea and a dedication to those who died, who are still missing, and those who returned.
The base of the monument bears a plaque listing 16 residents who died while serving during the Korean War.
Residents who were killed in Vietnam are honored with a monument to the west of the Korean War memorial. The 1973 monument bears a dedication on its north face reading, “In memory of those who made the supreme sacrifice.”
The south face of the monument lists 17 residents who died in Vietnam.
Bristol’s Vietnam veterans are also honored with a memorial walkway, dedicated in 2001, and monument commemorating the 1998 display of the Vietnam Traveling Wall along Memorial Boulevard. The walkway honors veterans from the American Revolution through the Vietnam era.
In Part 2, we’ll look at other monuments along Memorial Boulevard.
Tags: Bristol
Stamford honors its veterans with a collection of monuments in a downtown plaza dedicated in 1977.
Veterans Park, near the intersection of Main and Atlantic streets, features a bronze Doughboy figure, several large granite slabs, a statue of Abraham Lincoln, and a monument honoring the founders of Stamford.
The central figure in the plaza is a Doughboy statue atop a granite base with an inscription reading, “Lest we forget. Within this pedestal is placed a time capsule recording for all time those residents of Stamford who responded to the call, some giving their lives, while serving in our past wars. In future wars, should we be called again, the people of Stamford pledge to preserve and perpetuate this expression of gratitude for such sacrifice.”
To the left of the Doughboy statue, on the western side of the park, a granite slab depicts a grieving mother and daughter (or perhaps two women) above a dedication reading, “To those who gave their lives in our country’s wars. They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn in the glory of their youth. We will remember them. Erected by the citizens of Stamford, Connecticut.”
At the eastern end of the park, a granite “In Memoriam” monument lists, arranged by service branch, Stamford residents killed in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. More than 200 names are listed in the World War II section. Sixteen names are listed for the Korean War, and 26 heroes are listed for Vietnam.
The southernmost of the four granite slabs depicts a mother with a young boy. Beneath the figures is an inscribed passage from the Gettysburg Address reading, “Let us, the living, be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion. Abraham Lincoln.”
The figure and the surrounding slabs were the work of sculptor Gino Lupinacci, whose other works included the war memorial in downtown Greenwich.
The plaza, diagonally across from Stamford’s former Town Hall building, was the site of a Service Roll honoring the city’s World War II servicemen and women. By the end of the war, the Service Roll contained more than 10,000 names.
Along with the Gettysburg Address excerpt, Lincoln is honored with a statue in the plaza.
To the west of the veteran’s memorial, a 1931 bronze plaque mounted on a boulder honors the first settlers of Stamford and the erection of the town’s first meeting house. According to the monument, Stamford was founded in 1641 by 29 families who moved south from Wethersfield.
Organizers are working to add a statue and memorial honoring Medal of Honor winner Homer L. Wise, a Stamford native recognized many times for bravery in World War II.
Stamford’s veterans of World War I and earlier conflicts are honored with the 1920 Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in St. John’s Memorial Park. More than 4,400 names are inscribed on that monument.
Tags: Stamford
Thanks to reader Brian Festa, we’re taking another look at the War Memorial on the Town Green in Windsor.
The Windsor War Memorial, dedicated in 1929, was created by noted sculptor and Windsor resident Evelyn Beatrice Longman.
The monument features a five-foot bronze eagle atop a stone cairn. The monument’s front (west) face includes a bronze wreath and a dedication “To the patriots of Windsor.”
The monument stands at the southern end of the town green on Broad Street (Route 159).
Photo courtesy of Brian Festa.
Tags: Windsor
Plainville honors local veterans with several monuments in a downtown park established in 1945.
Plainville’s Civil War veterans are honored with the Defenders of the Flag Monument, which was dedicated in 1913. The granite monument features a standard-bearer atop a granite monument inscribed on its front (northwest) face with the simple dedication, “In memory of the defenders of the flag.”
The monument’s northwest face also features a large Grand Army of the Republic medallion just below the standard-bearer’s feet, as well as crossed swords (representing the cavalry) and rifles (representing the infantry) above the years during which the Civil War was fought.
The standard-bear’s pose is somewhat uncommon in that, unlike most Civil War monuments depicting a standard-bearer, the Plainville figure holds the flag with both hands. Most earlier standard-bearer monuments include a figure prepared to withdraw a sword to defend the colors.
The metal GAR marker near the base of the monument is unusually large and the first we’ve seen that has been painted. The cannon behind the monument was cast in 1863.
The monument, originally located on land that later became the site of Town Hall, replaced a wooden memorial in a local cemetery honoring the town’s Civil War veterans.
The monument was supplied by the McGovern Granite Company of Hartford, whose other monuments in Connecticut include memorials in Unionville, Old Saybrook, Stafford Springs and Newtown.
Along the Maple Street side of Veterans’ Memorial Park, at the corner of Whiting and Maple street, a 1984 monument honors veterans of Korea and Vietnam. The granite monument, topped with an engraved eagle, features a dedication on its north face “in honor of the men and women of this community who served in Korea and Vietnam.”
Next to that monument, a 1991 monument honors Plainville residents who served in Operation Desert Storm.
Near the park’s northwest corner, a stone monument with a large plaque honors Plainville’s World War veterans. A dedication reads, “In honor of the men and women of Plainville who served in the Armed Forces during World War I & II. To the eternal memory of those who gave the last full measure of devotion and sacrifice.”
The list of World War I dead contains nine names, and the section honoring World War II dead lists 31 residents.
New Canaan honors its war heroes with a large Celtic cross on an historic green.
The Wayside Cross, at the intersection of Main and Park streets, stands on a corner of the triangular green, surrounded by three churches, known as “God’s Acre.”
The Wayside Cross, dedicated in 1923, features allegorical scenes representing the American Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I.
A dedication on the front (east) face of the monument’s face reads, “Dedicated to the glory of Almighty God in memory of the New Canaan men and women who, by their unselfish patriotism, have advanced the American ideals of liberty and the brotherhood of man.”
The other sides of the monument’s base are inscribed with “service,” “sacrifice” and “loyalty.”
A 1981 plaque mounted in front of the monument’s base lists 36 honored dead from World War II and six residents who died in Vietnam.
Tags: New Canaan