The Doughboy Foundation’s mission is to keep the story of "the War that Changed the World" in the minds of all Americans, so that the 4.7 million who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWI will never again be relegated to the mists of obscurity. LEARN MORE
The Doughboy Foundation’s mission is to keep the story of "the War that Changed the World" in the minds of all Americans, so that the 4.7 million who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWI will never again be relegated to the mists of obscurity. LEARN MORE
This is a bronze sculpture of a German Shepherd wearing a red cross blanket, standing atop a rough hewn granite boulder. The dog's ears are perked up and its tail is extended straight, in an alert stance. By its front paws are a canteen and a helmet with an indentation, perhaps a shrapnel hole. The War Dog was dedicated in 1923 to honor the 7,000 military dogs killed during World War I. The original cost of the monument was $2,500, which was considered to be an enormous amount of money at the time. It was designed by Walter A. Buttendorf and sculpted by Robert Caterson, a well-known designer and builder who had worked on many distinguished buildings including Grand Central Station in New York City.
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THE WAR DOG. ERECTED BY PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION BY DOG LOVERS TO MAN’S MOST FAITHFUL FRIEND FOR THE VALIANT SERVICES RENDERED IN THE WORLD WAR 1914 - 1918.
In 1918, the Lawrenceville Board of Trade organized a carnival in Arsenal Park to raise money for the troops fighting in World War I. When the war ended, before the money could be put to use, neighborhood leaders decided to spend it on a memorial instead. The monument was sculpted by Allen George Newman, who was known for his military-themed works including The Hiker, a depiction of a weary Spanish–American War soldier. Newman's bronze Doughboy statue was unveiled on Memorial Day in 1921 with over 20,000 onlookers present; the Pittsburgh Gazette Times described the occasion as the "largest ceremonial event ever witnessed in Lawrenceville". The memorial originally honored the residents of Pittsburgh's Sixth Ward (comprising Lower Lawrenceville, Polish Hill, and the upper Strip District) who served in World War I.
The Wheeling Doughboy was dedicated on Memorial Day 1931. The statue, affectionately known locally as "Lester", is named in honor of Wagoner Lester Scott, a doughboy from Wheeling who was killed during WWI. It is one of many identical "Spirit of the American Doughboy" monuments designed by Ernest Moore "E.M." Viquesney. Following years of neglect, in a state of disrepair (dented, rusted, missing bayonet and rifle, cracked base), the doughboy was restored and rededicated in 2020.
The inscriptions on the left and right lower sides of the cenotaph read:
ERECTED BY WHEELING CHAPTER NO. 1 SERVICE STAR LEGION 1931
IN HONOR OF ALL WHO SERVED IN WORLD WAR 1917 - 1918
In 1940, during the original dedication of this memorial at Skinners Park, Ora Wheat, commander of Roosa-Fleming VFW Post 161, declared the 20-ton granite disc monument “dedicated to the memory of the living and dead.” Post 161 planned to add later an eternal flame and a marker intended by General Chairman Harold E. Scales during planning stages in 1938. A re-dedication ceremony on November 11, 2020 included the addition of the flame and a bronze plaque naming the 34 Port Jervis men who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty during World War I. They are: Joseph M. Alvord, James C. Bilz, William E. Bross, John Collins Jr., Tracy K. Decker, Aloysius A. Delaney, William J. Earley, James Fleming, Lewis V. Gray, George Hamilton, Harrison E. Hornbeck, Norman Howe, Charles Kalin, Walter Koenig, Joseph Mascanz, Elliott McAllister, Joseph McGuire, Charles F. Meade, Hugh Leonard Miller, William Mulligan, Horace Murtha, Francis J. O’Connor, Levi Owens, Daniel Joseph Quigley, Harold Reid, Harold P. Rooney, Isaac H. Roosa, William J. Ryan, Charles Shaneberg, Arthur Sterritt, Bruno Terpilowsky, Samuel Thorne, William Williams, and Fred Youmans.
