from The World War One Centennial Commission Act, January 14, 2013
World War One was a watershed in American history. The United States' decision to join the battle in 1917 "to make the world safe for democracy" proved pivotal in securing allied victory — a victory that would usher in the American Century.
In the war's aftermath, individuals, towns, cities, counties, and states all felt compelled to mark the war, as did colleges, businesses, clubs, associations, veterans groups, and houses of worship. Thousands of memorials—from simple honor rolls, to Doughboy sculptures, to grandiose architectural ensembles—were erected throughout the US in the 1920s and 1930s, blanketing the American landscape.
Each of these memorials, regardless of size or expense, has a story. But sadly, as we enter the war's centennial period, these memorials and their very purpose—to honor in perpetuity the more than four million Americans who served in the war and the more than 116,000 who were killed—have largely been forgotten. And while many memorials are carefully tended, others have fallen into disrepair through neglect, vandalism, or theft. Some have been destroyed. Watch this CBS news video on the plight of these monuments.
The extant memorials are our most salient material links in the US to the war. They afford a vital window onto the conflict, its participants, and those determined to remember them. Rediscovering the memorials and the stories they tell will contribute to their physical and cultural rehabilitation—a fitting commemoration of the war and the sacrifices it entailed.
We are building a US WW1 Memorial register through a program called the Memorials Hunters Club. If you locate a memorial that is not on the map we invite you to upload your treasure to be permanently archived in the national register. You can include your choice of your real name, nickname or team name as the explorers who added that memorial to the register. We even have room for a selfie! Check the map, and if you don't see the your memorial CLICK THE LINK TO ADD IT.
7800 Col. H. Weir Cook Memorial Dr
Indianapolis IN USA 46241 The memorial name is Bronze statue @ Indianapolis Inter. Airport Information: 
Quitman
GA USA 31643 Photos courtesy of Lamar Veatch
Originally a WW1 monument, now an all wars memorial. Individual bricks are placed in the plaza, with the names of Brooks County military. The memorial is sponsored by VFW Post 5659, Quitman, GA.
219 N. Prairie St.
Union Springs AL USA 36089 1936
"In Memory of Bullock County World War Soldiers, Erected by American Mothers of National Defenders Chapter, Service Star Legion, 1917-18, Dedicated 1936."
Burke County Courthouse
Waynesboro GA USA 30830
The tablet at the county courthouse is inscribed, “This tablet is placed to perpetuate the memory of Burke County (Ga) men who, in the service of their country in the World War, lost their lives in the sinking of the S.S. OTRANTO, October 6th 1918.” The names of seven local victims are listed.
602 North Liberty Street
Waynesboro GA USA 30830
Burke County Courthouse in Waynesboro, Georgia is a Carpenter Romanesque building completed in 1857. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
At the entrance of this courthouse is a plaque in memory of those from this community that lost their lives in the S.S. Otranto sinking, October 6, 1918. C.A. Pear designed this building and it was constructed by W.M. Nordmann in 1931. The building cost $25,000 and was built using a county mill levy and funds from the City of Flaxton. It is also known now as the Flaxton Memorial Hall. The building was designed with an auditorium, stage, dressing rooms, meeting rooms, bathrooms, a kitchen and dining room, and even a two-cell jail. Today it still serves the community as a center for gatherings and meetings. 
200 Grand Ave
Oakland CA USA 94610 Veterans Memorial Building, Albany, CA; Alameda County, GSA-Building Maintenance, 1401 Lakeside Or., 10th Floor, Oak¬land, CA 94612; Outdoors. Free.
Dedicated by the William Forney Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
401 West Line Street
Calhoun GA USA 30701 Photos courtesy of Lamar Veatch A monument on the grounds of the Legion post, inscribed “In memory of our buddies who did not come back.” 
1452 Saddle Bronc Rd Deming New Mexico
Deming NM USA 88030 1967 Memorial was removed. Exact location unknown. 
Ashley Park
Charlotte NC USA 28208 Description:The monument was erected to honor the men who trained for World War One at Camp Greene. The most striking feature is a tall fluted column with an elaborate carving at the top holding the earth. The column stands on a large granite plinth on a triple base with inscriptions naming all the units stationed at the camp. The south face also has the spinning wheel insignia of the Daughters of the American Revolution above the inscription. It is surrounded by a black wrought iron fence. 
Madison Avenue & Knickerbocker Road
Cresskill NJ USA 07627 1924 Capt. Robert Ingersoll Aitken In August 1919, Bergen County purchased land for a monument commemorating the role of Camp Merritt during the Great War at the intersection of Madison Avenue & Knickerbocker Road in Cresskill - marking the center of the largest embarkation camp in the US during WWI. Modeled after the Washington Monument, the obelisk is 65 feet tall and made of granite. Inscribed on the base are the names of the 578 people who died at the camp, mostly as the result of the 1918 influenza epidemic. A large carved relief by the sculptor Robert Ingersoll Aitken shows a striding doughboy with an eagle flying overhead. Set into a large boulder is a copper plaque with a relief of the Palisades, illustrating that the Camp Merritt site was used as an area of embarkation. The plaque was designed by artist Katherine Lamb Tait. The monument was dedicated on May 30, 1924. A crowd of 20,000 heard a dedicatory address given by famed Army General Pershing. Narrative adapted from Bergen County, NJ official website. Photo courtesy of: Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) 
704 E. Military Dr.
North Little Rock AR USA 72118 This memorial is located on an active military base at the Camp Robinson Chapel. 
500 South Gillette Avenue
Gillette WY USA 82716 1955 This memorial, the older of the two in Gillette, honors "all who served our country in time of war" and lists the names of those from Campbell County who gave their lives in World War 1, World War 2, and the Korean Conflict. It is located outside the courthouse. 
W Broad Street and N Kennedy Street
Metter GA USA 30439 Photos courtesy of Lamar Veatch
The memorial consists of three standing stone tablets inscribed “Dedicated to those brave men of Candler County who paid the supreme sacrifice in defense of their country.” It is possibly the only marker in Georgia to recognize the Nicaraguan Conflict of 1927. The site also contains a separate Candler County Veterans Memorial inscribed “Dedicated to all the residents of the county who served in the armed forces of our country during World War I, World War II and the Korean War and in memory of those who died in service.”
900 Hiawatha Drive, East Wabasha MN 55981
Wabasha MN USA 55981 
Brown Park
Canton AL USA 30114 Photos courtesy of Lamar Veatch
The large arch monument is in the center of Brown Park.
Intersection of Ocean Ave and San Carlos St
Carmel-by-the-Sea CA USA 93921 Photo and description courtesy of American Legion Post 512 This memorial arch houses a ceremonial bell, which is inscribed: "In honor of those who served / In memory of those who died / We dedicate this Centennial Bell / October 31, 1916...October 31, 2016 / American Legion Post 512 / The people and City of Carmel-by-the-Sea." For 44 years the memorial arch lay empty, as there were not enough funds to construct a bell. A donated bell thought to date back to 1692 was added to the memorial in 1966, where it stood until it was replaced by a new bell on Veterans Day 2016. The old bell is now stored at the library's Local History Room. 
101 Main Street
Villa Rica GA USA 30180 “Nov. 29, 1933 - Charlie Rabun Chapter No. 14 - D.A.V of W.W. - In Memory of Our Deceased Comrades”. “A Message to Future Generations.” Inscribed with thirteen names. 
100 Main Street
Dowagiac MI USA 49047 InformationThis monument dating from 1919 has a memorial plaque for Cass County residents, and one for Dowagiac City residents. It sets at the start of Main Street right across from the front of City Hall. 
Near 52 Forest Heights
Cathlamet WA USA 98612 This bronze plaque is dedicated to the fallen members of the Quillis tribe, a local chapter of the Improved Order of Red Men fraternal organization. It is located in a cemetery shelter at Greenwood Cemetery, next to a similar plaque honoring WWII servicemembers. |
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