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.
A base projecting from a large granite obelisk supports a bronze statue of Batavia resident Maj. Gen. Emory Upton dressed in a Civil War uniform. Atop the obelisk is a bronze eagle with outstretched wings, standing on a ball with four mooring rings. It was originally dedicated on August 6, 1919, to honor the soldiers, sailors, and marines from Genesee County. Later, dedications were added for the veterans of WWI, WWII, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Courthouse for Baxter County, Arkansas.
The Doughboy Statue was erected in 1924 after the Bay City Women's Improvement Committee approached the Bay City Commission about erecting a statue in 1923, Brady said. It cost $2,100.
The bronze statue has been under the care and auspices of the Bay County Library System. While there doesn't appear to be any documentation of maintenance of the statue, it's in remarkably good shape.
This park contains many different memorials commemorating service in World War 1, including one for submariners and one for Medal of Honor recipients from all wars. The park is also home to many more monuments and memorials unrelated to World War 1, including Oregon's first Vietnam War Memorial.
Beaverton officials seek funding to conserve the city's unusual WWI memorial -- a relief in concrete (dedicated 1925) by German-born sculptor Helmuth Von Zengen that includes both a dead and a wounded doughboy.
Erected in 1925, the World War I monument "The Survivor" in Beaverton, showing a dead soldier, an injured soldier and a surviving soldier standing with a rifle in hand, needs some extra care after years of deterioration.
"It's a unique statue," Beaverton City Council member Ed Rachwitz said. "It's a special design."
The cement statue was designed and hand carved by a German sculptor and artist, Helmuth Von Zengen. Von Zengen reportedly dated Alva McKimmy and the monument was a tribute to her family members. Jasper and Caroline McKimmy, of Beaverton, had three sons -- Walter, Raymond and Earl -- fight in World War I. Earl died of diphtheria in 1918 while serving, Walter was injured in a 1922 accident and died in 1924, and Raymond died in 1967.
To help preserve the memorial, city officials recently applied for a $2,000 matching grant through the World War I Centennial Commssion, Ed Rachwitz, who is spearheading the endeavor, enlisted the help of Gladwin County residents Scott Govitz, Bruce Guy and Bob Frei to help draft the application. Govitz helped with the drafting while history buffs Guy and Frei provided the background. Rachwitz said the submission included a wealth of history about the statue.
According to Susan Mennenga, World War I Centennial project manager, the commission is giving out 100 $2,000 matching grants in observance of the upcoming centennial on Nov. 11, 2018.
If approved, the grant would help toward the estimated $5,850 total needed to preserve the statue, Rachwitz said. The city won't hear back about the grant until November.
Rachwitz, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, said the $5,850 is just the cost to sustain the monument and prevent further deterioration. He said the hope is to stop the deterioration and then consider having the statue restored. The city doesn't have an estimated cost on restoration.
The statue was the first of its kind in Michigan and was presented on June 14, 1925. It was reported that an estimated 3,000 people attended its unveiling. The Amerivan Legion Post 171 and residents' generosity made the statue possible. According to the World War I Commission, it's unknown if there are other statues like it in the state.
The statue originally stood in front of Brown Machine and was later moved to Ross Lake Park in 1986.
"World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars," Rachwitz said of the global war that began in Europe on July 28, 1914 and ended Nov. 11, 1918. An estimated 135,000 Michiganders served in World War I and about 5,000 were killed.
Gladwin County residents, such as Edna Breault, said they are honored to have such a statue in their community. Breault said she has family members who have served in the military, including World War I.
"It is wonderful that we have this statue to honor those who served this country," Breault said. "It is also important that we remember them and their sacrifices, especially when we celebrate our Independence."
To make donations to preserve the World War I stature or learn more about it, contact Ed Rachwitz at appleed@hotmail.com and put "WWI memorial" in the subject line.
The castle-like Armory, designed by architect John Bentz Hamme; Builder: Lawrence Whalen & Co, was built in 1915, of Port Deposit granite, with two hexagonal crenellated towers and its machicolated cornice. Bel Air's local National Guard units marched from its doors to the Mexican border, and to service in Europe in World Wars I and II. This building has seen its share of patriotic festivals, community send-offs and a 1918 victory jubilee. The Armory even became Bel Air's Civilian Defense Headquarters during World War II.
An aluminum flagpole is supported by a square granite base bearing bronze plaques naming those from Belchertown who participated in WWI, WWII, and the Korean War, and those who died in them. It was designed by Alderman & McNeish and was dedicated on September 23, 1961.
THE TREES IN THIS CIRCLE ARE DEDICATED / TO THOSE WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE / IN WORLD WAR II / 1941-1945 / ARTHUR A. AMRON --- GEORGE P. HUMMEL --- JULES D. SCHLICHTER / FRANCIS T. ACTON --- AUSTIN W. KELLY JR. --- DONALD R. SCHNEIDER / LEONARD A. BENJAMIN --- JAMES P. KENNY --- LOUIS SEIDMAN / HAROLD J. BLANTHORN --- JOHN M. LEWIS JR. --- MURRAY SEIFF / CORNELIUS M. CALPIN --- LEONARD KRAM --- DONALD W. SELZ / JOHN E. CORRIGAN --- THOMAS MCARDLE --- HERBERT SPRINGER / RICHARD H. DAVIS --- BERNARD MEEHAN --- JOSEPH K. THIER / HENRY J. DEHNERT --- JAMES F. O'BRIEN --- ALVIN S. WEISS / ALAN EVANS --- VINCENT W. O'KEEFE --- BERNARD H. WIENER / ARNOLD P. FOX --- HAROLD W. ROBERTS --- GEORGE WILLIAMS / HERBERT HOFFENBERG --- GEORGE P. ROLLY --- ARTHUR ZIEGLER / BELLE HARBOR GARDEN CLUB /
This memorial is dedicated to the service of the Second Division in Belleau Wood (formerly known as Senne Wood) during WW1.
On November 11, 1926, the Bellevue Minute Women dedicated a bronze plaque and 65' wooden flagpole to the memory of the three Bellevue citizens who lost their lives in WWI. 89 years later, the memorial was restored to prominence by the "Lest We Forget" committee of VFW Post 2995 in conjunction with Jewish War Veterans Pacific NW Post 686, the Bellevue Department of Parks and Community Services, the Eastside Heritage Center, and the Bellevue City Council. Although the original flagpole no longer stands today, the restored memorial contains a metal representational remnant. It also features a new sculpture depicting a ceremonially folded American casket flag with three roses placed on top. Nearby, three elm trees in a memorial grove symbolize the three fallen sons of Bellevue. Every Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day, three flags are flown to honor the servicemen's memory; there are also plans to hold commemorative ceremonies recognizing the centennial of each man's date of death. The memorial is located in the center of Bellevue's Downtown Park.
On a bronze plaque is a relief WWI scene depleting an allegorical female figure representing America or Columbia, standing in flowing robes. One hand holds a flagstaff bearing the American flag, and the other rests on a shield. Flanking her is a kneeling WWI infantryman and sailor. Above the three is an eagle.
Beneath is a roll of honor with a list of names of men who served during the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and WWI. The plaque is mounted on a rock-faced base comprised of an upright granite block atop a shorter, wider block. On the back is a bronze plaque honoring local citizens who died during WWII and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The monument was produced by Liberty Bronze Works and was originally dedicated on Armistice Day, 1919.
A year’s worth of work was dedicated at the Benewah County Veterans’ Memorial Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013.
The dedication ceremony started at 1 p.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery in St. Maries. Prominent in this Memorial
is a Medal of Honor Monument to the four Benewah County Service Members to receive The Congressional
Medal Of Honor.
Woodlawn is also the site of the Fire Fighters Memorial, 57 graves are arranged in a circle each is one of
the Fire Fighters lost in the Great Forest Fire of 1910. 57 of the 92 people who died in this fire rest here.
No additional information at this time.
This memorial honors each branch of the Armed Forces as well as those who served in World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Lebanon, and Desert Storm.
The first of the statues by sculptor E. M. Viquesney. It honors the 60 Berrien County residents who died in service during World War I, including 28 who perished in the disastrous sinking of the troop ship Otranto off Scotland in 1918.
Copies of this statue were placed in many other communities throughout Georgia and the United States in subsequent years.
Erected in 1922, the monument was beautifully restored in 2015 under the direction of Middle Georgia State University President Christopher Blake. It honors soldiers from Macon who served primarily in the 42nd Rainbow Division, and depicts the cities in France where the 42nd saw action. It is inscribed in Latin with a phrase translated as “It is sweet and glorious to die for one’s country.”
“Erected by the Ladies Auxiliary 151 Machine Gun Bt., assisted by the Men of the Battalion - 1922”
”in memory of the 51st Machine Gun Battalion”
The memorial is inscribed with names from World War 1 from Jones County, Monroe County, Crawford County, Peach County, Twiggs County, Houston County, and Bibb County.
Inscription - "In honor of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States who served in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. The names of those who gave their lives and those who remain missing are inscribed heron."
“But we….shall be remembered;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother…"
William Shakespeare
Henry V
Founding Sponsor
