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.
 
Memorial plaque honoring veterans from Saco who fought during World War I.
INSCRIPTION: (front granite) State of Maine, To Her Sailors and Soldiers; (front bottom of bronze plaque) Lord God of Hosts Be With Us Yet, Lest We Forget, Lest We Forget
Dedicated in approx.1925, this J.C. Hardy sculpture commemorates the services and sacrifices of the Harrisburg women who served in World War I. The bronze bas-relief plaque shows seven women in WWI-era dress. One wears a military uniform, the next a dress with cape and hat and carries a basket, three sit in a group, one is a nurse, another works in a garden. The plaque, attached to a rough-hewn stone marker, reads:
In · commemoration · of
the · services · and · sacrifices · of · the ·women · of · Harrisburg
in · the · World · War
The Memorial is located in the center of town. The bandstand was built with the sweat and loyalty of Spillville community members to honor those that served for the cause of liberty and equality.
The Civic Improvement Association held dances to raise the money to build the memorial. The Memorial was dedicated on July 4, 1921. Brass plaques hold the names of those who served their country.
This monument is located in a small park in Salem, Virginia and is dedicated to the soldiers from Roanoke County who fought during World War I.
John Paulding sculpted this bronze uniformed WWI soldier running with his bayonetted rifle in his left hand and a grenade in his right. He wears a hat and carries a backpack. Beneath is a tapered square stone base with inscribed names of 87 men and one woman from Marion County who died in WWI. This was dedicated by the American War Mothers and Gold Star Mothers on November 11, 1924, at the Marion County courthouse, and was moved and rededicated here on May 18, 1991.
No additional information at this time.
This memorial is a tribute to all soldiers from Saline County, from WWI through the Persian Gulf War. lt consists of three curved rose-colored walls, inset with granite text plaques, plus a circular bench with a center pole topped by a bronze eagle. The plaques list the names of the dead, 139 from WWI, 123 from WWII, five from the Korean War, 18 from the Vietnam War, and one from the Persian Gulf War. It was sculpted by Kim Borgman of bronze, black granite and precast concrete, and dedicated on September 15, 1991.
A bronze doughboy stands, with barbed wire tangled around his left foot and ankle, with his right shin resting against a stump. He holds a rifle in his left hand, while his right hand is raised and clenched in a fist. On his back is his bedroll and day pack, and around his waist is a cartridge belt, canteen, and bayonet scabbard. It was sculpted by John Paulding and erected In 1927 as a tribute to those from Saline County who served in WWI.
Located inside Asbury United Methodist Church
Located in Salisbury City Park
In this corner of Pioneer Park, at the corner of 6th and "E" streets, in downtown San Bernardino are the combined commemoration memorials of all wars the U.S. fought in. But, specifically, a memorial to honor the fallen soldiers of WW1 who were from San Bernardino sits prominently to the west of the two large Civil War canon and the main monument, the "Soldiers and Sailors Monument", which had been dedicated in April 1916, the year before the U.S. entered WW1, and is dedicated to the soldiers and sailors who lost their lives in four different wars: the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Spanish American War and the Mexican War of 1847 when California became a part of the United States.
A 100th anniversary rededication and replacement event took place on April 16, 2016 to mark the centennial, and re-dedication of the main towering granite monument, capped by a standing Union soldier, and to replace two World War I plaques that were stolen the previous year. The World War I plaques were dedicated to the memory of twenty-two young San Bernardino men who gave their lives in World War 1.
After thieves stole the Bronze plaques, local citizens, and the San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society raised the funds to replace the monuments with all an new slab of engraved black granite.
"First set aside as a park in 1890 and dedicated in 1921, tiny Memorial Park overlooks the harbor at the base of Spring Street, and honors San Juan Islands U.S. Army and Navy servicemen who fought in World War I. One of the first such monuments in Washington State, this little green space honors nine men, some of whom had been buried where they fell in Europe. For their families and the tight-knit community of Friday Harbor, Memorial Park became sacred ground.”
The four sides of the monument, which originally was a fountain, exhibit the Army Infantry Crossed Rifles, Army Artillery’s Crossed Cannons, the Shield of the Navy and the Emblem of the Marine Corps.
Sandy Beach Memorial Park at Spiritwood Lake consists of five lots that were deeded to the Stutsman County Park Board in 1921 for the creation of a memorial park. The park now has space for camping and access to the lake with a boat ramp. A new sign was installed in 2015 to let visitors know the park is a memorial to those who served in World War I.
Erected 1921
To Honor the men and women of Sanilac County
Who answered their country's call in the World War 1914-1918
Below this are the names of those who served from Sanilac County.
Next to the statue is a captured German Maxin Machine Gun which should be restored and housed inside a building!
In 1928, as a memorial to local combat soldiers that died in World War I, the American Legion Post 49 and the Boy Scouts planted 71 coast live oak trees along the 101 freeway between Summerland and Carpinteria.
The trees were aligned in two columns on either side of the narrow cement road. The one lane ribbon of concrete through the country turned into the four lane speedway of today, and a number of the oak trees now grow in the center median between opposing lanes of traffic. About 35 of the original 71 trees still stand today.
On a multi-tiered marble base is a metal eagle, stretching its wings over a nest of eaglets. It represents a slain soldier and may have been inspired by the Ohlone Indian tale of how the Santa Cruz Mountains were created. It was dedicated on May 30, 1928, in memory of those from Santa Cruz County who served in World Wr I and the 25 who died. It was rededicated on March 23, 1993.
DEDICATED TO THOSE FROM SANTA CRUZ COUNTY WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WAR, AND TO THE MEMORY OF THESE WHO "GAVE THE LAST FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION". 1914-1918
This is a larger than life bronze sculpture of a soldier dressed in World War I, carrying a rifle, his right arm raised in celebration. Known as 'The Doughboy', the sculpture was added to the Sarasota War Memorial on May 25th 1998. It was reproduced by Sarasota sculptor Frank Colson from an original titled "Spirit of the American Doughboy" created in 1920 by E.M. Visquesney.
"Sarasota's War Memorial first dedication was held Sunday, November 11, 1928. It was part of the ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I." Text Source: (visit link)
A Florida historic marker stands nearby with the following text:
Side 1
The Sarasota War Memorial was commissioned by American Legion Bay Post 30 and designed by architect Clare C. Hosmer. On November 11, 1928, it was dedicated at the city's Five Points intersection in a ceremony observing the 10th anniversary of Armistice Day.
It remained at Five Points until 1954, when the city relocated it to what is now Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park. The monument recognizes all residents who have answered their country's call, and honors those who died in World War I and subsequent conflicts.
Side 2
A bronze World War I soldier known as the "Spirit of the American Doughboy" was unveiled on May 25, 1928, in a Memorial Day ceremony. It was reproduced by Sarasota sculptor Frank Colson from an original created in 1920 by Ernest Moore Visquesney.
The soldier's charge across "No Man's Land" on a Europrean battlefield completed an extensive monument restoration project commissioned by the Patriotic Observance Committee of the Sarasota County Veterans Commission. It was funded by public and private donations.
The faded plaque is on an archway in Blaney Plaza. The archway is by the entrance to the downtown area of Saratoga.
IN MEMORIAM
...
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
FOR THEIR COUNTRY
1917-1918
The inscription on this Honor Roll reads:
DEDICATED TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF SAUGUS WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WAR 1917-1918
There are 6 rows of names inscribed, 10 of them have stars, indicating they died in battle.
AUTHORIZED BY TOWN MEETING MARCH 1927 REPLACING HONOR ROLL DONATED BY MOTHERS 1918
This is a pretty extensive memorial that includes all wars plus a memorial for the USS Wahoo. You will want some time here. Very well done.
“Role of Honor - 1914-1918”
“These Palmetto Trees were planted and this Tablet erected by the Savannah Women’s Federation - In Loving Honor of the Soldiers Sailors and Marines of Chatham County who Died in the Great War for the Cause of World Liberty"
"The Base of this Tablet was given by Chatham Post 36 - American Legion - April 26, 1929 - In Memory of their Comrades who Fell During the World War”
“They Do Not Die Who Serve Humanity”
The inscription on this memorial reads:
SAYRE PENNA
OUR HONORED DEAD IN
1914 - THE WORLD WAR - 1918
[Followed by a listing of 12 names]
THEIR DEEDS ARE IMMORTAL/THEIR MEMORY SHALL NEVER DIE
This is a bronze life-size WWI doughboy wearing a helmet, leggings, rolled-up shirtsleeves and an ammunition belt. He holds the barrel of his rifle in front of himself, with its butt resting by his left foot. Beneath is a native stone boulder with a plaque dedicating it to the 89 boys of the town of Schaghticoke who served In WWI.