The United States World War One Centennial Commission has endorsed The World War One Memorial Inventory project. This nationwide inventory seeks to identify, document, and preliminarily assesses the condition of the country's World War I memorials and monuments. The effort is intended to raise public awareness of the presence, and in many cases, sadly, the plight of these historic monuments and memorials, as a necessary first step to ensuring their conservation and preservation. Read more about the World War One Memorial Inventory project in this article by the project's founder, Mark Levitch.
The United States World War One Centennial Commission has endorsed Saving Hallowed Ground, a worldwide organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of monuments and markers, commemorating veterans and patriots where ever they may be found. Saving Hallowed Ground accomplishes this through two steps: (1) Performing conservation and preservation services to the monuments themselves; (2) Engaging school students and communities in researching and learning about the history of their monuments and about the stories behind the names inscribed on these Living History Memorials. Visit the Saving Hallowed Ground website for more information.
 
This memorial honors the soldiers from Marion County who died during World War I. It was erected by Marion City Schools in 1927. The inscription reads:
“To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high.”
This is a line from the famous World War I poem In Flanders Field by Lt. Col. John McCrae.
In 1921 a monument was erected in front of Knoxville High School in honor of the men who served in the 117th Infantry Regiment during World War I. The 117th had been part of the 3rd Tennessee Infantry in the pre-war National Guard. Called into service, the unit became the 117th Infantry Regiment, serving during the Great War as part of the 30th Infantry Division. On May 22, 1922 a special dedication ceremony was held. General John Pershing was one of the guest speakers who addressed the crowd of approximately 7,000.
The memorial consists of a life-sized bronze World War I infantryman appearing to run across rocky ground, carrying a rifle in his left hand and a grenade in his upraised right hand. Beneath is a granite base and behind is a tall granite shaft topped by an eagle with outstretched wings. The shaft is adorned with medallions and several plaques honoring the local participants in wars from the Mexican War through World War I. Some list the names of the 453 members of the 117th Infantry who died in World War I.
The inscription on this memorial reads:
In Proud Remembrance of
Those Sons of
Clemson College
Who Gave Their Lives in the Great Cause
1917 - Of Liberty and Justice - 1918
Claude S. Garrett '17 1st Lt. 8th Aero Sq.
Richard H. Johnson '15 1st Lt. 56th Inf.
George L. McCord '11 1st Ly. 325th Inf.
John M. McIntosh '14 1st Lt. 357th Inf.
Stephen M. Richards '15 1st Lt. 87th Inf.
Augustus M. Trotter '15 1st Lt. 7th Inf.
Harry C. Horton EX,'19 2nd Lt. 11th Inf.
David E. Monroe '17 2d Lt. 16th Inf.
John B. Ryan '08 2nd Lt. 422nd Lab Bn.
Ozbourne T. Sanders '11 2nd Lt. Field Art.
Henry L. Suggs '16 2nd Lt. 85th Aero Sq.
Herbert F. Bethea '10 Sgt. M.P.
William G. Williams EX,'15 Sgt. 308th San. Tn.
John W. Hollowell EX.'17 Cpl. 117th Eng.
Henry A. Coleman EX.'14 Pvt. 1st Cl. 306th F.S.Bn.
James N. Goldsmith SP.'14 Pvt. 1st Cl. M.G.T.S.
George W. Hairston EX.'13 Pvt. 1st Cl. Q.M.C.
Frank P. Salter '14 Pvt. 1st Cl. Air Services
Robert L. Atkinson '19 Pvt. S.A.T.C.
Edward R. Roberts Ex.'17 Pvt. 105th Am. Tn.
John A. Simpson '15 Pvt Field Art.
Guy B. Taylor Ex.'15 Lt. Med. Corps, Navy
Arthur A. Madden '18 Mach. Mate, Navy
Frank S. Stewart Ex.'21 Seaman, Navy
This memorial includes an Honor Roll listing all Nemaha County World War Veterans. The inscription reads:
IN MEMORY OF THE PERSONS WHO WERE KILLED IN ACTION FROM NEMAHA COUNTY KANSAS
WORLD WAR I (only those who were killed are listed)
Roy Anderson • David W. Armstrong • Hilbert Bell • Robert W. Blair • Robert B. Green • Joseph M. Gress • Arlington A. Heald • Joe Henry • Harold Horth • Clyde Isaacson • Palmer Jones • Harry Largent • John W. Levick • William N. Markley • Alva H. Masterson • Elmer McConnell • Everett McDaniel • Guy F. McDaniel • John G. Meyer • Clyde C. Miller • Arthur L. Mills • Delbert M. Moyer • Howard Nickodemus • John L. Palmer • Benedict H. Rettele • Frank H. Root • Charles E. Shumaker • Clare F. Sparling • William F. Summers • Earle W. Taylor • Eitel F. Thieme • John B. Wietharn
The inscription on this memorial reads:
DEDICATED
TO THE
MEN AND WOMEN
OF
FULLERTON
PA.
WORLD WAR
1917 • 1919
[Died in Service]
JAMES A. LONG • JOHN ZIMMERMAN
[Honor Roll of Veterans]
The inscription on this memorial reads::
In memory of
the Men and Women
of the
Greater Hazleton Area
who served in
the Armed Forces of
this nation during the
World War of 1917-1918
The inscription on this memorial, erected by The Morningside Garden Club in 1932, reads:
ERECTED IN MEMORY OF THE 22 HAMBLEN COUNTY BOYS WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE IN THE WORLD WAR.
This memorial was restored and rededicated in 1997 by Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 5266 and two of its members, James L Dalton, Jr. and his son, Dana L. Dalton.
There have been few monuments in the history of Clarksville that have had as long a lifespan as the Doughboy. This statue of an American soldier holding a grenade in one hand, his rifle in the other, was dedicated to those who fought for the U.S. during World War I. It is one of Clarksville’s most beloved pieces of civic art.
Since its dedication in 1929, this statue has had an interesting existence. It has seen generations of Clarksville High School students grow up before its marble eyes. It has also been relocated around Clarksville several times.
According to The Leaf-Chronicle, the statue spent 43 years in front of Clarksville High School, before being moved to the armory on Ft. Campbell Boulevard in 1972.
On April 15, 2010, the Doughboy was rededicated in front of the Transit Station on Legion Street, in downtown Clarksville. Many descendants of World War I veterans were in attendance for the rededication ceremony, including the children of Alvin York, one of Tennessee’s most iconic World War I heroes.
In 2015, the Doughboy was relocated yet again to the Brigadier General Wendell H. Gilbert Tennessee State Veterans Home.
It was one of the few Doughboy statues of its type made out of stone. The Clarksville Doughboy is a rarity because it was sculpted from marble. Most of them were cast out of bronze. The inscription reads:
In honor of
Montgomery County's Soldiers
and Sailors, World War
1917-1918
World War I Doughboy
Dedicated June 9, 1929
Restored and re-dedicated by the City of Clarksville, April 15, 2010
To those who fell and those who served: Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen
Individual Contributors
(List of those who contributed money to restore the monument)
During World War I, Cates served with the 6th Marine Regiment, fighting in France. For his heroism in the Aisne defensive at Boursches and Belleau Wood, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross and Oak Leaf Cluster, in addition to the Purple Heart. He was awarded a Silver Star for his gallantry at Soissons. In addition to his medals from the U.S. military, he was recognized by the French government with the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star and two palms.
Cates returned to the United States in September 1919, and he served in Washington, D.C. as a White House aide and Aide-de-Camp to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. In 1920, he served in San Francisco, California, as Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General, Department of the Pacific. From 1923 to 1925, he served a tour of sea duty as commander of the Marine Detachment aboard the USS California.
In 1929, Cates was deployed to Shanghai, China, where he rejoined the 4th Marines, where he served for three years. He then returned to the U.S. for training at the Army Industrial College and in the Senior Course in the Marine Corps Schools. In 1935, was assigned to the War Plans Section of the Division of Operations and Training at Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC). In 1936, he returned to Shanghai as a battalion commander with the 6th Marine Regiment. In 1938, he rejoined the 4th Marines in Shanghai.
In 1940, and he was named the Director of the Marine Officers Basic School at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. In 1942, Col Cates took command of the 1st Marines.
Colonel Cates led the 1st Marine Regiment at Guadalcanal, for which he was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat “V". He then took command of the 4th Marine Division in the Marianas operation, the Tinian campaign and the seizure of Iwo Jima. For his services at Tinian he received the Distinguished Service Medal and a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Service Medal for his service at Iwo Jima.
After his first tour of duty in the Pacific, returned to the United States to serve as Commandant of the Marine Corps Schools at Quantico until 1944. He then returned to the Pacific theater until the end of the war as commander of the 4th Marine Division.
On January 1, 1948, he was promoted to the rank of General and sworn in as Commandant of the Marine Corps. He served as Commandant for four years and then returned to serve again as Commandant of the Marine Corps Schools. He retired on June 30, 1954. General Cates died on June 4, 1970 in Annapolis, Maryland. A Marine for thirty-seven years, he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The inscription on this marker reads:
This tree was planted May 24th 1919 by the Catholic Children of Nashville in grateful memory of Lieutenant James Simmons Timothy of the 80th Company, 6th Regiment U.S.M.C. who was killed in action at Belleau Wood, France, June 14th 1918, aged 25 years.
He was first wounded while serving with the French in the Verdun Sector, Mar. 22, 1918. On the day of his death he took his company of two hundred men "over the top" and returned with only five. Later in the day he was killed by an enemy shell. Lieutenant Timothy was the first Tennessee officer to make the supreme sacrifice in the Great War for justice and humanity. His last words were, "Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my soul."
Strong in faith, no fear he knew,
this gallant Knight of God so true:
Pure, courageous, grand was he -
our hero son of Tennessee.
This memorial was erected in 1922 by the Local Exemption Board of Union County, TN.
To Our Heroes
War of 1917-1918
Lists by name WWI veterans from Union County.
For additional background on the Great War in Union County, see: https://www.historicunioncounty.com/article/great-war-union-county
This obelisk was erected to honor the brave citizens of Lawrence County, TN, who served in World War I. According to the monument, 50 men from Lawrence County fought in the war. Those who lost their lives are memorialized on two sides. This monument is part of the "Blue Star Memorial Highway," as indicated by a nearby marker. The inscriptions on the four sides of the obelisk read:
(side 1)
USA 1917-1919 Remembered
(side 2)
Erected in honor of the fifty heroic men from the 11th and 13th Civil Districts Lawrence Co. Tenn. who served in the Army and Navy of the U.S. in the World War 1917 - 1919
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, lest we forget, lest we forget.
(side 3)
1st Lt. Edward S Stewart. Commanding Officer Co., 12, Battalion 15, U.S.A. Died at Ft. Oglethorpe Ga. Oct. 19, 1918
Malcolm C. Patterson Private Battery F. 114TH. Field Art. U.S.A. Died at Camp Sevier S.C. Oct. 11, 1917
(side 4)
1st Lt. Leoline O. Crane, Killed near Chateau Thierry France, in the 2nd Battle of the Marne July 19,1918.
Flavious J. Merrow Private 1st. Class Co. E. 119th U.S. Inf. Killed in the Battle of Bellicourt France Sept. 19, 1918.
This E.M. Viquesney Spirit of the American Doughboy statue was dedicated November 11, 1935. It was later rededicated (November 11, 1974) to include those who served and died in other wars. A separate nearby stone memorial erected by the Johnson City Jaycees in 1975 honors those who gave their lives in the Vietnam War (with names).
According to a Johnson City Press news clipping archive, there was a "Doughboy Day" held in 1974, probably involving the rededication.
The statue is designated as a historical marker at the main entrance to the new 25-acre Memorial Park Community Campus on the site of the former stadium which was torn down in August of 2010.
In September, 2012, the statue was dismounted and taken to a local company, Gardner Paint Services, for refurbishment, application of a new coating. and replacement of the missing bayonet. It was returned on August 30, 2013, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the new Veterans Plaza.
The statue was again rededicated on Memorial Day, May 27, 2019, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the chartering of the American Legion.
The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium is a historic performance hall in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Built between 1922 and 1924 by John Parks at a cost of $700,000 and designed by noted architect R. H. Hunt, who also designed Chattanooga's lavish Tivoli Theatre, the theater honors area veterans of World War I.
The Victory Highway monument is a representation of the earlier bronze eagle markers of the 1920s. Original eagle markers were to be located at each county line with a plaque dedicated to the sons and daughters who served their country in World War I, sacrificing their lives for our freedom. Only five original bronze eagles are known to be in existence, two in Kansas and three in California. The Victory Highway is a near-forgotten relic of the early 20th century roadways, a path traversed by early auto-pioneers from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. The road you are standing on today was completed in 1925 and used until the 1940s. Highway U.S. 40 replaced the Victory Highway to the south, which is now known as Wendover Boulevard. The arch represents the Victory Highway sign, used at the only documented official ceremony opening the Victory Highway. The ceremony took place on June 25, 1925, just east of Wendover on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Officiating were Utah Governor George Dern, Nevada Governor James Scrugham, and Secretary of Agriculture William Jardine.
The Victory Highway Association incorporated in Topeka, Kansas, late in 1921 to locate and mark a transcontinental highway. Victory Highway, dedicated to American Forces who died in World War I, traversed the United States from New York City to San Francisco. In 1925, the transcontinental route offered a panorama of the mid-section of the country that epitomizes the western expansion of the Nation from Colonial days to the present time. For 3,205 miles, this great motorway follows the same course, or one closely parallel, as that of the earliest settlers of the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri valleys, crossing 14 states in all. Less than 14 per cent or 788 miles of the highway was unimproved.
From Salt Lake City, the Victory Highway skirts around Great Salt Lake over the famous Wendover Cutoff. The crossing of the salt flats between Salt Lake City and Wendover on the Utah/Nevada border was costly, involving five years of labor. The remarkable engineering feat bridged what was once a great obstacle to transcontinental motor travel, the Bonneville Salt Flats. This accomplishment blazed a new auto-route across northern Nevada to Reno, parallel to the Lincoln Highway to the south. In the early to mid-twenties, only 81 miles of the 371 miles of the Victory Highway across Utah were paved, 107 miles consisted of gravel surfacing, and 183 miles were relatively unimproved. The Victory Highway was designated Route No. 40 by state and federal highway officials shortly after the Wendover Cutoff was completed, and the Victory Highway was used until it was replaced in the 1940s.
An original culvert to the east of this marker still exists today. When a newer portion of Highway 40 was constructed in the 1940s, this section of the Victory Highway, along with culverts, was left intact. Constructed of stone and galvanized steel, these culverts are a testament to the skills of road engineers and rock masons of the early 19th century.
The Garden Cemetery was established in the late 1800's. Interred here are generations of prominent Carson Valley families. All who are laid to rest here are part of the history of this community, and their contributions to The Valley stand today. In the middle of the cemetery is a military memorial. Dedicated by the American Legion in 1930, it reads, "In Memory of the Boys of the World War, 1917-1918".
The inscription on this marker, erected in 1933, reads:
World War I
1914 — 1918
Dedicated to the men
and women who served
in the great war which
was believed to be the
final war of human
liberty and the "war to
end all wars".
The inscription on this monument reads:
Dedicated to
World War
Veterans
On the back of the monument there is an Honor Roll of Westminster WWI veterans (see photo gallery).
OUR SOLDIER BOYS
Ernest Whitworth
M.A. Bearden
A.M. Dorn
J.O. Johns
W.B. Dillard
W.T. McCordy
H.L. Evans
B.H. Gilliam
H.D. Breazeale
F.K. Breazeale
J.P. Dendy, Jr.
Roy Stribling *
D.A. McMillan
Dr. W.C. Marett
Bruner Danrzler
Dr. F.T. Simpson
W.N. Dalton
W.L. Green
W.L. England, Jr.
J.R. Sullivan
J.E. Gaines, Jr.
H.B. Mulkey
Bottom Plaque
Presented to
American Legion Post 107
by
Westminster Baptist Church
Dr. Randy Keasler, Pastor
May 29, 2003
World War Veterans
Connected to the Church
The inscription on this memorial reads:
In honored memory of
the men of Grayson County
who served in World War I
1917 - 1918
Duty, Honor, Country
Well Done
Be Thou At Peace
Erected by Grayson County Barracks No. 81 and Denison Barracks No. 3, U.S.A. Veterans of World War I.