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 World War I monument consists of a life-size statue of a doughboy standing at attention in full uniform with the barrel of a rifle in his right hand and the butt of the rifle on the ground. The figure is set upon a granite plinth, square in cross-section, with an angled top, resting on a rusticated granite slab.
A bronze plaque mounted on the front of the plinth contains the names of local soldiers from Belford, Port Monmouth & New Monmouth, NJ who served in the war. The monument sits on a low mound to heighten its prominence. It was purchased from LL Manning & Son, a Plainfield, NJ monument company.
Photo courtesy of: NJ State Historic Preservation Office
This monument consists of a rusticated pink granite slab, with a bronze honor roll plaque mounted in its center. This plaque features a raised frame and an eagle with spread wings decorating the upper section, with its wings and a portion of its head projecting above the top of the frame. The lower portion is reserved for the honor roll listing the Milford residents who served in World War I.
Photo courtesy of: Alan Edelson & Historical Marker Database
Montclair's landmark World War I memorial in Edgemont Park consists of a tall granite obelisk. The shaft is surmounted by a bronze female figure of Liberty. She stands on a globe which is upheld by eagles. Her right arm is raised straight in the air; her left arm is held out in blessing.
At the base of the obelisk stands a bronze figure grouping. At the front of the group is a WWI soldier, dressed in uniform and carrying a rifle. Behind him is a figure of a sailor.
Columbia, a full-length female figure, stands behind and above the two male figures. She wears a helmet and holds a round shield in her left hand, towering over the soldier & sailor.
The bronze grouping stands on a stepped base surrounded by a flagstone platform.
This memorial was funded by popular subscription; $85,000 was raised. The municipality contributed an additional $6,000 to build two small bridges and to grade the island in the park on which the memorial stands.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #NJ000507.
Photos courtesy of: Lee Sandstead
Vintage postcard courtesy of: Rutgers University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
This WWI memorial, located at Hillside Elementary School, consists of a bronze plaque mounted to a smooth-faced boulder. The plaque contains a bas-relief eagle with wings spread, perched on an olive branch. The lower portion is an honor roll recognizing Montclair residents who served in the war.
Photo courtesy of: Mark Levitch & National Trust for Historic Preservation
This monument consists of an oblong granite base and a vertical granite slab adorned on the front with a bronze relief of a female figure representing Winged Victory. She stands with her leg, hand & wing extended over the heads of a group of marching World War I soldiers. She holds a palm frond in her right hand. She is barefoot & dressed in a sleeveless, ankle-length robe with armor on her upper torso.
The monument was installed by the city to honor the Morristown men who died in WWI. It was dedicated in 1928, on the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice. The monument & its setting were designed by John R. Brinley & John S. Holbrook, civil engineers of Morristown.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #NJ000354.
Photo courtesy of: Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)
This monument depicts a larger-than-life doughboy soldier standing with his left leg forward and his right leg extended backward. A rifle is held in his left hand, pointing diagonally downward across his extended left thigh. His helmet rests upside down to his left.
The figure stands on a natural rock that features a relief plaque depicting an angel in the center, holding an olive branch and flanked by soldiers. The sculpture was dedicated on July 19, 1924.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) #NJ000018.
Photos courtesy of:
Monument - Smithsonian Institution Research Information Service (SIRIS)
Plaque - Bill Coughlin & Historical Marker Database
The Oak Ridge monument is located in a community cemetery. It consists of a massive structure of quarry-faced stone blocks topped by a pyramidal concrete cap, all resting on a square stone slab.
A bronze plaque is set beneath a stone lintel on the front face, listing an honor roll of Oak Ridge area residents who served in WWI.
Photo courtesy of: Bill Coughlin & Historical Marker Database
This memorial is one of three in Orange, NJ.
It is a vertical boulder slab with a rectangular bronze honor roll plaque mounted to the front. The honor roll memorializes area residents who died in WWI.
The memorial was erected by area veterans' groups in 1923.
Photo credit: Bill Coughlin & Historical Marker Database
This sculpture is one of many casts made from EM Viquesney's doughboy design. Monuments using this design are scattered around NJ & the US.
This bronze cast sculpture, set upon a granite base, depicts a World War I infantryman advancing through the stumps and barbed wire of "No Man's Land." He holds a rifle in his left hand & a grenade in his raised right hand.
The monument was dedicated on Armistice Day 1930. The base contains a bronze plaque dedicating to Perth Amboy residents who served in wars prior to & including WWI.
Originally installed on the corner of Amboy Avenue & Pfeiffer Boulevard, the statue was moved to its current site around 1979.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #47260070.
Photo courtesy of: EM Viquesney Doughboy Database & Perth Amboy Public Library
This monument consists of an iron cannon placed on a brick & concrete gun carriage. The carriage has brick walls. A bronze honor roll plaque is attached to one wall and lists the names of Point Pleasant residents who served in World War I.
Dedication of this plaque occurred in July 1925 with remarks by Rev. Isaac Whitaker of the Central ME Church. Two little girls did the unveiling - Jean Baum, age 4 & Aldyth van Camp, age 3.
Photo courtesy of: RC & Historical Marker Database
The Pompton Lakes memorial consists of a small bronze plaque featuring a raised frame, upper shoulders, arched pediment, and bottom corner mutules. The top central portion of the monument features an eagle with its wings outstretched atop crossed partially furled flags.
The monument reads: "1917-1919. In honor of the men who served in the Army or Navy of the United States of American in the World War. This tablet is erected by the Borough of Pompton Lakes, N.J."
Photo courtesy of: Bill Coughlin & Historical Marker Database
The Princeton All Wars Memorial, dedicated in 1925, was designed by architect Harvey Wiley Corbett and sculptor Gaetano Cecere. This memorial takes the form of a semi-circular marble bench, often referred to as an exedra, placed on a circular base. At the center is a circular 68-inch diameter bronze medallion. The inscription reads:
Originally created to commemorate those who served in World War I, it was later rededicated to all who have served the United States in a war. Subsequent inscriptions have been added to commemorate those who served in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and Desert Storm. The original $10,000 cost of the memorial was raised with contributions from Princeton residents and clubs.
Photos courtesy of:
Image with flag - RC & Historical Marker Database
All other photos - NJ State Historic Preservation Office
This memorial depicts a World War I soldier, his jacket is open in the front and he wears an ammunition belt. The figure is cast metal that has been painted, and sits on a red granite base. A bronze plaque on the base dedicates the memorial to Riverdale residents who served in the war.
Originally located on private property at the intersection of Hamburg & Newark turnpikes in Riverdale, it was moved to its current location in front of Riverdale Elementary School in 1963.
The statue was removed from its base in June 2016 due to deterioration. The plaque & base remain in place.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #NJ000607.
Photo courtesy of: Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)
This World War I doughboy statue is fabricated from concrete - one of four in the state of NJ using that material. The 7' figure stands atop a 10' tall, square pedestal inscribed with the names of 15 men from Washington Township, NJ who served in The Great War.
The land for the memorial was donated by resident & Civil War veteran, John Yard in 1919. The monument was purchased from LL Manning & Son, a Plainfield, NJ monument company. It was unveiled on October 16, 1920 with more than 1,000 people in attendance.
Narrative adapted from Cathy Zahn, "Nearly a Century Old, but Doughboy's Message of Patriotism is Timeless," Robbinsville Sun website.
Photo Credit: Sheena Chi
This monument, located in a church cemetery, consists of an upright boulder slab set on a two-part concrete base. An brass honor roll plaque is attached to the front. The plaque contains an elaborate eagle in relief and the list of names of Rockaway residents who served in WWI.
Photo courtesy of: Bill Coughlin & Historical Marker Database
This WWI monument was designed by the artist Edgar Williams, brother of noted poet William Carlos Williams, who practiced medicine in his home across the street from the monument's location. Working with the borough's War Chest Committee, Edgar Williams designed this elegant cast granite column for the intersection of Chestnut Street and Park & Passaic Avenues. At its dedication on Memorial Day 1920, Edgar Williams explained the concept behind the monument: "The monument has a generally vertical mass chosen to indicate, as an old French axiom says, 'a finger pointed to Heaven'… the lower base will contain the records of those who died in the war ... on either side of the tablet are reversed torches, the symbol of lives passed from this earth. Intertwined about the torches are laurel branches indicating glory and honor ... the shaft bears the names of the major engagements in which our Rutherford boys took part. At the very top is a tripod from which a flaming light springs. The tripod is a symbol of sacrifice and the flame symbolizes the light which our boys helped give the world; light always pointing upward as the memory of these men who died for their convictions shall always be." Narrative adapted from "Rutherford: A Brief History," William Neumann, 2008. Photos courtesy of: Billy Neumann. Plaque detail - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)
This sculpture is one of many casts made from EM Viquesney's doughboy design. Monuments using this design are scattered around NJ & the US.
This bronze cast sculpture, set upon a granite base, depicts a World War I infantryman advancing through the stumps and barbed wire of "No Man's Land." He holds a rifle in his left hand & a grenade in his raised right hand.
The monument was erected in memory of Joseph Hassendorder, who made the supreme sacrifice, and in honor of the boys of Secaucus who served their country in the World War.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #NJ000238.
Photo courtesy of: Michael Herrick & Historical Marker Database
This WWI plaque is mounted on a mortared stone "boulder" on the grounds of the Somerset County Courthouse. The bronze plaque contains the American Legion logo flanked by L-shaped garlands with flower corner blocks.
The plaque reads, "To the citizens of Somerville in appreciation of their hospitality in 1917 to the Fourth New Jersey Infantry. We also speak for those who sleep in France."
It was presented by the Fourth Infantry Post of the American Legion on Decoration Day 1920.
Photos courtesy of:
"Boulder" - Bill Coughlin & Historical Marker Database
Plaque - RC & Historical Marker Database
This monument consists of a WWI doughboy statue atop a quarry-faced stone base & concrete slab. The soldier stands at attention with his rifle in his right hand with the butt resting on the ground.
A bronze plaque on the front of the monument contains an honor roll of local residents who served in WWI.
Photo courtesy of: RC & Historical Marker Database
The monument consists of a standing figure of an Indian chief dressed in a loincloth and wearing an elaborate headdress with tails that fall down his back. He is cradling a tomahawk with his arms folded across his upper chest.
The bronze statue stands atop an inscribed granite base. The monument was dedicated to members of the Improved Order of Red Men (IORM) who lost their lives during World War I. Erected by the IORM of Camden County, it was dedicated on October 13, 1920; rededicated May 21, 1981.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #NJ000233.
Photos courtesy of: NJ State Historic Preservation Office
Vintage photo courtesy of: New Jersey State Archives