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.
 
Two full-length bronze figures flank a square granite column. The figure on the left is a WWI sailor. He is dressed in uniform and wears a sailors cap. He holds a rifle in front of him with both hands placed on the barrel of the gun. The butt of the gun rests on the ground in front of him. The figure on the right is a WWI doughboy. He also wears a uniform and helmet and holds a gun in the same position. Both figures stand with their backs to the monument column on granite bases which rest flush against the column.
The capitol of the column is decorated with bas-relief elements. A bronze eagle, perched on an olive branch with wings outspread, is centered on the front & back faces of the column.
This memorial is dedicated for her 21 sons who made the supreme sacrifice in WWI.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #NJ000584.
Photos courtesy of: Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)
This striking monument sits in a busy intersection leading into downtown Westfield, NJ. It consists of a tall, horizontally banded granite column with a simple capital, topped by a bronze sculpture of Clio the Muse. The column rests on a granite plinth square base with rusticated edges.
Photos courtesy of:
Front view - NJ State Historic Preservation Office
Rear view - Sheena Chi
This is one of two WWI monuments in Westwood, NJ.
The monument consists of a rusticated granite stele placed on a rusticated concrete base. The stele, rounded at top, features a bronze honor roll plaque with a raised frame & curved upper edge. This plaque contains the names of Westwood residents of who served in the war.
Photos courtesy of: Michael Herrick & Historical Marker Database
This is one of two WWI monuments in Westwood, NJ.
This WWI memorial consists of a small rectangular plaza dedicated to the memory of Westwood resident, Sgt. Ralph W. Lester. It includes an interpretive panel flanked by two low concrete benches positioned around a VFW logo floor tile.
Sgt. Lester enlisted in June 1917 & left for France in May 1918. He was killed by an nearby exploding shell in the battle of Ronssoy, France. His body was never found.
Photos courtesy of: Bill Coughlin & Historical Marker Database
This World War I memorial of a bronze doughboy is depicted striding forward with his rifle held over his left shoulder and a large pack on his back. In his extended right hand, he carries his helmet and an olive branch.
The memorial was erected in 1924 under the sponsorship of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, who raised $10,000 in contributions from the community.
The figure was designed by Robert Tait McKenzie of Philadelphia; the Indiana limestone base by Paul P. Cret, head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.
Narrative adapted from James D. Carpenteer, “History of Woodbury” (1936) and Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #77002574.
Photos courtesy of: NJ State Historic Preservation Office
This monument consists of a vertical quarry-faced granite slab with rounded upper corners, resting on a granite base.
A bronze plaque is recessed into the front of the stone, containing an honor roll of Wood Ridge residents who served in WWI.
Photos courtesy of: NJ State Historic Preservation Office
The Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial is a war memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii, built in the form of an ocean water public swimming pool. The natatorium was built as a living memorial dedicated to "the men and women who served during the great war" (now known as World War I). It is the only official memorial honoring World War I in the State of Hawaii. Located on the shore west of Kapiʻolani Park and completed in 1927, the natatorium was built in the Hawaiian Beaux-Arts architectural style. The entrance to the memorial includes an arch featuring four stone eagles typical of this style.
Inside the memorial is a 100 meter by 40 meter salt water swimming pool. In the opening ceremonies on August 24, 1927, the local Olympic gold medal holder Duke Kahanamoku made the first swim (it was his birthday). In the following swim meet, world record holder Johnny Weissmuller won the 100, 400 and 800 meter events, and Buster Crabbe (also local) won the 1500 meters.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the natatorium was taken over by the U.S. Army and used for training during World War II. In 1949 it was refurbished and turned over to the City and County of Honolulu on July 1, 1949. Its condition deteriorated, and was officially closed in 1963, but continued to be used. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu on August 11, 1980 as site 80001283.
Photos courtesy of the American Legion and Robert Shay, PH3, USNR-R, 1964-70
This sculpture is one of many casts made from EM Viquesney's doughboy design. Monuments using this design are scattered around NJ & the United States.
The 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 honor and memory of those from Belmar who served in World War I.
The doughboy sculpture was damaged by vandals in 2017.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #47260066.
Photos courtesy of:
Statue - NJ State Historic Preservation Office
Dedication on Memorial Day 1930 - EM Viquesney Doughboy Database & Nick Mihalic
A World War I soldier stands holding a flag with his left hand, with his right arm extended, hand raised in a "stop" gesture. The soldier wears a helmet and has his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The copper painted sculpture is mounted on a square base and is surrounded by a low wall.
The memorial complex also includes monuments to other wars. The sculptor, J.A. Meliodon, was from Lincoln Park, NJ.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #NJ000371.
Photo courtesy of: Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)
Dr. John Taylor lived in this house and practiced medicine here. The Colonial Revival design of the house reflects a reaction against the ostentatious residences of the Victorian era.
The house was purchased by the Town of Boonton in 1921 as a memorial to World War I veterans. It served as the Town Hall until 1965 and is now the home of American Legion Post 124 and the Boonton Historical Society.
Narrative adapted from Morris County Heritage Commission website.
Image courtesy of: Dan Beards, Morris County Heritage Commission
This World War I monument consists of a quarry-faced stone slab with a bronze plaque mounted on the front. The plaque is topped by the image of an eagle with its wing spread extending beyond the raised frame. The honor roll lists the names of all Butler residents who served in the war.
Photo courtesy of: NJ State Historic Preservation Office
This monument, located in Main Memorial Park in downtown Clifton was sculpted by Gaetano Cecere & designed by architect William E. Brown. It consists of a light gray granite shaft, square in cross-section. At the base of the shaft, a bronze female figure with a full-length robe stands carrying a circular shield with an eagle & star design in her left hand and a sword in her right.
The shaft itself is crowned with a bronze urn of classical design. The sides of the shaft are incised with laurel wreaths. Names of veterans are listed above the wreath.
Narrative adapted from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) inventory #76009166.
Photo credit: Sheena Chi
This monument consists of a rectangular boulder with a central horizontal seam that sits upon a concrete base. Three bronze plaques are placed on the front of the boulder with the central plaque commemorating Demarest residents who served in the Great War.
Photo courtesy of: Sheena Chi
This World War I memorial honor roll plaque lists the residents of Florham Park, NJ that served during the war. The plaque is attached to a large stone, flanked by stone planters.
It is located on the grounds of Columbia School District #5, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Photos courtesy of: NJ State Historic Preservation Office
This memorial cannon sits atop a raised, rectangular concrete platform. It has a metal carriage and features a riveted metal shield for protection to those who fired it.
An adjacent granite monument reads, "Presented by Garfield Post 255, American Legion. Dedicated in memory of our deceased comrades. May 30, 1935."
Photo courtesy of: Sheena Chi
This monument consists of a flag pole set in a stone plinth in front of Saddle River's municipal building. The base of a quarry-faced stone plinth surmounted by a concrete slab containing a center hole for the flagpole.
A bronze plaque on the front contains an honor role recognizing local residents who served in both world wars & Korea. The plaque is decorated with an eagle under the curved top.
Photos courtesy of: Sheena Chi