The Soldier's Monument began as a tribute to Abraham Lincoln. An association formed in 1865 to gather funds and, after six years, had collected $707.40. Nicholas Fejervary offered to donate $1,300 if the monument would be erected to Scott County's Civil War dead instead. After accepting the offer, donations to the monument fund increased.
Construction started in 1880 and cost $8,000. This 50-foot obelisk is made of English Granite and sits on a foundation of Nauvoo stone. An infantry soldier stands at the peak, measuring 8 feet tall, and faces south toward the Mississippi River. The stone is covered in quotes for the brave and the dead. The battles of Shilo and Vicksburg appear on its sides.
The shaft tells a war story through heavy symbols. Bas-reliefs show crossed sabers for the cavalry and anchors for the navy. Wreaths of laurel, ivy, oak, and olive sit above these icons to represent joy, remembrance, strength, and peace. It is a lot of symbolism for one block of rock.
Today it stands in the College Square Historic District. It is a public site in the center of the city. An iron fence used to surround it, but that fence is gone now. The stone remains a sturdy part of the landscape.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Leroy
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