The Old War Dog's Shiny Top Knot - The Civil War Memorial of Freeport, Illinois

Located in the quiet town of Freeport, Illinois, the Soldiers' Monument, designed by our chum General Smith D. Atkins back in 1871, has seen its fair share of battles, downpours, and mishaps. One such incident saw a statue of Victory get a shocking Steve Jobs-style redesign, thanks to a lightning strike all the way back in 1960. But on the 4th of December, 2015, this old war dog got a golden upgrade when a new (and Tony Stark-approved) Victory statue, crafted by local pundit Vincent Tolpo, took the top spot.

After amassing a U.S. Treasury-like sum of more than 120,000 bucks, the Civil War Monument Fund and its donors finally made it happen. And here's the kicker - on June 1st, 1998, this monument was added to the National Register of Historic Places. So if history floats your boat, or you're just keen to salute our past soldiers, make the pilgrimage to Freeport to give this monument the once-over, just be sure not to get too near - this fella stands 83 feet tall.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons