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A landmark in the courthouse square is the monument
erected in honor of the Civil War soldiers buried in
Washington County. The statue was dedicated Memorial Day
(May 30th), 1898. It was originally intended for another town
but the soldier's musket had been damaged so that town
refused to pay for it. The statue was held in Omaha for
freight charges. The cost was to have been $1600*,
but Blair purchased it from the railroad for a mere $60.
It stands 24 feet high.
A "white bronze" (an economical casting material) statue of
a conventional figure of a soldier at parade rest on the
pedestal made of Italian Marble. The figure steps forward on
his left leg holding the rifle centered in front. The butt is
parallel with the direction of his feet and extends beyond the
statue's round base. Forearms are horizontal as he holds both
hands on the rifle muzzle, left over right. He wears an
overcoat with waist belt suspending cartridge box and bayonet.
The overcoat cape falls to the forearms.
The inscription on the pedestal reads:
1861-1865
TO THE MEMORY OF THE UNION SOLDIERS
The statue stood in the middle of Walker Avenue (16th
Street) between the schoolhouse and the courthouse until 1939
when the city decided the statue was a traffic hazard and
moved it to its present location.
*
Other
Source list the price as
$1160. |
