You don't see that many memorials solely dedicated to the 1898-1902 Spanish-American War, but you…read morewill find this striking monument on a strip of grass in downtown Meriden. I did some research on this monument and learned something about the veterans who fought in the war that won America the lands of Guam, Puerto Rico, and (temporarily) Cuba. World War II soldiers were called "GI Joes", World War One vets were "doughboys", and Spanish-American War vets were called "hikers". There are many variations of a hiker statue across the country commemorating that war -in fact I saw a similar one in Bristol. The Meriden statue portrays a hiker in the uniform of his day -long boots, a wide brimmed hat, his shirt sleeves rolled up, and a rifle held across his body at waist level. A plaque lists approximately 200 names of local men that served in the war. The inscription over the names reads " This memorial presented by the City of Meriden to the veterans of the Spanish American War". The plaque is getting hard to read, and the statue is showing obvious signs of age. Check out the hiker's face -it's an awesome statue.

This eye-catching gorgeous monument sits in Bushnell Park. It depicts Nike, the winged Greek…read moreGoddess of victory, and is dedicated to the Hartford residents that served in the Spanish American War of 1898-99. She is standing on an eagle-shaped bow of a ship. Nike is quite the fashion plate - and she sure loves her fashion accessories. She's wearing a helmet, a wind ruffled gown, and a sword hangs off her left hip. In her right hand she carries an overhead torch and in her left hand she carries a shield with the American Flag and Connecticut seal. There is a sculpted military panel on each side of Nike -a rifleman and a sailor. Below Nike is Spanish American War medallion. The statue's base morphs into a stone bench on both sides of the statue, engraved with the words: TO COMMEMORATE THE VALOR AND PATRIOTISM OF THE HARTFORD MEN WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN THE WAR WITH SPAIN 1898 The engraving on the bench is badly soiled and worn out. A plaque on the rear of the monument reads: Erected by The City Of Hartford 1927 Richard J. Kinsella-Mayor Norman C. Stevens-Mayor (8 Commissioners also named)

This monument stands apart from most of the veteran's memorials I have seen due to its vibrant and…read morestriking use of color. It's a simple stone monument adorned by an unfurled American flag in full glorious color. In addition to the bright reds, whites, and blues of the flag, the monument also sports a silver flagpole topped by a gold eagle. The inscription reads "In Honor of Those Who Served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America." There are gold and bronze emblems of the five branches of the armed services at the bottom of the monument. The monument sits on the front lawn of the Poquonock Elementary School at 1760 Poquonock Avenue in Windsor. As you are driving by on Route 75, it sure grabs your attention !!

This monument was unveiled in 1888 and the infantryman on top faces south, hands on his upturned…read morerifle. He appears to be dressed in appropriate Civil War garb. Below him, the dedication reads "Suffield erects this memorial in honor of her citizen soldiers who died serving their country that the Union might be preserved. 1861-65." The East face of monument lists the 31 Suffield residents lost in the War Between the States. It also mentions Sharpsburg where the bloody 1862 Battle of Antietam was fought. The north face bears an intricate state of Connecticut seal and honors Fort Wagner in South Carolina. The west face displays crossed cannon representing the artillery and lists Andersonville, a town of Georgia where a large Confederate prisoner of war camp was built. The monument is located on a grass square to the south of Kent Memorial Library where there is parking. [Review 15195 overall, 697 of 2021, number 45 in Connecticut.]

Standing in the Town Green where Routes 159 and 168 cross stands a granite sculpture of a Union…read moresoldier. The soldier and the pedestal must be at least 20 feet tall. This memorial was dedicated way back in 1888. The soldier, as in so many of the Civil War memorials I have seen, is holding the barrel of his rifle while the rifle butt rests on the ground. The monument is dedicated to those from Suffield who died in the Civil War. Inscribed on the front panel of the pedestal are the words: SUFFIELD ERECTS THIS MEMORIAL IN HONOR OF HER CITIZEN SOLDIERS, WHO DIED SERVING THEIR COUNTRY, THAT THE UNION MIGHT BE PRESERVED. 1861 - 65. There is also an inscription In the stone border above the panels that reads: 1888 SHARPSBURG FT. WAGNER ANDERSONVILLE The memorial's inscriptions are becoming difficult to read, I guess this can be expected since it is 125 years old. There is also a civil war cannon standing on the Town Green in close proximity to the memorial.

"Read in the paper about a man killed with a sword And that…read moremade my think of my friend George" (Lou Reed) As you leave the Hartford Atheneum and take a right onto Gold Street, you'll see this old weathered marker and monument on the corner. It commemorates 1775 and 1781 visits to Hartford by General George Washington. The 1775 visit was an overnight stop on Washington's travel to Boston to take command of the continental army. The stop was the home of Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth. That home was long ago demolished, but now the property is the home of the Wadsworth Atheneum Art Museum The monument's inscription reads: George Washington was entertained by Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth in his home on this site on June 30, 1775 when on his way to Cambridge to assume command of the Army. On September 21, 22, 23, 1780 with Lafayette, General Knox and Governor Jonathan Trumbull, Washington held here his first conference with the French Commander Count Rochambeau and Admiral Ternay to concert joint military and naval plans. In 1781, Washington was also in Hartford, March 4, 16, 17, 18 and May 19, 21. During his tour through the eastern states in 1789, Washington was in Hartford on October 19, 20, 21 and November 9, 10. On October 20, he was entertained by Colonel Wadsworth. To mark this site associated with his name, this tablet is erected by the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution in abiding reverence for Washington February 22, 1932, the two hundredth anniversary of his birth.

There is a lot of text on this marker that stands at the south end of East End Park. It is visible…read morefrom the road that goes past but I stopped to read the marker and appreciate the monuments in this park. On the front, "In 1686 the General Court of the Connecticut Colony granted to the town of Hartford and Windsor "... lands on the north of Woodbury ... and on the west of ... Simsbury ... to make a plantation or villages theron." Later (1732) the Hartford proprietors, named in a patent of 1729, executed a deed which provided for division of the Hartford share, including the part which became Winchester. The General Assembly in May, 1786 authorized an ecclesiastical society in Winchester township. The meetinghouse was located near, and a later one on, the present Winchester Center Green. Following petition by the society, the General Assembly incorporated the Town of Winchester in May, 1771. "In 1778 the Assembly established the Ecclesiastical Society of Winsted (from Winchester and Barkhamsted townships) on Old North Road, but the opening of the Greenwoods Turnpike in 1799 from New Hartford to Sheffield brought a great volume of traffic to the valleys." And on the reverse, "Settlers along the Still River erected a second meetinghouse near the present Winsted Green. The village of Winsted became an incorporated borough in 1858, a city in 1917. Since the late 1700's the community of Winchester / Winsted has thrived on a core of industry: scythes, thread, clocks, electrical items, ball bearings, and one of the few pin factories of the 1800's in the United States. The first grist mill was built in 1771 by David Austin at the foot of Highland Lake. Benjamin Jenkins and James Boyd built one of the State's first scythe factories at Lake and Meadow Streets in 1792. The Hoadleys and Whitings founded a clock industry here in 1897, which became the Gilbert Clock Company in 1871. Ribbon candy was invented in the 1880's in a local candy store. The Gilbert School (1895) became the home of the Northwestern Connecticut Community College in 1965." "Erected by the Town of Winchester, The Winchester Historical Society And the Connecticut Historical Commission. 1979" Plenty of street parking around the park. [Review 1693 of 2024 - 97 in Connecticut - 22716 overall]

This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a…read moreblue background, It's located in the town green where Main Street (Route 44) intersects with Park Place (Route 8). The green is a busy place, with all sorts of other markers, monuments, and memorials everywhere. The marker was dedicated by the Town of Winchester, The Winchester Historical Society, and the Connecticut Historical Commission in 1979. The marker tells the history of the area now known as Winchester and Winsted (Winsted is a part of Winchester) Way back in 1686, the General Court of the Connecticut Colony gave the established towns of Hartford and Windsor additional lands to the West for settlement. It took close to 100 more years for everything to fall into place, but in 1771 the Town of Winchester was incorporated. The name "Winsted" came about as a nod to its early settlers from both Winchester and Barkhamsted, It was incorporated in 1858 and became a city in 1917. Winchester's industries over the years have included agricultural tools, thread, clocks, electrical items, ball bearings, and pins. Ever have ribbon candy as a kid? It was invented here in Winsted in the 1880's. The marker is not in terrific condition, as some of it's blue paint is starting to peel away,

Similar in design and execution to other Civil War memorials in the north, this one is located in…read moreEast End Park. The park had been a military parade ground a century ago, making this an apt placement. Summarized from https://chs.org/finding_aides/ransom/132.htm... The memorial was dedicated on May 30, 1905. The original donor, Charles H. Pine (1845-1915) was present. At the age of 16, he served as a drummer in the 19th Connecticut Volunteers and served for three years. The memorial is 27 feet tall and features a soldier in greatcoat and cap, leaning on his upturned rifle. It could be said he is staring off into the distance at those who did not come home from the war. The inscriptions read... 1904 For The Dead A Tribute - For The Living A Memory - For Posterity An Emblem Of Loyalty To The Flag Of Their Country. On the north side... The Gift Of Charles B. Pine In honor of the patriotism and to perpetuate the memory of these 368 brave men who went forth from this town from 1861 to 1865 and periled their all that the nation might live this monument has been erected that all who come after them may be mindful of their deeds and fail not in the day of trial to emulate their example On the column, the battles where they fought... Petersburg * Antietam * Port Hudson * Cold Harbor There is parking along the street next to the park. [Review 1692 of 2024 - 96 in Connecticut - 22715 overall]

This simple and modest World War Two monument is located in the town green where Main Street (Route…read more44) intersects with Park Place (Route 8). The green is a busy place, with all sorts of other markers, monuments, and memorials everywhere. It's a 2-sided marker that on one side honors the 1,551 Winchester citizens that served in the Second World War. The other side honors the 39 from Winchester that were killed in the war The inscriptions read: Dedicated To Those Veterans of W W II Who Paid The Ultimate Price For Freedom In Memory Of The 1551 Men & Women From Winchester Who Served In W W II The statue was dedicated on May 29, 2000. The memorial is a lot smaller than some of the other WW II memorials I have seen. It's also a lot less flashy. It's probably exactly what most members of the Greatest Generation would have wanted.

Clarence Ransom Edwards! That is one three-headed righteous name!…read more Despite graduating last in his 1883 class at the US Military Academy, he had a long military career that started with service in the Spanish American War and took him around the world to the Philippines, Hawaii, and the Panama Canal Zone. In World War One, he commanded the Army's 26th "Yankee" Division, which included National Guard troops exclusively from New England. It's a pretty cool bronze statue of a kindly looking gent wearing a WW I uniform and a pea coat. On his feet are knee-high boots with spurs. A ground-level plaque is inscribed: MAJOR GENERAL CLARENCE RANSOM EDWARDS D.S.M. 1859-1931 BELOVED COMMANDER OF THE 26TH DIVISION WHO LED THE SONS OF NEW ENGLAND TO GLORIUS VICTORY ON THE BATTLEFIELDS OF FRANCE IN THE WORLD WAR 1917----1918 SPONSORED BY THE CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT YANKEE DIVISION, VETERANS ASSOCIATION THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED BY THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT AND DEDICATED MAY 30 1942. The statue is another example of the many treasures to be found on the grounds of the state capital. The statue itself is in pretty good shape, but the Major's coat looks like it could use a good dry cleaning. The plaque is showing some age issues.