Soldiers and Sailors Monument – 125th Anniversary – East Rock, New Haven.. June 17th

June 17, 2012 will mark the 125^th anniversary of the dedication of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument atop East Rock Park in New Haven, Connecticut. Please join us as we celebrate the anniversary on Sunday ( Father’s Day ) at 1PM on top of East Rock.

The monument stands 110 feet tall and is located on top of East Rock another 300  feet tall, overlooking the New Haven area and Long Island Sound. It was dedicated to honor the New Haven soldiers and sailors who died during the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War and the Civil War. The entire monument which was recently refurbished at a cost of over $1M includes two large plaques of 523 names from the Civil War with Rear Admiral Andrew Hull Foote (raised in Cheshire) at the top of the list.

 On dedication day in 1887 the marchers and horse drawn carriages in the parade to the top included Generals W. T. Sherman and Philip Sheridan and some 20,000 others with a start at Church and Chapel Street at 8:30 AM that took until 4PM to pass the monument at the summit. An estimate of close to 200,000 people lined the parade route making it the biggest event in the City’s history.

This year, at 1PM everyone will begin to assemble near the base of the monument where we will have a battery operated mike with two speakers and tables with mementos, booklets and handouts.  After some Civil War music from State Troubadour Emeritus Tom Callinan and photos with re-enactors, a talk will be given on the monument architecture, names on the two plaques and the dedication 125 years ago. We will acknowledge the descendants of the soldiers who are with us and then plan to unlock the gate around the base of the monument and see the names on the plaques up close. Descendants of the armless Pvt George Warner of the 20^th Connecticut who unveiled the monument in 1887 are planning to join us and place a wreath at the monument.

The following site by Michael Herrick gives the names by regiment along with photos taken before the monument and plaques were restored:       http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?MarkerID=34723  

 Another link from the City of New Haven provides the 1887 program http://archive.org/stream/officialprogramo00newh#page/n0/mode/2up 

 A map of East Rock, the monument and parking areas are shown at:  http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/parks/parksinformation/media/2008EastRockMap.pdf  

With good weather forecast, it should make for a nice afternoon, one with a spectacular view of the entire area and some unique history. Bring a folding chair if you'd like but make sure to bring you