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Monumental recognition Soldiers
and Sailors edifice honors those who have served. Sunday News Published: Nov 09, 2008 Lancaster By STEPHEN KOPFINGER,
Staff Writer The "Genius of Liberty" reigns over the military statues
in the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Lancaster's Penn Square. The "Genius of Liberty" reigns over the military
statues in the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Lanca...(more) She doesn't look bad for 134 years old. And the men with
whom she keeps company are in pretty good shape, too. Since 1874, the lady atop downtown Lancaster's Soldiers and Sailors
Monument has gazed upon the city, secure on her perch that overlooks Penn Square. Generations of citizens have seen the monument
endure; some might recall the days when streetcars passed by its base and the Watt & Shand department store ruled the
city's shopping scene. But how much do folks know about this stately tribute to those from Lancaster County who fell in
battle? Who built it, and why? Which conflict — or conflicts — does it commemorate? And does the woman at the
top of the column have a name? As Veteran's Day approaches this Tuesday, they are questions worth considering. But
there is one conclusion: "It's a very fitting monument," said historian Ronald C. Young, of Brownstown. "Very
well done." Indeed. Forty-three-feet-tall, the monument is comprised of a robed lady crowning a Rhode Island granite
shaft surrounded by four men representing four branches of the armed services: Army, Navy, Cavalry and Artillery. The entire
grouping, dedicated July 4, 1874, originally paid tribute to Lancastrians who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the Civil
War. Today, it also represents those who have served in conflicts ever since. The lady, by the way, does have a name, one
she somewhat shares with a certain statue in New York harbor. Penn Square's woman on a pedestal is known as "The
Genius of Liberty." She bears a shield and carries a drawn sword; her head is adorned with stars. "She is beautiful,"
said Young. And she stands steeped in history. Ladies lead The idea for the monument originated after the close of the great
conflict between the Union of the North and the Confederacy of the South, a war which tore the young nation apart from 1861
to 1865. It took a ladies' organization, the Patriot Daughters of Lancaster, spearheaded by civic leader Rosina Hubley,
to get things going. In December of 1867, a fair was held in Fulton Hall, now known as the Fulton Opera House, to raise money
for a memorial; some $3,500 was netted for the cause. Over the next few years, the question of just where to put the monument
was a frequently discussed topic. An excerpt from an 1892 book titled "Brief History of Lancaster County,"
by Anna Lyle, of the "State Normal School," Millersville, continues the story, with some slight name changes: "In
compliance with the demand of public sentiment [the monument] was placed in Center Square, in the city. This beautiful granite
structure — surrounded with four emblematic statues and and capped with a figure of the Goddess [Genius] of Liberty
— was unveiled with imposing ceremonies in the presence of a great multitude, on the 4th of July, 1874." "You would have seen the square decked out in red,
white and blue bunting," said Young of the dedication day. "Lady Liberty had a big flag draped over her, as well."
When the monument made its debut, it was surrounded by stockade fencing and earthen roadways. Veterans joined the assembled
crowds, along with girls from the Mount Joy Soldiers Orphan Home, noted Young in his book "Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
in the Civil War." At 1 p.m., the dedication was made official and the young girls marked the occasion with a solemn
song, "My Father's Grave." President and Civil War hero Ulysses S. Grant sent his regrets for not being able
to attend the big day. Still, "it was quite a scene," Young said. "There had to have been a couple of thousand
[people] easily." In a fitting historical footnote, the monument was later recognized as standing on the
very spot where the Continental Congress met Sept. 27, 1777, in the old city courthouse during the American Revolution. Lancaster
landmark Events — joyous and tragic — have always swirled around the monument; in 1945, jubilant crowds celebrated
the end of World War II at Liberty's feet. In 1960, Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy campaigned in the
square, drawing anywhere from 5,000 to 15,000 spectators (reports vary). And in 1978, a local woman committed suicide by ramming
her car into the base, damaging the sailor statue. There was also a time when the Genius of Liberty could have very well left
home; in the 1950s, an idea was raised to move the monument to a park to ease traffic congestion in Penn Square. Luckily for
subsequent generations who appreciate the landmark, the thought didn't take. Until the 1970s, traffic passed around all
four corners of the monument. That changed when a brick plaza was built outward from a newly-expanded Fulton Bank in the square's
northeast corner, allowing pedestrians to walk right up to the base. Today, they may peruse several bronze plaques added over
the years, marking two world wars and conflicts in Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. One plaque honors the service of African-Americans
in the nation's defense. They can also note, on the monument's central pillar, carved names of Civil War battles.
Well-known sites such as Gettysburg and Chickamauga share honors with lesser-known, but no less important, conflicts in places
such as Malvern Hill and Wilderness. Those who want to gaze directly upon the face of Liberty, by the way, will have to do
so on foot. Traffic, once two-way on Queen Street, has been one-way, approaching the square from the south, for decades. The
Genius of Liberty faces north; legend has it she's turning her back on the defeated Confederacy. History-seekers might
find further inspiration — and tribute — at the base of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument: Erected by the people
of Lancaster County/To the memory of their fellow citizens who fell/in defense of the Union/in the War of the Rebellion/1861-1865.
And our own Lady Liberty still towers, even while surrounded by high-rises such as the Griest Building and the new Marriott
Lancaster hotel and convention center. "She gazes down," Young said, "on many
changes in the square." Stephen Kopfinger is a Sunday News staff writer. Contact him at skopfinger@lnpnews.com
or at 291-8799.
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Bookends Sunday News Published: Mar 08, 2009
History Day will feature authors The
Penn Manor History Book and Film Festival will be held 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14, in conjunction with the Lancaster-Lebanon
Regional National History Day Competition at Penn Manor High School. Authors who will appear and sign their books include:
• Richard Wagner, "For Honor, Flag, and Family," 10:30-11:30 a.m. • Francis Bremer: "John Winthrop:
America's Forgotten Founding Father," 10:30-11:30 Related Stories • Edward Bonekemper: "Grant and Lee:
Victorious American and Vanquished Virginian," "McClellan and Failure: A Study of Civil War Fear, Incompetence and
Worse," "A Victor, Not a Butcher: Ulysses S. Grant's Overlooked Military Genius," and "How Robert
E. Lee Lost the Civil War," 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. • Larry Alexander: "Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick
Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers" and "Shadows in the Jungle," 12:30-1:30 p.m. • Todd Mealy:
"Biography of an Antislavery City: Antislavery Advocates, Abolitionists, and Underground Railroad Activists in Harrisburg,
PA," 1:30-2:30 p.m. • Ron Young: "Lancaster County Civil War Sites Revisited,"
1:30-2:30 p.m.
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