1843
Five acres of land in the downtown of Grand Rapids was purchased for use as a Park.
Feb. 13, 1864
Kent County Soldier’s Monument Association organized; members were a Who’s Who of early Grand Rapids history. Fundraising efforts to raise $5,000.00 for a monument began while the Civil War was still raging. They sold dollar membership plans.
Throughout 1864
Raised $600.00 before setting project aside due to more pressing concerns with the war.
November 25, 1884
Grand Rapids Common Council set aside the triangular park that came to be known as Monument Park. It consisted of only one-fifth of an acre out of the original 5 acres.
1884-1885
Fund Drive reactivated ($600.00 raised in 1864 had grown with interest to $2,223.00)
Early 1885
Contracted with the Detroit Bronze Company, a subsidiary of Monumental Bronze of Bridgeport, Connecticut to create the monument (original cost $3,500.00). The Monument was to be made of zinc or “white bronze.” The design (with fountain), size, and material all were so unique, that a story on the Monument was published in the Scientific American magazine. It should be noted that none of the six Monumental Bronze subsidiaries ever actually cast a monument. An artist at the subsidiary drafted the basic design, who then sent his design to be finalized by the artist in Bridgeport, where the casting was done. The pieces were then sent to the subsidiaries for final assembly and installation.
Sept. 16 & 17 1885
Unveiling and dedication of monument held at annual reunion of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland. (As well as annual meetings for many regiments who had served in the war, G.A.R. units and S.U.V. camps.)
Sept. 17, 1885
2:30 pm - Over 3,000 veterans and distinguished guests (such as famed cavalry General Philip Sheridan) marched or rode in a two-mile long parade for 50,000 spectators. The Schubert Male Chorus sang for the dedication. (Formed in 1883, the Schubert Male Chorus is the oldest continually performing male singing group in the United States, and they have offered to sing the same two songs as their predecessors did in 1885.)
1891
Hack men (19th century taxi drivers) convene to convert the triangular park into a hack stand. Opposition was strong against changing Monument Park, especially by Civil War veterans groups.
1908
Apparently in response to the City of Grand Rapids’ efforts to move the monument from it’s current location, the Champlin Post, No. 29, G.A.R., Grand Rapids, Michigan, sends a letter (see letter) stating that they “strongly oppose” any such movement and will “work in opposition” to the removal to any other location.
1921-1927
The Sophie De Marsac Campeau Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, form a committee to replace the Monument with one “more suitable” and estimated to cost about $75,000. The Committee never does anything and by 1928, no longer appears in any records.
1921
The following headline was seen in the Grand Rapids Herald in April – 1921.
“Cops” and Bankers Alike Give For G.A.R. Memorial - Appeal To Regenerate Veterans’ Own Park Brings Ready Response. Five remaining Civil War veterans ask that the City install a 60’ flag pole in Monument Park and remove anything not original to the Park. Within three weeks, the community contributes $585 toward a $500 project and the City erects the flagpole.
1953
The Champlin Woman's Relief Corps No. 41 - Auxiliary to the G.A.R (Grand Army of the Republic) demanded the statue be painted blue. (It had been painted gray sometime in the early 20th century – which was considered a “disgrace” for a Union town such a Grand Rapids! The Monument should never have been painted.))
1959
Statue shifted 6.5" over the years. City allocated funds to return the soldier to northwest stance.
September 1977
The Monument is moved about 100’ north to allow for the widening of Fulton Street and Division Avenue.
Recent years
Statue has been painted a few more times. Water source has been shut off to the statue. Plumbing underground and inside statue is in need of replacement. The Monument suffers from neglect and weather – has cracks, is warped, twisted, leaning, has chips & peeling paint. A federally funded survey in 1993 stated Monument was in need of restoration – survey results ignored.
2000
Sons of Union Veterans, General John A. Logan Camp No. 1 of Grand Rapids, adopt Monument Restoration Project to return Monument back to its original condition after a report by the Camp Patriotic Instructor Bruce B. Butgereit on the history of the monument.
May 30, 2000
The Monument Restoration Project fund-raising kick-off is introduced during Memorial Day ceremonies. Memorial Day was first created as a day set aside to honor the veteran of the Civil War (by General John A. Logan) in 1868. Once funds are raised, the statue will take about 6-9 months to restore.
May 30, 2000
Mr. Edward Blakely, the son of Egbert Blakely who served as a 15-year-old in the 10th Michigan Cavalry from 1863-1865, donates the first $100.
May 2000 – June 2002
Funds raised total $46,500 and are coming in slowly.
2001
Robinson Cartage agrees to donate the use of a crew and crane to assist in the disassembly and reassembly of the Monument. Van’s Trucking agrees to donate the use of a flatbed truck to transport the Monument to and from Karkadoulias Bronze Art, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Schubert Male Chorus offers to sing at the rededication of the restored Monument.
July 2002
The City of Grand Rapids agrees to contribute $50,000 to the restoration effort.
November 2002
The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) agrees to contribute $50,000 outright and offers a matching challenge grant of $50,000 to be given upon receipt of the next $50,000 we raise.
May 2003
The William Bartow Chapter of the Colonial Dames of the XVII Century gives $2,000. With that donation, we reach $51,222 raised since the November DDA challenge grant and we qualify to receive the additional $50,000 offered.
May 17, 2003
The Monument is disassembled to begin its long awaited journey to Cincinnati for restoration.
October 4, 2003
The Monument will be rededicated according to the 1917 GAR Memorial Rededication Service.
“This monument is erected in honor of the soldiers of Kent County, living, and dead who have gone to their reward; but to those living it has double significance. It stands for a Union restored, a people prosperous, united, happy, slavery dead, the equity of all men before the law, a Government of the people, and a just appreciation of the service that made all these possible.
The soldier dies; this monument and this Government will go on for ages, new generations come, old generations pass away; the fruits of the civil war are permanent and lasting; the victory of the sixties will be the crowning blessing of the twentieth century; it drenched the land in blood and cost us dearly in treasure. We have our reward in bequeathing to coming generations a union of States firmly established upon the undying principles of free homes, free schools, free speech, and free ballots – the grandest and best Government under the sun.”
Major C. W. Watkins, 10th Michigan Cavalry
- From the 1885 dedication speech
for the Kent County Civil War Monument
In January 2000, as the Patriotic Instructor of the Gen. John A. Logan, Camp No. 1, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) in Grand Rapids, I was assigned the duty of preparing a report on the monument. The more I read, the more I asked myself why no one seemed to know much about this historical treasure. I also asked myself how could we have let something so important to our community’s past, present and future, fall into such disrepair and become something that was “just there.” Little did I know when I began, but that report would lead to the monumental (no pun intended!) task that we, not only us of the SUVCW, but we as a community would undertake to restore our Kent County Civil War Monument to its original glory.
A Second Dream
While writing this report, my mind took me back to the time of the original dedication and how the dream of Major Watkins, and those to whom the Monument was dedicated, had long been forgotten. I knew something needed to be done.
I proceeded to make calls to the Grand Rapids City Parks Department about what they thought needed to be done and found the person overseeing the Downtown Parks, Mr. Mark DeGeest (now retired), very enthusiastic in helping in any way he could. I then approached Grand Rapids Mayor John Logie to inquire if we, the SUVCW, would have his blessing in trying to renovate the monument. Given Mayor Logie’s dedication to history, this was achieved rather easily.
Enter Dr. Weldon Petz
Our first thoughts were to simply clean the monument and then apply another coat of paint. For this we received an estimate of close to $2,500. Shortly after this, I attended the SUVCW Dept. of Michigan Mid-Winter Conference, where the guest speaker was Dr. Weldon Petz, noted Lincoln historian and author.
Dr. Petz and his dear wife Shirley have traveled every county and city in the State of Michigan, locating, researching, and recording, every Civil War statue, plaque, and monument in the State they could find. They found over 425 such memorials.
In sharing our thoughts with Dr. Petz, he stated that if had any voice to add to ours, it would be that the monument be restored to its original state, a silver-gray color. It was decided then that our monument would be restored, not renovated (painted).
Upon a Closer Inspection
After contacting the Grand Rapids Monument Company for a reference on a conservator, I was given the name of Mercene Karkadoulias of the Karkadoulias Bronze Art, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio. Mercene and her daughter, Kathy, drove to Grand Rapids, free of charge to inspect our monument and give their analysis.
Meeting with us that day was Mr. Tom Zelinski, the Grand Rapids City Parks Department Superintendent. We immediately were informed that our monument was not the type of bronze that we had anticipated. The monument is made of “white bronze” or zinc.
The condition we found the monument in was very sad. Time and the elements have taken their toll on our soldier. The paint was peeling and corroded. Cracks in the metal were very evident. The weight of the monument has caused creeping (the term to describe the slow movements of zinc) to take place. Vandalism has accounted for very little of the damage when compared to neglect.
The fountains have not worked since the water was shut off to the park to widen the streets. The underground pumps and plumbing were burned out after flooding.
THE STORY BEHIND OUR MONUMENT
While some of our Monument’s history is recorded in the “Our Monument’s History” page, I’d like to share a bit in more detail.
The thought of paying tribute to the men from Kent County who had died in the Civil War (1861-1865) came as early as February 1864. With over 4,200 men from the County serving, in the 3rd, 8th, and 21st Infantry, the 102nd USCT, the Engineers and Mechanics, the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 10th Cavalry and various artillery batteries, the weekly listing of the killed, wounded and missing was always sure to include “one from home.” In answer to this, the residents of the County believed a lasting tribute was deserved and proper.
February 22, 1864 – Grand Rapids Daily Eagle:
Kent County Soldiers’ Monument Association -
Some weeks [ago] an Association was organized in this City – the project being started by some of our public-spirited citizens – under the above title. This Association has since been legalized by the Legislature, through the passage of a law, procured by our Representatives and Senator, and os noe ready to call upon our citizens for subscriptions.
The Association contemplates the raising of as much money as can be obtained – and it is hoped by some of our sanguine citizens that its fund may eventually reach the sum of $50,000 – with which it is proposed to erect a monument in this city to the memory of those soldiers from Kent County who have died in the United States service during this war, either in battles or by disease. The monument is to contain the names of all our dead heroes, whether in hospital or in battle. It is also intended to procure a succinct biography of each fallen hero; to be neatly recorded in a bound book, and deposited, with the County Clerk, in the public archives of the county for the use of future historians.
By the Constitution adopted by the Association, every person who shall pay the sum of one dollar into the treasury will become a member of the Association, and every member over twenty-one years of age will be entitled to cast one vote in the election of officers for each dollar he or she contributes. The names of all the members are to be carefully engrossed on paper or parchment and deposited in a recess of the base of the monument, as a lasting memorial of those who shall contribute to honor the memory of their brave defenders in the army.
The original incorporators were literally a who’s who of early Grand Rapids history and included, Truman H. Lyon, Peter R. L. Pierce, Alfred X. Cary, George W. Allen, Eben Smith, Henry Grinnell, Thomas D. Gilbert, Henry Fralick, and Wilder D. Foster. The first officers were Thomas D. Gilbert, President; Ransom C. Luce, Treasurer; and Eben Smith, Secretary.
The monument will be, when completed, an ornament to the city and a credit to the county – an enduring testimonial of the patriotic gratitude of the people of Kent County toward the brave defenders of their government and the national honor. It will occupy some conspicuous location, and will be placed in charge of the city authorities, together with the grounds surrounding it – probably some handsome public park, properly ornamented and cared for. Who will not hasten to aid so worthy and so generous an undertaking.
February 26, 1864 - Grand Rapids Daily Eagle:
Kent County Soldier’s Monument Association
The Trustees of the Kent County Soldier’s Monument Association, at a regular meeting, held Feb. 25th, 1864 at 7 o’clock P.M., at the office of S.O. Kingsbury, adopted a code of by-laws substantially as follows:
1st. That any person paying one dollar to the Treasury, or any authorized collector of the association, shall be a member thereof and entitled to a certificate of such membership; and, if twenty-one years of age, entitled to one vote at the election of delegates from the respective towns and wards.
2nd. Each town and ward in the county of Kent, having thirteen voting members of the Association, shall be entitled to one delegate to a county Convention for the choice of officers, which shall assemble in the city of Grand Rapids, on the 2nd Saturday in February each year.
3rd. The officers of the Association shall not be paid for their services, but may be paid expenses actually and necessarily incurred, after the same shall have been audited and allowed by the Board of Trustees.
4th. It shall be the duty of the Trustees to take measures to secure the cooperation of the county and town governments, and the churches and civic societies of the county, to cause as complete a list as possible of all those officers and privates from Kent County that lost or may lose their lives in the service of their country during the present Rebellion, or from wounds received or disease contracted while in said service, with as full particulars as possible of the incidents connected with each case, and cause the same together with the names of all members of this Association to be recorded in a well bound book and deposited in the office of the Clerk of the County of Kent.
5th. As soon as the Trustees shall deem it expedient, they shall procure a plan for a monument and commence its erection.
The remaining by-laws provide for the disposition of the funds, bonds to be given by the Treasuers and the Collectors and the compensation of the Collectors, whose duty it shall be to collect funds from members (that is the membership fee of one dollar) and make monthly returns and payments to the Treasurer of all sums collected, with a complete list of all members names, which list shall be published monthly, in such papers as will do it free of expense.
The 9th By-law prescribes that, when in convention assembled, delegates from five towns or wards shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
The 10th By-law prescribes, that no money shall be drawn from the Treasury, except by vote of the Trustees, and upon the order of the President, and countersigned by the Secretary.
The compensation to collectors was fixed, by the Board at the following rates, viz: In the city, 3 percent on the first $100 collected, 4 percent of the second $100, and 5 percent on the balance; and in the county towns, 3 percent on the first $100 collected, 5 percent on the second $100 and 6 percent on the balance.
The President and Secretary were authorized to employ Collectors, and they will esteem it a favor if the Supervisor of the respective towns of the county will at their earliest convenience, forward to the Secretary the names of one suitable, responsible person from each town to act as a Collector.
It is very desirable that the Trustees receive the efficient cooperation of all friends of the soldier, throughout the county. They have perfected their organization under the law, and desire to commence their efforts at once and call upon all in our county to become members. [Signed] T.D. Gilbert, Ch’n. and E. Smith, Jr., Sec’y.
The effort faltered after $600 was raised and the funds were placed in a bank…nearly twenty years later, the money with interest had grown to $2,223. The plan for a monumental tribute was again pursued.
The Ground
But the story begins even before these men met. The ground on which the monument stands was acquired by the City of Grand Rapids in 1843. The area enclosed today by Fulton Street, Division Avenue, Ransom, and Library Plaza, approximately five (5) acres, was part of that purchase. The area north of Monroe (just north of the monument) was later sold by the city.
The remaining triangular park would become known as Monument Park, when on November 25, 1884, the Grand Rapids Common Council formally set the ground apart for the purpose of placing the monument. In 1911, the area was valued at $15,000. The widening of the surrounding streets has left just .05 of an acre.
The Monument Fund
The drive to fund the monument was begun upon the dollar membership plan, and local societies were organized in the townships of the County; the proposition being to raise a fund of $5,000 for the purpose of erecting a monument to the memory of the soldiers of Kent County who died while serving the United States during the Civil War. Calls upon the purses, as well as the patriotism of the people, were at that time so numerous and urgent. Progress however was slow. Six hundred members brought in six hundred dollars to the fund, when interest in the project flagged and nearly died out and further action was held in abeyance for nearly twenty years, except the careful investment by Mr. Gilbert and Fralick of the fund on hand. Finally, plans were solicited and a contract made with the Detroit Bronze Co. in 1885 for a monument to cost $3,500.00. The monument was to be ready for unveiling and dedication at the Annual Reunion of the Army of the Cumberland held here in September 16 & 17, 1885.
Mr. Gilbert offered to be responsible for any remaining balance that might be needed when the work should be done. The cost of the monument and its surroundings was $4,150.00. In connection with its payment, the striking illustration of the cumulative property of money judiciously invested was not overlooked. The original $600 with interest had grown to $2,223. This money, plus the subscription of funds for entertaining the Army of the Cumberland, led to a surplus of $750, which was turned over to the monument fund.
The Artist and First Drawings
In most cases, the local community would take ideas from previously cast memorials and submit them to the Monumental Bronze agent, who would then send them to the staff artist in Bridgeport, who would then finalize the drawing. For the Kent County Monument, there is little to go on but a couple of names on several pieces of art that tell us who designed it. It is believed the Association gave Detroit architect, Leon Coquard, the task of designing the monument. A drawing of it, inscribed with his name, was featured around the time of the monument's dedication in two local newspapers, the Grand Rapids Daily Democrat (September 11, 1885) and the Grand Rapids Daily Eagle (September 17, 1885). At that time Coquard worked as a draughtsman for the Detroit architect Albert E. French. After the monument's completion Coquard opened his own firm specializing in churches, perhaps a reflection of his own parochial school education.
It is also interesting that the artist’s rendering in the newspapers appears to be a copy of a lithograph done by Crossoup & West, noted artists and lithographers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This Monument sure had a lot of different hands involved in its creation.
The Monument in 1885
The monument in Monument Park, in the triangle bounded by Monroe, Fulton, and Division Streets, honors the veterans of the Civil War from Kent County.
The thirty-four foot monument rested on a base of native stone cut in the form of a Greek cross and was in the center of a basin, sixteen (16) feet in diameter, which was also cut from native stone and surrounded by a coping of sandstone. The base of the structure is ornamented with medallions of Lincoln, Grant, Farragut, and Garfield; also sites where some Kent County men fought:
FORT SUMTER APRIL 12, 1861
PORT ROYAL JANUARY 1, 1962
FORT DONELSON FEB. 16, 1862
MONITOR AND MERRIMAC MARCH 9, 1862.
NEW ORLEANS APRIL 24, 1862
ATLANTA SEPTEMBER 2, 1862
YORKTOWN APRIL 4, MAY 4, 1862
FAIR OAKS MAY 31, JUNE 1, 1862
STONE RIVER JANUARY 2, 1863
VICKSBURG JUNE 22, JULY 4, 1863
APPOMATTOX APRIL 8, 1865
MOBILE MARCH 30, APRIL 12, 1865
The next section of the monument has a bas-relief showing a woman giving aid to a wounded soldier and the inscription WOMAN’S MISSION OF MERCY making it the first monument in the history of the United States to recognize the efforts of women.
On the other three sides of this section are these inscriptions:
“A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE”
President Lincoln (in the Gettysburg Address)
“THE UNION MUST AND SHALL BE PRESERVED”
Andrew Jackson
“THE WAR FOR THE UNION WAS RIGHT, ETERNALLY RIGHT”
President James A. Garfield
“LET US HAVE PEACE – THIS IS A NATION”
U.S. Grant (closing of his nomination for President letter of acceptance)
Above this, the next section is:
IN HONOR OF THE SOLDIERS FROM KENT COUNTY 1861-1865. ERECTED 1885.
At the top is a draped shaft upon which a soldier, life size, stands at parade rest facing the northwest. Around the shaft are the battles PETERSBURG, WINCHESTER, MISSION RIDGE, and ANTIETAM.
Note: The newspapers claim that one of the battles listed on the monument was Gettysburg, but it isn’t there. Winchester seems to have “replaced” Gettysburg…possibly because Gen. Philip Sheridan was going to be the guest of honor and Winchester (Cedar Creek) was his most shining moment? This may have been part of a last minute (July 1885) change to the design, just as the addition of the 6-foot tall third section was added to increase the height to 34’. The section added? The panel stating the monument was for the soldiers and sailors from Kent County.
When the fountain is in operation, water spurts from four miniature cannon at the base and from the mouths of four cherubs into the water basins.
The Celebration Begins
The City of Grand Rapids had not had the influx of visitors, nor the need for rooms and camping ground, as it did for the celebration of the monument dedication. Hotel owners were worried as to the limited number of rooms. The northeast corner of the County Fairgrounds (Hall Street and Division Avenue) was turned into a camp for a sea of tents. It was called Camp Grant in honor of President U. S. Grant who had recently passed away.
Not only was this the time for the reunion of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, but many G.A.R. (Grand Army of The Republic) units and S. V. (Sons of Veterans) units were gathering to attend the dedication and to hold their annual meetings as well. There were also members who had served in the Mexican War gathering together. Other regiments gathering were the First Michigan Regiment of Engineers and Mechanics, the Seventeenth Infantry Regiment, the Fourth Michigan Cavalry (captors of Jeff Davis) represented by Gen. Pritchard, the Twenty-first Infantry regiment, the Sixth Cavalry represented by Gen. Kidd, the Second Michigan Cavalry, the Tenth Michigan Infantry, the Eighth Cavalry, and the old Third Michigan.
The parade that led up to the dedication was over two miles in length, and had over 3,000 veterans of the war participating, as well as numerous state and local dignitaries.
The Dedication
The G. A. R. Past Commander of Michigan, Gen. Byron R. Pierce, duly welcomed all the masses of spectators, G. A. R., and other dignitaries – newspaper reports state between 30,000 and 50,000 people were in attendance. The president of the Monument Association, T. D. Gilbert, was the first speaker of the program. The guest of honor was the famed, Gen. Philip Sheridan, now Commander of all United States armies.
Major C.W. Watkins of the 10th Michigan Cavalry gave a very moving speech which included the following excerpt:
Major Watkins also added these words, which became the theme for our fundraising project: “…That as long as grass grows and water runs, the deeds of the soldiers will be kept fresh in the hearts of the people.”
Rev. E. P. Gibbs of Grand Haven, pronounced the benediction, and one of the most imposing and pleasing ceremonies ever seen here was concluded. But despite the ceremony and its significance the crowd did not disperse nor move; it pressed closer and closer to the stand with an impulse which soon found one voice in loud and clamorous cries for “Sheridan!” “Sheridan!” “Little Phil!” “Sheridan!” Moved at length by the tremendous importunities which literally rolled in from all sides, the Lt. General modestly arose and said: “Comrades. I’ll take this opportunity to say good-bye to you all.” The illustrious guest was escorted into a waiting hack and soon the streets were clear. A large group gathered around the fountain, which was splashing merrily, as if rejoicing at its birth and at the opportunity given it to murmur an everlasting requiem over the bodies of the noble dead.
As Years Passed On
In 1891, just six years after the Monument is dedicated at Monument Park, hack men convened to convert the Park to a hack stand. At a meeting on 23 January 1908, the Champlin Post voted decidedly to oppose any thought or effort to move the monument from its present position. (The original hand-written letter is in the Grand Rapids Public Library archives.)
In 1953, the Champlin Woman’s Relief Corps No. 41 – Auxiliary of the G. A. R., demanded that the statue be painted blue, or even black, as long as it wasn’t gray. No one in the Grand Rapids City Hall knew of why or when the statue had been painted gray. Unbeknownst to the women or City Hall, the original color was gray, according to the “History of the City of Grand Rapids,” printed in 1890 and the color of zinc.
The monument was adjusted in 1959, when Park Supt. Fred C. See reported that the statue had shifted 6.5 inches off center – to the south. The city allocated funds and the soldier promptly was returned to his northwest stance. Since then, the soldier apparently has remained loyal to the Union cause.
