Patriotic Citizens! Why Just Read About History…

When You Can Help Save History!

In the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, there stands a faithful soldier looking down Monroe Avenue atop his 34-foot perch. He is 117 years old and in desperate need of repair and renovation. The fountains, which once “splashed merrily,” have not worked for many years and the "white bronze" or zinc monument, which is cracked and warped, has been painted several times.

The dream of the original fundraisers, in 1885, was to provide a monument that would pay tribute to the soldiers and sailors of Kent County who fought during the Civil War and serve as a reminder of self-less sacrifice and heroism for future generations.

We are those generations they thought about so long ago. Now it is time for us to revive that dream and bring the monument and fountain back to its original glory for the generations yet to come. While we can never repay the debt to those men and women of Kent County who did so much for us during the war, we can restore one of the most historic Civil War monuments in the United States. The donations received will go toward the restoration of the monument and fountain for the education and enjoyment of those future generations.

Historic “firsts” associated with the Kent County Civil War Monument:

• It was the first Civil War monument in the United States to pay tribute to the efforts of women. One of the panels, in a prominent position on the front of the sculpture reads, “Woman’s Mission of Mercy.”
• It was the first Civil War monument in the United States to include a fountain.
• It is the only Civil War memorial, out of 435 in Michigan, to include a fountain.

This web site exists to give honor and to preserve the memory of the “boys who wore the blue” serving in the Union army during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and to veterans who have served our country in all wars. May we always remember their sacrifices for our freedoms.