Sailors and Soldiers Monument

Dedicated June 14, 1919, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a tribute to military personnell of the Civil War. At the top of the granite pedestal stands Abraham Lincoln. He gazes down at at four figures representing, an infantryman, an artilleryman, a cavalry soldier and a sailor. In 1916, the Grand Army of the Republic Fraternal organization presented Hutchinson with two canons. These canons were not Union pieces, but were in fact captured Confederate field pieces. One canon is a model 1841 Quimby & Robinson and is the only known example. The other is a Readng & Brothers model being one of only eight that still survive. In 1997, the canons were removed from their wooden carriages and more durable and secure metal carriages were constructed. At one time, this memorial stood near the grounds of Lincoln Park, but through construction projects over the last 100 years, the memorial has become isolated in the middle of 1st Avenue. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument was one of the last to be constructed during the Great Monument Era that lasted from 1885-1920.