Property Record
400 BLOCK OF MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Soldiers and Sailors Monument |
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| Other Name: | CIVIL WAR MONUMENT/MEMORIAL OF THE SOLDIERS AND SAILOR DEAD |
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| Reference Number: | 26891 |
| Location (Address): | 400 BLOCK OF MAIN ST |
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| County: | Lafayette |
| City: | Darlington |
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| Year Built: | 1889 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19932016 |
| Historic Use: | statue/sculpture |
| Architectural Style: | NA (unknown or not a building) |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Granite Stone |
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| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. SEE SOS! FILES AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART IN WASHINGTON, D.C. FOR MORE INFORMATION. DEDICATED 10/15/1889. A SCULPTURED STONE MONUMENT TO THE CIVIL WAR DEAD ERECTED IN THE CENTER OF THE PUBLIC SQUARE. FINALLY BOWING TO THE PUBLIC TRAFFIC PATTERN, THE STREETS TO EITHER SIDE OF THE MONUMENT WERE MADE PERMANENT.(A) 2016- "The Lafayette County Soldier and Sailors Monument was dedicated in 1889 in remembrance of Lafayette County soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War. Constructed of granite, the monument is 12 feet square at the base and 56 feet high. The monument consists of a square stepped base supporting a square plinth featuring four inscriptions with Corinthian pilasters at the corners. A tapered square column with classical cornice supports a statue of a Union Army soldier holding a rifle at parade rest. The inscriptions on the base read as follows: facing east “To Honor The Living Soldier. To Keep Green the Memory Of The Heroic Dead. A Grateful People Erect This Monument”; facing south “LaFayette County Erects This Shaft In Memory Of Her Soldiers And Sailors. Dedicated Oct. 15 A.D. 1889”; facing west “They Died: The Nation Lives”; and facing north “It Shall Speak To The Young Of The Honor And Dignity Of Citizenship, Of The Priceless Cost Of Country And Union.” This marker was erected to commemorate the lives and actions of those who served in the Civil War, both living and deceased. The Lafayette County Monumental Association was organized in 1885 with the intent of raising a monument. By 1889 enough money had been collected with County support and through the purchase of shares, and the association accepted a bid from the South Ryegate Works of Vermont. This granite firm completed the monument by October 1889 (1). The inscriptions chosen speak of deep gratitude for the sacrifice of fallen soldiers and an enduring appreciation for the living soldiers. The language belies an idealized view of those commemorated, as well as a deep patriotism. As such, the Lafayette County Soldier and Sailors Monument reflects the cultural values of the generation that erected it." -"STH 23: County Shop Rd to Minerva St", WisDOT#5245-02-02/72 and 5245-02-02/73, Prepared by Mead & Hunt, Inc., (2016). |
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| Bibliographic References: | "HOLY ROSARY PARISH, DARLINGTON, WI, 1864-1964," P. 27. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. (1) Marion Howard, “The Lafayette County Soldier & Sailors Monument at Darlington Wisconsin”, Darlington Republican Journal, February 10, 2000. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |