Soldier's Monument, (sculpture).

Soldier's Monument, (sculpture).

Simmons, Franklin, 1839-1913, sculptor.

Unknown (Chicopee, Massachusetts), founder.

Soldier's Monument, (sculpture).

Lewiston Soldier's Monument, (sculpture).

Commissioned Oct. 15, 1866. 1866-1868. Installed Winter 1867-1868. Dedicated Feb. 28, 1868.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. H. 7 ft.; Base: approx. 10 ft. 2 in. x 6 ft. x 6 ft. (1,000 lbs.).

(On plate on plinth, proper left side:) F. Simmons, Sculptor (On plaque on base, side 1:) The Republic; Ashes of Her Defenders (30 names) (On plaque on base, side 2:) In Our Death is Freedom's Victory (31 names) (On plaque on base, side 3:) Justice Demanded the Sacrifice We Willingly Offered (30 names) (On plaque on base, side 4:) We Lie Here In The Spirit of Obedience to the Spirit of Liberty (27 names)

Full-length figure of a uniformed Union soldier stands at parade rest atop a seven-tiered base. He holds the barrel of his rifle in his proper left hand, with the butt on the ground between his feet. His proper right hand is on his hip. On each side of the base are lists of soldiers from Lewiston who lost their lives in the Civil War in battles, Southern prison camps or of disease.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Figure male -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Outdoor Sculpture -- Maine -- Lewiston

Administered by City of Lewiston, Department of Public Works, Willow Street, Lewiston, Maine 04240

Located Kennedy Park, Pine Street facing Bates Street, Lewiston, Maine

Commissioned by the City of Lewiston for the Lewiston City Park, later renamed Kennedy Park, for $5,000. Reportedly, this is Maine's first war memorial. In 1865, Edward Sands raised $50 to start a fund for the monument which was ultimately paid for with municipal funds. The monument has been moved several times within the park, notably during the late 1970s and early 1980s for restoration. During this period, the monument was reinstalled facing the opposite direction from which it was originally faced. In April 1964, the bayonet was broken off accidently and restored by the Public Works Department. Between 1978 and 1979 the monument underwent restoration which included graffiti removal and the cleansing of the shaft and plaques. IAS files contain related articles from the Lewiston Journal and the Lewiston Sun, excerpts from the "Report of the Committee on Soldiers' Monument, March 9, 1868" and the "Gazetter of Maine," by B. B. Russell (Boston, 1882) and a list of the names which appear on the monument.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Maine survey, 1994.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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