Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge, (sculpture).

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge, (sculpture).

Lawrie, Lee Oskar, 1877-1963, sculptor.

Gehron, William, architect.

Ross, Sydney, architect.

J. E. Grainer Company, engineering firm.

James McGraw Company, engineering firm.

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge, (sculpture).

State Street Bridge, (sculpture).

1929. Dedicated August 1930.

Digital Reference:

Pylons: Indiana limestone.

Each pylon: approx. 145 x 16 x 25 ft.

(Around top of south pylon, incised numbers:) (front:) 1917 (rear:) 1861 (one side:) 1846 (other side:) 1898 (Around top of north pylon, incised numbers:) (front:) 1754 (rear:) 1776 (one side:) 1763 (other side:) 1812 (South pylon bench:) (one side:) Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Chaputepec, Chambersburg, Hanover (rear:) Gettysburg, Cuba, Porto Rico, Philippines (other side:) Chateau-Thiery, Marne, Vesle, Meuse-Argonne, Lys-Scheldt (Gate on south pylon:) "They baptized the nation into a newer/a larger liberty" (North pylon bench:) (one side:) Great Meadows, Fort Necessity, Monogahela, Fort Pitt (rear:) Ligonier, Bushy Run, Brandywine (other side:) Germantown, Fort Mifflin, Wyoming, Valley Forge, Lake Erie (Gate on north pylon:) "Every ship and every man/did his duty well"

The west entrance to the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial bridge is flanked by two tall limestone pylons, each carved with an eagle at the top. The bridge is decorated with subjects glorifying American military history, focusing on the role played by Pennsylvania troops. The eagle on the south pylon holds arrows in its proper left talon; the eagle on the north pylon also holds an object in his proper right talon. A granite bench encircles three sides of each pylon. On the piers of the bridge are representations of military accouterments, including helmets, grenades, and machine guns.

History -- United States -- Military history

History -- United States -- French & Indian War

History -- United States -- Revolution

History -- United States -- War of 1812

History -- United States -- Civil War

History -- United States -- Mexican War

History -- United States -- Spanish American War

History -- United States -- World War I

History -- United States -- Pennsylvania

Architecture -- Bridge -- Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge

Architecture -- Bridge -- State Street Bridge

Animal -- Bird -- Eagle

Object -- Weapon -- Grenade

Object -- Weapon -- Gun

Dress -- Accessory -- Helmet

Outdoor Sculpture -- Pennsylvania -- Harrisburg

Administered by State of Pennsylvania, Department of Transportation, Dauphin County Maintenance, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101

Located Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge, Seventh & Thirteenth Streets, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

The bridge was authorized by a 1919 session of the General Assembly and completed as part of the Brunner Plan to expand the Capitol Complex, and the cost was $4,000,000. The bridge celebrates the American military, commemorating past wars, as well as battles in which Pennsylvania troops played a role. The engineering firm for the east entrance was J. E. Grainer Company; engineering firm for the west entrance, main arches and pylons was James McGraw Company. For related information see The United States Daily, Yearly Index, Feb. 10, 1932, pg. 2789.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Pennsylvania survey, 1994.

Harm, Greg, 2011.

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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