Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Monument, (sculpture).

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Monument, (sculpture).

Frolich, Finn Haakon, 1868-1947, sculptor.

J. N. White & Sons, fabricator.

Spaulding Foundry, founder.

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Monument, (sculpture).

1906-1907. Dedicated July 4, 1907.

Digital Reference:

Monument: bronze, granite; Base: granite.

Monument: approx. H. 40 ft.; Base: approx. W. 18 ft.

F Frolich (On base:) White Quarry Quincy Mass (Names of Civil War veterans from Webster are listed on bronze plaques hung on all four sides of the shaft, near the base) (On front face of tiered base, raised:) ERECTED BY THE TOWN OF/WEBSTER. A.D. 1907./TO COMMEMORATE THE/SERVICES OF HER SONS/WHO DID THEIR PART/TO PRESERVE THE UNION (Below this, on next tier, raised:) 1861-1865 signed Founder's mark appears.

At the top of the monument is a full-length soldier in bronze, holding the Union flag against his proper left shoulder. He stands atop a tall granite shaft ornamented with clasically influenced motifs. On two opposite sides of the shaft, half way down, are relief carvings in granite of crossed flags. Below the flags, on all four sides of the shaft, are ornate bronze eagles with wings spread upward. Around the base of the shaft are four pedestals oriented perpendicular to each of the corners of the shaft. Each pedestal bears a full-length bronze statue of a soldier representing the four branches of service: the navy, infantry, cavalry, artillery. The sailor wears a navy uniform and holds a sword in his proper right hand. The infantryman wears a caped overcoat and grasps the end of a rifle with both hands, the butt of the gun rests on the ground. The artillery soldier holds a rammer in his proper right hand, his proper left hand raised to the bill of his cap. The cavalryman stands with his hands clasped before him, a sword hanging from his proper left waist. On the faces of all four pedestals, below the bronze figures, are relief carvings of wreaths.

History -- United States -- Civil War

Figure male -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Occupation -- Military -- Sailor

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Object -- Other -- Flag

Animal -- Bird -- Eagle

Outdoor Sculpture -- Massachusetts -- Webster

Town of Webster, Town Hall, Main Street, Webster, Massachusetts 01570

Total cost of the monument was $16,000, $4,000 of which was raised in town meetings over the course of five years and the remainder of which was raised through the issuing of notes. In August 1920 an iron fence was erected around the monument, due to vandalism. IAS files contain a copy of the Massachusetts Historical Commission Inventory Form for the monument. For related information see Webster Times (Webster, MA) July 16, 1906; also, Alfred S. Roe's "Monument, Tablets and Other Memorials," Boston: Wright & Potter, 1910, pg. 118.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Massachusetts 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

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.0

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System