The Soldier's and Sailors monument (1899) is located in the heart of the Central Buisness District of Allentown, in Center Square, 7th and Hamilton Streets. It was erected to honor American Civil War veterans from the 47th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers.
The Civil War deeply divided the United States, and the Allentown area was among the places it divided most. Strongly conservative, many folks had little time for arguments put forward by abolitionists. They liked the country as it had always been and felt there was no reason to trouble the South over slavery. But when the states began to leave the Union that was the line for many. To keep their country together, they were willing to fight and die. After five years of fighting and dying, there was lot of bitterness when the war ended in 1865. Allentown and the rest of Lehigh County had voted strongly against the war and Lincoln in 1864's presidential election. And even a Union victory left hard feelings.
After the war had ended, Lehigh County and Allentown disagreed how the veterans of the war should be honored. For the next 30 years local veterans grew older as the county and city argued over how they should be honored, if at all. Finally, in August of 1896, a petition was circulated to do something that most other counties in the state had already done, build a monument to local Civil War veterans. The proposal was overwhelmingly favored. But even having it presented by Medal of Honor winner Ignatz Gresser did little good and the politicians turned it down. But public opinion had shifted. A second petition in 1896 with even more signers got the officials to agree to a compromise: the county would pay for the monument if the city would maintain it.
On June 26, 1899 the cornerstone was laid. Taking part in the services was Rev. Stephen Albion Repass, the pastor of Allentown's St. John's Lutheran Church, and a former Confederate veteran who had fought and was captured at Gettysburg. He was one of the few members of Picketts's charge to make it over the fabled stonewall, later known as the high water mark of the Confederacy. A box was placed at the base of the monument that included a cannonball from the battle of Bull Run and other items. October 19, 1899 was the date of the monument's dedication. It was selected by veterans because it was the anniversary of the Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia. The 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the largest single regiment of local troops that fought in the war, had taken an active role in that Union victory.
In 1906 there was the first talk of moving the monument. The most vigorous effort was made in the 1950s. It was said to slow traffic and make Allentown look like a "hick town." But in a 1962 referendum, pro-move forces were defeated in a countywide vote of 40,619 to 20,841.
After almost 120 years, the monument still stands tall in Allentown's Center Square, from a moment in time in an era in which Center Square has changed considerably since the monument's cornerstone was laid.
The Goddess of Liberty[edit]
The Goddess of Liberty is the statue which is at the top of the Soldiers and Sailor's Monument in Center Square, Allentown. It was originally placed on top of the monument and was unveiled on Oct. 19, 1899. Two original distinctive features of Allentown's Goddess of Liberty are the furled national colors topped by an eagle held in her right hand and a flaming torch in her left.
Made of bronze, but hollow inside, the goddess, showing signs of wear, was removed, in 1933 after some severe storms. It was noted that the statue was rocking back and forth on top of the monument. Shortly after, the arm of the statue had broken off and fallen to the ground. A scaffold was quickly erected and it was found that only one of the four bolts attaching the statue to the monument actually was still secure, the others had broken off. The statue was taken down, and repaired and put back up on it's pedestal within a week.
She was taken down again in 1958. Acid rain and Hurricane Hazel in 1954 were said to have damaged her beyond repair. It was found that the statue was damaged by corrosion to a point it was considered to be unrepairable. The original statue was then sold for $162.44 at a public sale and reduced to flattened scrap metal.
For the next seven years, a debate raged across the community about the future of the monument and what should replace Liberty, as the cost was about $30,000. Everything from a giant lit globe to an antique astronomical instrument known as an armillary sphere was suggested. After some debate, including a voting referendum in 1962 to move the monument to West Park, it was decided to obtain a replacement Goddess. A replacement was fabricated and the new Goddess of Liberty was placed on top of the monument on May 21, 1964.
The statue remains in place today on top of the monument.
| Camera location | 40°36′08″N, 75°28′18″W | View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap |
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