"City Hall Park, showing Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Burlington VT." Postcard courtesy of Special Collections, University of Vermont.
City Hall Park Monument, Burlington VT. Taken by Samantha Ford on November 11, 2012.
City Hall Park Monument
This seventeen-foot tall granite obelisk-shaped monument is located in the northwest corner of City Hall Park. The point of the obelisk is crowned with the American eagle clasping the American flag. The front face of the monument faces Lake Champlain with City Hall Park as the backdrop. The monument was erected and dedicated on May 30, 1907 in honor of Memorial Day.(1) The inscription on the northwest side reads, "Erected by Stannard Womans Relief Corps in memory of our soldier and sailor dead 1861-1865." On the opposite side facing southeast there is an inscription that says, "In honor of the brave men who victoriously defended the Union on land and sea during the war of the Great Rebellion." Each of the four sides is adorned with the symbols of the four branches of military that participated in the Civil War; artillery, cavalry, navy and army. The monument cost $2,700.00, with funds raised by the Stannard Woman's Relief Corps.(2)
The postcard is postmarked in 1914, about seven years after the monument was erected. The photo shows a small garden and fence surrounding the monument, this no longer exists today. In the background of the 1914 postcard, one can see the backs of buildings that face Church Street. The building to the left is the Ethan Allen Firehouse, built in 1887, which still stands today as the Firehouse Art Gallery. Both buildings to the right of the firehouse were torn down for the construction of the new city hall, which was built in 1928 on the site of the old city hall.
The Stannard Woman's Relief Corps is the Vermont chapter of the Woman's Relief Corps, named after General George J Stannard. (3) General Stannard was made famous in Vermont for his valor on the battlefield during the Civil War. (4)
According to an article in the Burlington Free Press, General Stannard's oldest daughter, Mrs. W. L. Stone, was in attendance for the dedication ceremony.(5)
1. "Monument Dedicated," Burlington Free Press, June 6, 1907.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. "Second Vermont Brigade: George J. Stannard," Christopher Dickson, accessed November 11, 2012, http://vermontcivilwar.org/units/2bgd/obits.php?input=5603
5.
"Monument Dedicated," Burlington Free Press, June 6, 1907.
