World War I Centennial Commission announces the first 50 official centennial memorials

The World War One Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, in partnership with The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, recently announced the first 50 memorials officially designated as WWI Centennial Memorials. The memorials are in 28 different states and each will receive a $2,000 matching grant funds towards the restoration and maintenance of these memorials through 100 Cities/100 Memorials.

The 100 Cities/100 Memorials was created to help draw attention to WWI memorials across the United States and enables all of America to take part in the WWI Centennial Commemoration. Many of these World War I war memorials have deteriorated due to exposure to the elements, neglect and even vandalism and all require maintenance.  Two-hundred thousand dollars in matching funds have been allocated by the World War One Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, with additional support from The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War, to restore these memorials back to their physical beauty and to help actively raise public awareness of those who served and of the effect this global conflict still has on today’s society. These community treasures are a tangible connection to the profound impact this war had on local towns and cities, securing an important place in military history.

“More than 4 million American families sent their sons and daughters to serve in uniform during World War I, 116,516 U.S. soldiers died in the war and another 200,000 were wounded,” said Terry Hamby, commissioner of the United States World War One Centennial Commission. “100 Cities/100 Memorials is a critically important initiative that will have an impact beyond these grants. These memorials represent an important part of remembering our past and preserving our culture.”

A second round of submission period will be open from Sept.27 through January 15, 201:  Click here for more. Valid applications not selected during the first round of awards will be rolled over to the second phase for consideration. 100 Cites/100 Memorials plans to announce the remaining 50 WWI Centennial Memorials on April 6, 2018, the anniversary of the U.S. entry to WWI. All 100 recipients will receive a matching grant of $2,000 for memorial restorations and be officially designated by the United States World War One Centennial Commission as a WWI Centennial Memorial. Memorials must be completed by Veterans Day, November 11, 2018, the one-hundred-year anniversary of the day that WWI fighting ceased, leading to the end of the war.

“By designating 100 WWI memorials across the nation, we believe the breadth and scope of this initiative will have a ripple effect beyond these 100 centennial memorials,” said Kenneth Clarke, president and CEO of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and founding partner of the Centennial Commission. “By restoring these monuments and memorials —whether it is a simple project like landscaping,  cleaning, or making significant repairs—as a nation, we honor the names of those who served and the history of the communities where they lived.”

The first 50 projects due to receive the WWI Centennial Memorial designation and funding include:

Name of Memorial	Organization/Team	City	State
‘The Survivor’ WWI War Monument Beaverton, Michigan 48612	WWI Monument Restoration Team, Beaverton, Michigan	Beaverton	MI
“Over the Top to Victory” Doughboy Statue (Missoula County, MT)	Missoula County	Missoula	MT
“Spiritualized Life” sculpture located in Memorial Park, Jacksonville, Florida	Memorial Park Association, Inc.	Jacksonville	FL
Baldwin (NY) WWI Memorial	American Legion Post # 246 & Community	Baldwin	NY
Berkeley, California World War I Commemorative Plaque (circa 1923)	Berkeley Historical Plaque Project	Berkeley	CA
Brown County Texas WWI Memorial	Central Texas Veterans Memorial, Inc	Brownwood	TX
Burlington City Sons of the American Legion Rock of the Marne	BC Rocks of the Marne	Burlington	NJ
Cape May Soldier and Sailors Monument	Greater Cape May Historical Society	Cape May City	NJ
Carmel-by-the-Sea World War I Memorial Arch	American Legion Post 512	Carmel-by-the-Sea	CA
Chinese Americans Veterans Memorial	VFW Post 4618 & American Legion, Cathay Post #384 & SF Recreation & Parks Department	San Francisco	CA
Doughboy Statue	Morton Grove Historical Society	Morton Grove	IL
Dover Patrol War Memorial – City of New York	City of New York, NYC Parks, Art & Antiquities	Brooklyn	NY
Fort George G. Meade WWI Memorial	Descendants & Friends of the 314th Infantry A.E.F.	Ft. Meade	MD
Gold Star Memorial at Guthrie Park, Riverside, IL	American Legion Post 488 and Village of Riverside	Riverside	IL
Gosman Statue	American Legion Post #20	Dillon	MT
Harvard World War I Monument	War Monument Restoration Committee, Town of Harvard, MA	Harvard	MA
Highbridge War Memorial Doughboy Plaque Replication	City of New York, NYC Parks, Art & Antiquities	Bronx	NY
Hudson World War One Memorial	Peninsula Architects	Hudson	OH
Jacob Cousins Memorial Renovation Project	Friends of the Eastern Promenade	Portland	ME
Jenkintown Borough WW1 Monument	Jenkintown War Monument Restoration Committee	Jenkintown	PA
John Burke Memorial Park- Polk County Gold Star Monument	Iowa World War I Centennial Committee	Des Moines	IA
Memorial Belltower	Rear Admiral Ralph E. Suggs, U.S. Navy (Ret.) NCSU, Douglas G. Morton, U.S. Navy (Ret.) NCSU	Raleigh	NC
Memorial Grove at Green Hill Park	Green Hill Park Coalition Inc. and The City of Worcester, Massachusetts	Worcester	MA
Memorial Park	Stewards of Memorial Park	Mobile	AL
Memorial Tablet at Victory Memorial Grove	Los Angeles – Eschscholtzia Daughters of the American Revolution Chapter of Southern California	Los Angeles	CA
Miantonomi Memorial Park Tower	Miantonomi Memorial Park Commission; City of Newport, RI; American Legion Newport Post 7; Newport Open Space Partnership	Newport	RI
Muskogee Doughboy	Reverend John Robinson Chapter, NSDAR, Muskogee Doughboy Restoration Project	Muskogee	OK
Ninth Ward victory Arch	Monumental Task Committee, Inc.	New Orleans	LA
Pierson World War l Monument	Harrison F. Pedersen Post 291, The American Legion	Pierson	IA
Rutherford World War l Memorial	Borough of Rutherford	Rutherford	NJ
Sgt. Alvin C. York Gravesite	Sgt. York Patriotic Foundation and Jamestown Rotary Club	Pall Mall	TN
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial	Friends of Wilmington Parks, Inc.	Wilmington	DE
Soldiers Memorial Military Museum	Missouri Historical Society	St. Louis	MO
Spirit of the American Doughboy	Sculpture Valley	Appleton	WI
The Spirit of the American Doughboy	Village of Swanton	Swanton	OH
The World War Memorial	VFW, Pacific Post 968	Raymond	WA
Trafford World War l	Trafford Veterans Memorial Renovation Committee	Trafford	PA
USS Tampa Memorial Window	USS Tampa 100 Committee	Tampa	FL
Veterans of World War l of the U.S.A Monument	Arizona Statewide World War l Memorials and Monuments Restoration Team	Phoenix	AZ
Victory Eagle WWl Memorial	KU Endowment Association	Lawrence	KS
Victory Memorial	Friends of the 370th INF Regiment	Chicago	IL
Village of Glen Carbon WWl Seaton/Trenatz Doughboy Statue	Glen Carbon Historical Museum Commission	Glen Carbon	IL
War memorial Natatorium	Hawaii WWl Centennial Commemoration Task Force	Honolulu	HI
Wheaton Illinois WWl Obelisk	Wheaton Park District	Wheaton	IL
Winnetka Cenotaph Memorial	New Trier Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4831	Winnetka	IL
Word War l Memorial	Village of Ridgewood	Ridgewood	NJ
World War l Doughboy Memorial	Althenthal-Joerns American Legion Post 158	Jackson	MO
World War l Memorial Fountain	West Tennessee Great War Project	Jackson	TN
World War l Monument	Borough of Danville	Danville	PA
WWl dough boy monument	Weber County Historical Society and American Legion Post 9 Ogden Utah	Ogden	UT

 

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This article was submitted to VAntage Point by the World War I Centennial Commission.

About the World War I Centennial Commission
The Commission was established by the World War I Centennial Commission Act, passed Jan. 16, 2013, and is responsible for planning, developing and executing programs, projects, and activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I. The mission is to educate the country’s citizens about the causes, courses and consequences of the war; honor the heroism and sacrifice of those Americans who served, and commemorate the Great War through public programs and initiatives. To learn more about the Commission activities, visit ww1cc.org/tools.

 

About the Pritzker Military Museum & Library

Founded in 2003, the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, located in downtown Chicago, is a nonprofit center where citizens and soldiers come together to learn about military history and affairs. The Museum & Library features an extensive collection of books, programs, artifacts, and rotating exhibits covering many eras and branches of the military. Programs include a lending library, the archives, recorded TV shows, podcasts and oral histories, and museum exhibits. To learn more about the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, visit www.pritzkermilitary.org or @PritzkerMilitaryLibrary on Facebook.

About The American Legion

The nation’s largest wartime Veterans organization, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, Veterans care and rehabilitation, Americanism and youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through nearly 14,000 posts across the nation. www.Legion.org.

About the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW)

The VFW is a nonprofit Veterans service organization composed of eligible Veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. The VFW and its Auxiliaries are dedicated to Veterans service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs.