Memoria In Aeterna, 1911 Marker

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Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Memoria In Aeterna, 1911
Hillsborough County's Confederate Monument

Front side Memoria In Aeterna, 1911 Marker Photo, Click for full size

By Mike Stroud, 2010

1. Front side Memoria In Aeterna, 1911 Marker

(In Eternal Remembrance)

Inscription. (Front text)
In 1910, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Tampa Chapter No.113, began to raise funds for a monument to honor the soldiers and sailors of the Confederate States of America, The Hillsborough County Commission granted the chapter, which had been formed in 1897, a plot on the courthouse square on the southwest corner of Franklin and Lafayette Streets. The sculpture was originally intended to be dedicated January 19, 1911, Robert E. Lee's birthday. However, funds for the $3,000 monument were still being raised and groundbreaking did not occur until January 21, 1911. The installation was completed February 3, and the exquisite marble figures were draped in white until the unveiling on February 8, 1911. On that date, thousands attended this unveiling and important dedication ceremony. Accepting the monument in behalf of the City of Tampa was Mayor D.B. McKay, who was joined by the orator for the occasion, Hon. H.S. Phillips, a local attorney. The statue, entitled Memoria in Aeterna, was fabricated in imported Italian marble and was moved to its current
(Reverse text)
location in 1952 following completion of the new Hillsborough County Courthouse. In 1966, Hillsborough County collaborated with the National Institute for the Conservation

Memoria In Aeterna, 1911 Marker, rear side Photo, Click for full size

By Mike Stroud, January 9, 2010

2. Memoria In Aeterna, 1911 Marker, rear side

of Cultural Property, Save our Sculpture, to access the condition of this prominent sculpture. The County completed the thorough cleaning and conservation treatment, but did not restore the broken rifles in order to maintain the original integrity of the historic piece. The Confederate Battle Flag is depicted on the front of the work and the dates 1861 and 1865 refer to the beginning and ending of the War Between the States. The poem on the east side was written by Sister Esther Carlotta, a Roman Catholic nun, who was president of the Florida Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1911. The solider facing north has been interpreted as the determined warrior facing the invader at the beginning of the war, while the heroic youth facing south is seen returning home from the conflict in a tattered uniform wounded but not forgotten.

Erected 1997 by The Tampa Historical Society, Tampa Chapter No. 113, United Daughters of the Confederacy and James B. Hayward, Commander, John T. Lesley Camp No. 1282, Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Location. 27° 56.968′ N, 82° 27.282′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. Marker is on Pierce Street near Madison Street, on the left when traveling south. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tampa FL 33602, United States of America.

Memoria In Aeterna, 1911 Marker, along Pierce Street Photo, Click for full size

By Mike Stroud, January 9, 2010

3. Memoria In Aeterna, 1911 Marker, along Pierce Street

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Hillsborough County's Confederate Monument (a few steps from this marker); John Fitzgerald Kennedy (within shouting distance of this marker); War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial I (within shouting distance of this marker); Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial II (within shouting distance of this marker); 1851 † 1891 (about 300 feet away, in a direct line); Hillsborough Lodge (about 400 feet away); Orange Grove Hotel (about 500 feet away). Click for a list of all markers in Tampa.

Also see . . . Hillsborough County, Florida,. Art of Saving Our Sculpture - Timeline (Submitted on February 2, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)