South Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Victory Arch

To Greet Them As They Pass On Their Glorious Return

— World War I Centennial Commemoration —

The Victory Arch Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021

1. The Victory Arch Marker

Inscription.

The Victory Arch. To Greet Them As They Pass On Their Glorious Return.

Victory arches have a way of outliving many other works of man. Just as it would be difficult to imagine Paris without the Arc de Triomphe, it would also be hard to imagine Newport News without its Victory Arch. , Rep. Lewis McMurran Jr., from a 1961 Memorial Day address

, Newport News citizens were proud of the vital role their community played in national defense during World War I and of the armed forces who had fought "the war to end all wars." Following the 1918 Armistice residents chose to honor them by erecting a triumphal arch. The idea was that troops disembarking at the nearby embarkation piers would pass under the span as they entered the city and be feted., According, Shipyard draftsman Ralph A. Preas designed a 50' × 50' memorial based on the French Arc de Triomphe. Ground was broken January 27, 1919, and a temporary structure of wood and plaster was hastily erected with $6,000 in funds received through public subscription. Although there were no inbound troop ships the day of its dedication, April 13, 1919, the edifice was celebrated with a civilian parade featuring floats and 5,000 school children carrying small American flags. Upon their arrival at the Casino Park to the right of the arch, the youngsters in their white outfit lined up to spell out the word WELCOME. Overhead, aviator Eddie Stinson flew in his Curtiss Jenny biplane to release more flags and take aerial photographs., The keynote speaker, Samuel R. Buxton, summed up the spirit of the occasion: "The arch is temporary in character, but what it represents is as an eternal as the everlasting hills. Its foundation is laid in the love of a grateful people and the superstructure which has been raised is the outward expression of gratitude of many thousand hearts." Boy Scouts then pulled the cords to unveil the inscription penned by attorney Robert C. Bickford "Greetings with love to those who return/A triumph with tears to those who sleep." A Daily Press editorial commented, "The Arch will stand as the guiding light to those who are yet coming here from war, to greet them as they pass on their glorious return."

Victory arches have a way of outliving many other works of man. Just as it would be difficult to imagine Paris without the Arc de Triomphe, it would also be hard to imagine Newport News without its Victory Arch.
Rep. Lewis McMurran Jr., from a 1961 Memorial Day address

Newport News citizens were proud of the vital role their community played in national defense during World War I and of the armed forces who had fought "the war to end all wars." Following the 1918 Armistice residents chose to honor them by erecting a triumphal arch. The idea was that troops disembarking at the nearby embarkation piers would pass under the span as they entered the city and be feted.

According, Shipyard draftsman Ralph A. Preas designed a 50' × 50' memorial based on the French Arc de Triomphe. Ground was broken January 27, 1919, and a temporary structure of wood and plaster was hastily erected with $6,000 in funds received through public subscription. Although there were no inbound troop ships the day of its dedication, April 13, 1919, the edifice was celebrated with a civilian parade featuring floats and 5,000 school children carrying small American flags. Upon their arrival at the Casino Park to the right of the arch, the youngsters in their white outfit lined up to spell out the word

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WELCOME. Overhead, aviator Eddie Stinson flew in his Curtiss Jenny biplane to release more flags and take aerial photographs.

The keynote speaker, Samuel R. Buxton, summed up the spirit of the occasion: "The arch is temporary in character, but what it represents is as an eternal as the everlasting hills. Its foundation is laid in the love of a grateful people and the superstructure which has been raised is the outward expression of gratitude of many thousand hearts." Boy Scouts then pulled the cords to unveil the inscription penned by attorney Robert C. Bickford "Greetings with love to those who return/A triumph with tears to those who sleep." A Daily Press editorial commented, "The Arch will stand as the guiding light to those who are yet coming here from war, to greet them as they pass on their glorious return."

Erected 2017.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • War, World I. A significant historical date for this entry is January 27, 1919.

Location. 36° 58.615′ N, 76° 25.958′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in South Newport News. It can be reached from the intersection of West Avenue and 25th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2501 West Ave, Newport News VA 23607, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Hampton Roads,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers.

The Victory Arch Marker in front of the arch image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021

2. The Victory Arch Marker in front of the arch

At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Victory Avenue (a few steps from this marker); Welcome Home (a few steps from this marker); Newport News Victory Arch (within shouting distance of this marker); Headquarters, Hampton Roads (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Victory Arch (within shouting distance of this marker); Warwick Hotel 1883-1961 (within shouting distance of this marker); Newport News (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Great Confederate Naval Victory (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 362 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.