Veterans Park of Cambria County

Veterans Park of Cambria County. . , On September 3, 1915, this park was dedicated "To the memory of the soldiers and sailors from Cambria County, Pennsylvania who fought in defense of their country.” A distinguished panel of fourteen Civil War Veterans from across Cambria County met in 1912 to make plans for the memorial's design. The panel chose the obelisk design and placement of 3,500 names of Civil War veterans on the bronze tablets at the monument's base. County veterans organizations suggested an additional 2,000 names be included, representing veterans from all previous wars. "Let us have all the names from the American Revolution through the Civil War, or no names at all.” –Cambria Freeman, Aug. 9, 1912. Another news article of the day stated: “We want the children of our schools, as they pass by the monument, to know that this county gave her best men, volunteers at that, to defend our country." The county commissioners appropriated $7,000 in 1913 to erect the sixty-three foot tall grey granite monument. David E. Park, a Pittsburgh banker who owned a summer home in Ebensburg, also contributed $5,000. Construction work was awarded to Jones Brothers of Barre, Vermont. Its founder, Seward Jones, was a Civil War veteran born in Ebensburg. The statue of the Civil War "armed sentinel” was manufactured by Gorham Co. Foundry, Providence, Rhode Island.

This park has been the site of numerous veterans parades, dedications and memorial observances. It is also the site of a community time capsule buried in 1975. In 2011 Veterans Park was rededicated to honor all veterans. The restored site features a semi-circle of six flags, with the United States flag flanked by flags representing the five branches of the military, honoring all who have served in any military capacity-wartime or peacetime, overseas or stateside.