The Montgomery County Veterans Historical War Memorial Monument

The Montgomery County Veterans Historical War Memorial Monument. . , The first war memorial monument was located 5 blocks west of this location in downtown Conroe, Texas, before being moved to its present site. The first park and monument was conceived by a small group of Montgomery County citizens led by Rigby and Lucinda Owen, Virginia Ruth Clarke, "Red" Reynolds, James Stewart, Conroe National Bank, First National Bank, First Federal Savings and Loan, and the Conroe Service League with assistance of the University of Texas Engineering and Architectural Department. The Memorial was dedicated on May 31st, 1972. It was rededicated on April 28th, 1976, by the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford, before a capacity crowd in downtown Conroe., The next decade brought about the possibility of moving the monuments to a new location for better access and higher visibility. With a united effort of private citizens, veterans groups, and Commissioners Court, a decision was made to retain the location., In 2004, a citizens group, "Heart of Heroes," led by Sylvia Wiggins and Kinney Smith, began updating and refurbishing for a new presentation of the monuments. Construction was completed and the monuments were rededicated on May 25th, 2009., As Montgomery County continued to grow, it became apparent that the old monuments needed to be moved to a new location. The Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Commission was formed in 2017 under the leadership of Judge Jimmie C. Edwards to build a larger and more encompassing park. It became clear to all 23 members of the commission that the remnants and remaining monuments needed to be preserved and moved to the new Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park and Educational Center. The original monuments were moved to their new home May 24th, 2021.