The Spirit of the American Doughboy

The Spirit of the American Doughboy. . , Palatka Memorial Bridge, Visualized in 1921 at an estimated cost of $375,000, the Memorial Bridge spanning the St. John’s River was completed six years later. The bridge was considered at that time to represent the highest type of modern architectural style and construction methods. The final cost of the construction was $1.25 million leaving city leaders scrambling for a way to recoup their funds. Thus the bridge was initially set up as a toll bridge, and the fee to cross ranged from five cents to a dollar depending on the means of crossing. Tolls were to be eliminated when the bond issues used to pay for it were retired. The bridge would only last fifty years, and the new Memorial Bridge you see today was completed in the spring of 1977., The statues guard the base of the bridge on both sides. They were erected on the site by nationally known artist E.M. Viguesney of Spencer, Indiana. The statues have been given national publicity and nearly one hundred other statues like them have been erected to date. The “Spirit of the American Doughboy” is the only statue in the world that has the endorsement of the American Legion as being 100 percent perfect., (captions) , Left: One of Viguesney's Doughboy statues which stands at one of the four corners of the bridge. , Above: The eagle wings, spread over the globe symbolize a proud nation. Wreaths hold multiple meanings of victory, bravery and remembrance of the lives lost during the World Wars.