Monumental Moments

Monumental Moments. Danbury, Connecticut. , There are monuments located throughout our city that serve as a reminder of those who have served our country. , The dedication of the Civil War Soldier’s Monument took place on May 27, 1880 in City Hall Square. The 32-foot high granite monument stands at the intersection of Main and West Streets. Its inscription reads: “To our Brothers, Beloved, Honored, Revered, Who Died That Our Country Might Live.” It was a project accomplished mainly by the women of Danbury. , In 1880, West Street Park, at the intersection of West and Division Streets, became home to an Eagle statue, gifted by resident E.A. Housman. The whereabouts of the statue are currently unknown. , Four years later, a bronze and marble statue of President Garfield, assassinated in 1881, was placed at the intersection of West Wooster and Division Streets; in the ‘presidential’ area with Lincoln, Garfield, Jefferson and Washington Avenues nearby. In the 1920s it was moved to West Street Park when an increase in automobile traffic and the need for sidewalks became paramount. , A military parade viewed by 20,000 spectators kicked off the 1931 dedication of a “Memorial to Men of All Wars.” Governor Cross and other dignitaries watched as Miss Minnie Moore pulled the rope to uncover the statue sculpted by Donald E. Curran. Miss Moore, daughter of Capt. James E. Moore, had unveiled the Civil War Monument 54 years earlier. , Wooster Cemetery, the largest in our city, pays tribute with the monument to General David Wooster, unveiled in 1854 that marks his grave. Danbury’s ”Memorial to Her Soldiers and Sailors who Rest in Unknown Graves” was dedicated in 1894. , Rogers Park is the location of prominent monuments. The Vietnam War Memorial dedicated in 1988, features a bronze plaque that honors Danbury-area veterans who died in combat or are missing in action. There is also a monument to First Lieutenant Lee R. Hartell who was killed in battle during the Korean War in 1951. Hartell was posthumously awarded The Congressional Medal of Honor and is the first and only Danbury veteran to receive this prestigious award in the post-Civil War era.