List of memorials to the Grand Army of the Republic facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a very important group for Union soldiers who fought in the American Civil War (1861-1865). After the war ended, these soldiers formed the GAR to support each other and remember their service. They helped their fellow veterans and their families.

Across the United States, many places were created to honor the GAR and the brave soldiers they represented. These memorials include special roads, postage stamps, and many statues, buildings, and parks in towns and cities. They help us remember the sacrifices made during the Civil War.

National Tributes to the GAR

A Special Highway: U.S. Route 6 is a long highway that stretches across the country. It is known as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway along its entire length.
Commemorative Stamps: In 1949, the Post Office Department released a special three-cent postage stamp to honor the GAR. This stamp was issued during their very last big meeting. Two years later, a similar stamp was made for the final meeting of the Confederate veterans.

State Memorials Across the USA

Alabama

Birmingham: There is a special GAR plot and a memorial in Oak Hill Cemetery. It was dedicated in 1891.

Arizona

Tombstone: A monument stands in the Tombstone Cemetery to remember the GAR members. It was dedicated on May 30, 1887.

California

Modesto: The Modesto Pioneer Cemetery has a memorial area with 36 graves. A monument with two cannons was put up in 1907. The original wooden monument was later replaced with a granite one in 1924.
Oakland: You can find a GAR plot and monument in Mountain View Cemetery. This memorial was dedicated in 1893.
Sacramento: The Sacramento Historic City Cemetery has a GAR memorial and many graves.

A postage stamp from 1948 honoring the G.A.R.

San Jose: There is a GAR section in Oak Hill Cemetery.
San Diego: A monument honoring the GAR is located in Mount Hope Cemetery. It was dedicated by the Woman's Relief Corps.

Connecticut

Rockville: The New England Civil War Museum is located inside Memorial Hall. This hall was originally dedicated to the GAR veterans. The museum is now cared for by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

District of Columbia

Washington, D.C.: A special memorial honors Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, who founded the GAR. It stands near the National Archives Building. The monument was built with money from the U.S. Congress and dedicated in 1909.

Idaho

Boise:
- The Hall of the Sheridan Post, built in 1874, is now part of the University of Idaho. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
- The Ladies of the GAR placed a granite monument on the Capitol Building grounds in 1935.

Illinois

The Chicago Cultural Center (1893) has a special hall dedicated to the Grand Army of the Republic.

Aurora: The Grand Army of the Republic Hall (Aurora, Illinois) was built in 1878 to honor Union soldiers. It now serves as a military history museum.
Chicago:
- There is a GAR memorial and gravesites in Union Ridge Cemetery.
- The Chicago Cultural Center was once a public library and a meeting hall for the GAR. It was completed in 1897 on land donated by the GAR.
- Rosehill Cemetery has a GAR memorial and about 350 graves.
- A memorial to German-American Civil War soldiers is in St. Boniface Cemetery. Many German Americans fought for the Union.

The Battery A Chicago Light Artillery Monument in Rosehill Cemetery.

Decatur: Greenwood Cemetery has a GAR section with about 570 graves and a monument.
Hoopeston: Floral Hill Cemetery holds a GAR memorial and many graves.
Minier: A GAR monument was put up in 1888 by the John Hunter GAR Post 168.
Murphysboro: A cemetery southwest of town holds graves of several GAR members who were formerly enslaved people from Tennessee.
Palatine Township: The Grand Army Memorial Plot at Hillside Cemetery was rededicated in 2015.
River Forest: The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Woods is part of the Forest Preserves of Cook County.
Springfield:
- The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Museum is owned and maintained by the Woman's Relief Corps.
- The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War donated a sundial to the Illinois State Capitol grounds in 1940.
Watseka: The GAR Cemetery, established for the Williams Post 25, has a memorial and statue at its entrance.

Indiana

Valparaiso: The Memorial Opera House was built by the local GAR chapter in 1893.

Iowa

Des Moines: A banner from a GAR meeting was made a permanent memorial in the Iowa State Capitol in 1922. A sundial was also dedicated to the GAR on the Capitol grounds in 1938.
Eldora: A GAR memorial, a metal soldier on a granite base, was put up in 1885 in the town square. It has been moved and restored over the years.
Red Oak: A GAR memorial, a bronze soldier on a granite base, was dedicated in 1907 near graves in Evergreen Cemetery.
Mount Pleasant: Hickory Grove Cemetery has a GAR monument and grave sites.
Redfield: The Marshall GAR Hall was restored in 2008 and now has a small museum.
Waterloo: The Grand Army of the Republic meeting hall has been restored and is now a meeting hall and museum. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Kansas

Baxter Springs: The Baxter Springs City Cemetery has a GAR monument and 163 gravesites.
Topeka: The GAR Memorial Hall was dedicated in 1914. It used to house the Kansas State Historical Society. After restoration, it became home to state offices.
Westmoreland: A GAR Monument is located in the center of the Westmoreland City Cemetery.

Kentucky

Covington: A GAR Monument was put up in the Linden Grove Cemetery in 1929.
Frankfort: The Colored Soldiers Monument honors African American soldiers who fought in the Civil War.

Louisiana

Chalmette: Chalmette National Cemetery has a monument and graves of about 12,000 Union soldiers from the Civil War.

Maryland

Baltimore:
- A sundial was dedicated in the Federal Hill neighborhood in 1933.
- Many Union veterans' monuments are in Loudon Park National Cemetery.
Winfield: A monument to Pickett Post, G.A.R. is in Ebenezer United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Hagerstown:
- A Memorial Speaker's Rostrum was dedicated to the MG Jesse L. Reno Post #4 in 1924 in Rose Hill Cemetery.
- A monument for Lyon Post #31 (an African-American post) was built in 2013, next to the Reno Post Memorial.
Lansdowne: A Memorial Church is dedicated to the memory of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Massachusetts

Lynn: The Grand Army of the Republic Hall and Museum are located here.
Rockland: Hartstuff Post 74 was dedicated in 1900. Parts of the building have been restored, and it is now home to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

Michigan

Algonac: A bronze soldier statue on a granite base was put up in 1905 in Boardwalk Park.
Bay City:
- A granite monument was erected in 1893 in Pine Ridge Cemetery in a section called Soldier's Rest.
- In 1902, a large cannon was added to the Soldier's Rest section.
Detroit: The Grand Army of the Republic Building was finished in 1890 as a meeting place for the local GAR chapter. After being empty for many years, it was restored and now houses a software company and a restaurant.
Flint: Two cannons are on the lawn of the Genesee County Courthouse. They were restored in 2003.
Grand Rapids:
- A zinc fountain showing a soldier was dedicated in 1885. It was restored and rededicated in 2003.
- Oak Hill Cemetery has an obelisk and graves of several GAR members.

Minnesota

Bemidji: There is a GAR memorial in Greenwood Cemetery.

GrandArmyOfTheRepublic-MemorialOperaHouse-1898

The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso, Indiana, around 1898.

Detroit Lakes: GAR Park opened in 1952 on the site of a former meeting hall. The park was renovated and rededicated in 2015.
Grand Meadow: The GAR Hall/Museum is believed to be one of only two remaining GAR halls in Minnesota. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hastings: Peller Post 89 bought land for a cemetery in 1905. It holds graves of Civil War and Spanish–American War veterans. It was restored in 1998.
Litchfield: The hall of Frank Daggett Post 35 has been saved and now holds a GAR museum.
St. Paul: A memorial obelisk with a bronze statue stands at the intersection of John Ireland Boulevard and Summit Avenue. It was put up in 1903 to honor all who fought.
White Bear Lake: A GAR monument was dedicated on May 30, 1913. It lists the names of members and battles they fought in.

Missouri

Carthage: Park Cemetery has a section with graves from the Stanton Post No. 16 and a large granite monument.
Laclede: A bronze soldier on a granite base is dedicated to the Phil Kearny Post No. 19.

Nebraska

Omaha: Forest Lawn Memorial Park has a GAR memorial and many graves.

New Hampshire

Peterborough: The GAR Memorial Hall is on Grove Street.
South Lyndeborough: The Hartshorn Memorial Cannon was named and dedicated by the Harvey Holt Post of the GAR in 1902.

New Jersey

Asbury Park: A monument at Grand and Cookman Avenues was put up by C.K. Hall Post 41.
Atlantic City: A monument at Providence and Capt. O'Donnell Parkway was put up by the Joe Hooker Post 32.
Camden: The William B. Hatch Post 37 has a plot with a monument in Evergreen Cemetery.
Egg Harbor: General Stahel Post 62 has a plot in the Egg Harbor City Cemetery.
Jersey City:
- Bayview – New York Bay Cemetery has a monument and plot for Van Houten Post #3 and Ladies Relief Post #16, including the grave of a Medal of Honor recipient.
- The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, with a "Goddess of Victory" statue, is at City Hall.
Manchester Township: A monument with a flagpole and two cannons is at Oakdale Street and Wellington Avenue.
Port Norris: The GAR Cemetery belongs to the John Shinn Post 6.
Washington: Members donated special inscribed windows to the First Methodist Episcopal Church in 1896, honoring the John F. Reynolds GAR Post 66.

New York

Bath:
- A 40-foot tall granite monument called the Preservation of the Union Monument (1892) is in Bath National Cemetery.
- A memorial in Nondaga Cemetery was put up by Custer Post 81 in 1916 for Memorial Day.
Buffalo: The Soldiers and Sailors Monument was dedicated in Lafayette Square in 1884.
New York City:
- Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn was dedicated in 1926 and leads into Prospect Park. It has a large arch and other monuments.
- In Midtown Manhattan, another Grand Army Plaza has a statue of General Sherman.
- On the Columbia University campus, a flagpole was donated by the Lafayette Post of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1898.
- Mount Olivet Cemetery in Queens has the burial lot of the Robert J. Marks Post # 560 of the GAR, with graves of veterans and a monument.

North Dakota

Devils Lake: There is a GAR plot and monument in Devils Lake Cemetery.

Ohio

Columbus: The Daughters of the Union dedicated a sundial on the grounds of the Ohio State House in 1941, marking the 75th anniversary of the GAR.
Kettering: In 1901, The Old Guard Post 23 put up a cannon monument in Beavertown cemetery.
Urbana: W. A. Brand Post No. 98 placed a Civil War artillery shell monument in Oak Dale Cemetery.
Yellow Springs: On Memorial Day 1908, Burkholder Post 115 put up a large Rodman cannon in Glen Forest Cemetery. The cannon was restored and rededicated in 2018.

Oregon

Corvallis: A GAR monument is in Crystal Lake Masonic Cemetery.
Portland: The Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery is here. Salmon Brown, the son of the famous abolitionist John Brown, is buried there.

Pennsylvania

A G.A.R. marker at Brush Creek Cemetery, near Irwin, Pennsylvania.

Carnegie: When the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall was built in 1901, it included a room for the Captain Thomas Espy Post Number 153 of the GAR. This room is now a museum with artifacts and records.
Philadelphia: A GAR museum and library are maintained by the Philadelphia Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
Pittsburgh: The Soldiers & Sailors Hall was dedicated in 1910 as a GAR memorial.
Titusville: Original documents from Cornelius S. Chase Post 50 are on display at the American Legion in Titusville.
Wilkes-Barre: The G. A. R. Memorial Junior Senior High School opened in 1925.

Tennessee

Cleveland: The GAR Monument at Fort Hill Cemetery is one of only three GAR memorials in Tennessee.

Texas

Fort Worth: A GAR Monument is located in Oakwood Cemetery.

Vermont

Vermont: State Route 15 is known as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway.
Rutland: Memorial Hall was dedicated in 1899 and served as the library for many years.

Washington

Seattle GAR Park.

Bellingham: Cornwall Park has a memorial dedicated to the Grand Army of the Republic.
Port Angeles: A memorial garden in downtown has a plaque honoring the Grand Army of the Republic.
Port Orchard: Sedgwick Road, Sedgwick Cemetery, and Sedgwick Junior High were all named after the Ladies of G.A.R. General John Sedgwick Circle.
Seattle: The city's five GAR posts created the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery in 1895.
Snohomish: The GAR Morton Post 110 established the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery in 1889. It holds the graves of 200 Civil War veterans. A monument with an obelisk and soldier statue was dedicated there in 1914.
Tacoma: Oakwood Hill Cemetery has a large section with several hundred GAR veterans and their wives.

Wisconsin

Boscobel: A granite monument to the unknown dead of the Civil War is in Veteran's Park. It was dedicated in 1907.
Columbus: A bronze soldier figure on a granite column was put up by the H.M. Brown Post 146 of the GAR.
Eau Claire: A G.A.R. Monument and burial plot are in Lakeview Cemetery, donated by the Women's Auxiliary Corps.
Kenosha: The Lovell GAR Post 230 Civil War Memorial was dedicated in 1889 in Green Ridge Cemetery.
La Crosse: A G.A.R. Monument is in Campbell Cemetery.
Ladysmith: A G.A.R. Monument is in Ladysmith Park.
Lake Hallie: A G.A.R. Monument is in Prairie View Cemetery.
Lowell: A G.A.R. Monument is in the Lowell City Cemetery.
Madison: The Grand Army of the Republic Conference Room is in the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Manitowoc: The GAR Walker Post 18 Monument (Civil War) was dedicated in 1934 in Evergreen Cemetery.
Menomonie: A GAR monument is in Evergreen Cemetery.
Necedah: A flagpole and inscribed tablet are in Bay View Cemetery.
Oshkosh: A GAR Monument (Civil War) was dedicated in 1894 in Riverside Cemetery.
Wausau: A GAR Memorial (Civil War) is in Pine Grove Cemetery.